Above All Things, Tanis Rideout
Above All Things, Tanis Rideout
3 Rating(s)
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Above All Things

Author: Tanis Rideout

Narrator: Emily Gray

Unabridged: 11 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 02/12/2013

Synopsis

“Tell me the story of Everest,” she said, a fervent smile sweeping across her face, creasing the corners of her eyes. “Tell me about this mountain that’s stealing you away from me.” 

In 1924 George Mallory departs on his third expedition to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Left behind in Cambridge, George’s young wife, Ruth, along with the rest of a war-ravaged England, anticipates news they hope will reclaim some of the empire’s faded glory. Through alternating narratives, what emerges is a beautifully rendered story of love torn apart by obsession and the need for redemption.

About The Author

Tanis Rideout’s work has appeared in numerous publications and has been shortlisted for several prizes, including the Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award and the CBC Literary Awards. Born in Belgium, she grew up in Bermuda and in Kingston, Ontario, and now lives in Toronto. Above All Things is her first novel.Emily Gray's first audiobook performance came in 2001, for Walter Satterthwait's book Masquerade. Since then she has narrated Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series and Jasper Pforde's Something Rotten. Gray and her husband began the Classics Acting Company in Dallas.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Annette

England, 1924. After two failed expeditions, “for good or ill it was his name that had become synonymous with Everest.” Now, a new team is preparing for the third time. George Mallory, a British explorer, promised his wife that he was done. But what if they summit “his” mountain without him? After m......more

Goodreads review by Jake

You don't need to be a mountain climber to get hooked on the subject, especially when it comes to Mount Everest. Three years ago I read Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and was hooked. Since then I have read seven more books on Everest, followed online coverage each season, and watched a handful of......more

Goodreads review by Shannon

In 1924, George Mallory set out on an expedition with seven other men for a third British attempt at reaching the peak of Mount Everest. Really, it was an easy decision for him, much to his wife, Ruth's, dismay: like many climbers, but perhaps more than most, George is driven to climb Everest, the t......more

Goodreads review by Kathryn

Three word review: Romantic, disjointed, slow. While I liked reading Above All Things, I don’t think it’s a stand-out book or one that I will really think much about again. The characters of George and Ruth really held the book together. The narrative felt flaky but the well-developed characters real......more

Goodreads review by Vikki

I met the author of this book at en event last year and was thrilled to see it out in stores, and with such a beautiful cover treatment. I loved the dual-narrative of the book, which alternated between an ill-fated climbing expedition by George Mallory and his team and a day in the life of his wife,......more

Quotes

“ ‘Because it’s there.’ With just three words, George Mallory explained why explorers do what they do. Yet beyond these words, volumes have been left unsaid. With Above All Things, Tanis Rideout finally fills in this void, illuminating one of the great tragic adventure stories of the modern-day age. It’s a fantastic read.” —David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost City of Z

“This magnificent novel, at once rugged and sensual, elaborates on George Mallory’s assault on Everest in 1924, the ones who went, the ones who waited. Deeply felt, richly imagined, immaculately styled, and utterly compelling, Above All Things takes us to the heights of human experience and endurance, both in physical fortitude and erotic longing. Rideout brings us to the summit and back down, shaken but somehow saved by grace.” —Robert Goolrick, author of A Reliable Wife and Heading Out to Wonderful

“Tanis Rideout’s Above All Things is truly mesmerizing, a powerful weaving of the tensions and heartaches of a marriage in conflict with an obsession. It is the story of British climber George Mallory’s third scaling of the walls of the world’s highest mountain, and it is brilliantly told. It will take you up the slopes of Mount Everest, a climb so vividly described, you will almost feel the biting wind, the intense cold, the great drama of an historic event. But this is more than an adventure tale. Above All Things takes the reader into the hearts of both Mallory and his wife as they struggle to understand each other and their own conflicted yearnings. A deeply satisfying blend of truth and imagination that stands out from the crowd.” —Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker

“A love story, a tale of adventure, and a study in obsession all at once, Above All Things is simply breathtaking. With Tanis Rideout’s debut, a major new voice in fiction arrives.” —Joseph Boyden, author of Through Black Spruce and Three Day Road




“Above All Things has it all: adventure, tragedy, mystery, and a deeply moving love story. It’s gorgeously written and beautifully paced. I could not put it down. Prepare to be dazzled.” —Alison Pick, author of Far to Go, long-listed for the Man Booker Prize

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