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Title: K2 : Triumph and Tragedy by Jim Curran ISBN: 0-395-48590-8 Publisher: Mariner Books Pub. Date: 03 February, 1989 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.27 (22 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: An interesting perspective
Comment: Although I am sure I do not have the perspective of an Allison Pennington, as an armchair mountaineer I can say that I have read this book numerous times, and never tire of it. Many people complain that Curran "doesn't get into the action," but I have two comments to make about this. First of all, the base camp vantage point provides a unique perspective. I would argue that this is what makes this particular account interesting. Curran is a humorous writer, lacking the self-serious and somewhat bleak outlook of many of his peers in the field of adventure writing. His commentaries about the international flavor of "The Strip" are funny and dare I say it: educational. "K2" compares favorably to Jon Krakauer's dark and somewhat pretentious prose about the catastrophic year on Everest ten years later (regardless of the fact that Krakauer "climbs"). Secondly, considering the luck of the English up high on this particular mountain, I severely doubt that we would be reading such an interesting book if Curran had gone above Camp 2.
Rating: 4
Summary: Well written, tragic and humourous
Comment: I enjoyed this book. Jim Curran is a gifted writer, well able to maintain the reader's interest with his fluent, eloquent style and, in turns, he is humourous and tragic. As pointed out in other reviews, he does spend much of his time in and round Base Camp, only venturing as far as Camp II, which some people seem to find makes him boring and/or unable to give the "full story". Personally, this is the first mountaineering book I have read which is delivered by a non-climbing member of an expedition - in many respects, it makes for more gripping and tense reading as you are led through various moments in the climbing season where nobody at Base Camp has the foggiest clue about what is happening up on the hill. The tension, and sadness, on occasions is tremendous. My one complaint about this book is that, having finished it, you do not feel as if you have a good idea of what many of Curran's team were like as people (as opposed to climbers), with the exception of Curran's good friend, Al Rouse. In particular, I was eager to be told more about the Burgess twins, who seemed to be intriguing (and it was hinted at, possibly mischievous), as well as excellent mountaineers. However, all in all, a good book which conveys well the highs and lows, the humour and the tragedy of climbing at the most extreme edge of the sport.
Rating: 5
Summary: The title says it all -- and Heartfelt Account
Comment: Aside from being a great account of the tragic 1986 season at K2, Curran's book has the quality of masterfully weaving the author's sense of humor with his deeply felt emotions about lost friends.
While some may argue that Curran was not at the forefront of leading the climbing on any of the expeditions, his keen sense of a filmmaker allows him to tell a very human story. In the great tradition of English mountaineering tradition he tells with wit and humor about the scrambles in putting the expedition together. His storytelling about the trials and challenges in the walk-up to base camp is equaled in its jovial spirit perhaps only by Greg Child (see "Thin Air").
When true drama begins to unfold with the death of Casarotto, Curran does not simply "recount" the casualties -- his voice is full of passion, heartache and doubt. His reflections upon the dangers of mountain climbing are deeply felt.
A highly recommended read!
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Title: The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoli Boukreev, G. Weston DeWalt ISBN: 0312965338 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 July, 1998 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Eiger Dreams : Ventures Among Men and Mountains by Jon Krakauer ISBN: 0385488181 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 19 May, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: High: Stories of Survival from Everest and K2 (Extreme Adventure) by Clint Willis ISBN: 1560252006 Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press Pub. Date: January, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Epic: Stories of Survival from the World's Highest Peaks by Clint Willis ISBN: 1560251549 Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press Pub. Date: November, 1997 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival by Joe Simpson ISBN: 0060730552 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: January, 2004 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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