Book Description
By the time David Roberts turned twenty-two, he had been involved in three fatal mountain climbing accidents and had himself escaped death by the sheerest of luck.
At age eighteen, Roberts witnessed the death of his first climbing partner in Boulder, Colorado. A few years later, he was the first on the scene of a fatal accident on Mount Washington, New Hampshire. Months afterward, while pioneering a new route in Alaska with the Harvard Mountaineering Club, Roberts watched as his climbing partner and friend fell wordlessly 4,000 feet to a glacier below.
Despite these tragedies, Roberts insists that the greatest pleasures in his life have come in the mountains. Several of his challenging routes in Alaska have never been climbed again in the nearly forty years since those first ascents. Roberts continues to climb today, and like all climbers, he still grapples with the cost-benefit calculus of his sport. In a well-known essay that he wrote twenty-five years ago, "Moments of Doubt," Roberts insisted that the benefits of climbing were "worth it." More recently, however, he has gone back to interview relatives and friends of some of his deceased climbing partners. He discovered that even decades later, the wounds had failed to heal, the terrible losses were still acutely felt. And so in this book he comes to a different conclusion about climbing, one that is sure to stir controversy in mountaineering circles and among adventurers generally.
Anyone who has ever wondered why mountaineers take the risks that they do will be moved and enlightened by On the Ridge Between Life and Death, as will anyone who appreciates vivid, dramatic storytelling and an unflinchingly honest self-examination of a lifetime spent pursuing a dangerous pastime.
Customer Reviews:
Doesn't deserve one star.......2006-12-07
This is the first review I have ever submitted. I have read over a hundred books about mountaineering but I must say this is the worst. He should have named the book "me me me". I have never read a more egotistical writer. Anyone giving him a 5 star rating must be related.
For a Few Dollars More...........2006-05-28
Like Clint Eastwood's early "spaghetti westerns", Roberts's memoir is a too long, but generally fascinating narrative replete with seemingly numberless dead bodies, and one terribly misused girl, about whom the "hard man" protagonist shows remarkably little feeling.
Let me acknowledge: I'm not a climber. I LOVE mountains, especially the world above timberline, and like Roberts I was awed by Maurice Herzog's Annapurna in my youth and by the accounts of Hillary and Tenzing - and earlier Mallory - on Everest. But my fear of heights - and perhaps good sense - have limited me to the walk-ups like Mt. Elbert which Roberts ridicules.
Let me also ackowledge why Roberts's memoir troubles me so much. One of the finest young men I taught and coached in prep school was lost in a crevasse on Shishapangma in 1996. He was a 3rd year med student who had very limited climbing experience, yet the expedition leaders never acknowledged that he should not have been allowed to proceed solo between camps at 21,000'. To me his loss epitomizes the awful waste of life on mountains and the callous attitude of those like Roberts who encourage neophytes beyond their capacities and seem to feel no genuine remorse.
The major drawback of this memoir, for the general reader, simply from a story-telling point of view, is its far too-long descriptions of many of Roberts's Alaskan climbs. Serious climbers may revel in the details of carabineers (I may or may not have spelled it right - and don't care) and route-finding and the like - almost minute by minute at times, but non-climbers will become weary and bored. With some skimming of those sections, I persevered to the end. Roberts's narrative style is, otherwise, effective plus I had to find out if he really was as hard and cold and short of compassion as steely-eyed Clint Eastwood. Yup. But, hey, telling about all the dead, and about "Lisa", will bring Roberts a few dollars more, right?
