Rideout has that all-too-desirable quality most authors strive for: you aren’t reading the story, you’re in it.” Joseph Boyden, Scotiabank Giller Prize–winning author of Through Black Spruce “A love story, a tale of adventure, and a study in obsession all at once, Above All Things is simply breathtaking.” The perfect read for anyone lured by the romance of adventure, as the story goes well beyond the vast summit of Everest into much trickier terrain: the unmapped topography of the heart.” enthralling blend of historical fact and imaginative fiction. Book group alert! Rideout has written a superb addition to the fictional biography genre popularized by novels like Loving Frank and The Paris Wife. creating an atmosphere as authentic as in Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air. The author has exhilaratingly imagined the British climber’s third and final attempt to reach the mountain’s summit in 1924. “Part love story, part high-octane adventure, this historical novel about doomed Everest climber George Mallory is a tough one to put down.” “This vivid, assured, and confident debut novel scales great heights of obsession and desire, both on the face of Mount Everest and in the loving bond between doomed explorer George Mallory and his wife, Ruth. Alison Pick, Man Booker Prize–longlisted author of Far to Go It’s gorgeously written and beautifully paced.

“ Above All Things has it all: adventure, tragedy, mystery, and a deeply moving love story.

'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. Drawing on years of research, this powerful and beautifully written novel is a timeless story of desire, redemption, and the lengths we are willing to go for honour, glory, and love. But it is through Ruth’s eyes that a complex portrait of a marriage emerges, one forged on the eve of the First World War, shadowed by its losses, and haunted by the ever-present possibility that George might not come home. Through George’s perspective, and that of the newest member of the climbing team, Sandy Irvine, we get an astonishing picture of the terrible risks taken by the men on the treacherous terrain of the Himalaya. The Paris Wife meets Into Thin Air in this breathtaking novel of love and obsession, which tells the story of George Mallory’s legendary attempt to be the first man to conquer Mount Everest – and of the remarkable woman he left behind to await news of his fate.Ī captivating blend of historical fact and imaginative fiction, Above All Things moves seamlessly between the epic story of Mallory’s final expedition and a moving account of a day in the life of his wife, Ruth.

Above all things by tanis rideout