Is it worth the risk.......2006-03-19
I'm a climber only in the sense that I have paid guides to lead me up big mountains, which in the climbing world doesn't count for much. But I have been cold and afraid in the mountains, enough to appreciate what Roberts is talking about. A few days before what was my biggest climb, I met a young Argentine who would die a few days later on Alpamayo. We heard the news on the radio our Peruvian porters listened to incessantly (yes, I used porters). Something that has always bothered me about real climbers is their attitude toward risk, which is a euphemism for death. The 'hard man' attitude that Roberts discusses is very real. It is just casually accepted that people die climbing, and that it is worth the risk. Roberts's unique honesty allows the reader to see where the hard man comes from. He does it by painting a fairly painfully unflattering portrait of himself. Maybe even more unflattering than he intended. I am not a very hard man, and I found his description of Ed's death on Mt. Huntington and the subsequent telling of his parents almost unbearably sad. As is his description of his disastrous high school love affair. Somehow, Roberts has managed to write a book that conveys the majesty of the grand ranges, and why climbing breeds obsession, without letting the tragedy, of which there is plenty, fade entirely into the background. He has also ruthlessly kept out the various hackneyed sentiments often found in mountaineering books. Not any Mark Twight type hard man preening here, and the brooding is more under control than in Joe Simpson's later books, though I like them as well. But,when the rat is gnawing, and you're wondering whether maybe your planned route is too ambitious, like maybe fatally so, this is not the book to read. Save it for a chair and a warm fire.
Inside an Adventurer's Soul.......2006-01-27
Wow! Having read many climbing narratives and essays, I was expecting more of the same--exciting adventure writing similar to war accounts. David Roberts' newest book has all the first-person nail-biting drama, of course, of putting up world-class routes in frozen wilderness, but the surprise here is the intelligent, unflinching inner dialogue off the mountain. Roberts has seen and experienced high risk, death and deprivation, has lost and gained much from his chosen battles, and has explored the consequences here in an amazingly conscious way. This rare book sheds a great deal of light on the reasons Roberts was drawn away from the safe, tame and mundane 'everydayness' of modern life, even as he fought the demons that drew him away from his quests, even as he became aware of the spreading ripples that emanated from his passion for the climbing life. Undoubtedly these internal struggles rage inside many who try to balance a burning love for earth's wild and dangerous places (climbers, explorers, kayakers, surfers...) against the tidal pull of human relations.
A must read for climbers and any adventurer at heart.......2005-10-26
This book drew me in from start to finish. Being an avid climber myself I enjoyed reading about someone else so caught up in the lifestyle. I was swept away to the remote ranges of Alaska fully entertained by his stories of first ascents and failed attempts on some very respectable peaks. Just when I thought the book had climaxed and couldn't get any better, there he was, telling about another gripping climbing trip back to Alaska, or Canada, or a close call in the states. The book is laced with tragedy, both in his life, and his accounts of what has happened to others in the climbing community. Roberts evaluates what climbing has meant to him and what the impact has been on others. You don't have to be a climber to enjoy this book. Is it worth the risk?, read the book and decide for yourself.
Book Description
Afghanistan, March 2002. In the early morning darkness on a frigid mountaintop, a U.S. soldier is stranded, alone, surrounded by fanatical al Qaeda fighters. For the man’s fellow Navy SEALs, and for waiting teams of Army Rangers, there was only one rule now: leave no one behind. In this gripping you-are-there account–based on stunning eyewitness testimony and painstaking research–journalist Malcolm MacPherson thrusts us into a drama of rescue, tragedy, and valor in a place that would be known as...
ROBERTS RIDGE
For an elite team of SEALs, the mission seemed straightforward enough: take control of a towering 10,240-foot mountain peak called Takur Ghar. Launched as part of Operation Anaconda–a hammer-and-anvil plan to smash Taliban al Qaeda in eastern Afghanistan –the taking of Takur Ghar would offer U.S. forces a key strategic observation post. But the enemy was waiting, hidden in a series of camouflaged trenches and bunkers–and when the Special Forces chopper flared on the peak to land, it was shredded by a hail of machine-gun, small arms, and RPG rounds. A red-haired SEAL named Neil Roberts was thrown from the aircraft. And by the time the shattered helicopter crash-landed on the valley floor seven miles away, Roberts’s fellow SEALs were determined to return to the mountain peak and bring him out–no matter what the cost.
Drawing on the words of the men who were there–SEALs, Rangers, medics, combat air controllers, and pilots–this harrowing true account, the first book of its kind to chronicle the battle for Takur Ghar, captures in dramatic detail a seventeen-hour pitched battle fought at the highest elevation Americans have ever waged war. At once an hour-by-hour, bullet-by-bullet chronicle of a landmark battle and a sobering look at the capabilities and limitations of America’s high-tech army, Roberts Ridge is the unforgettable story of a few dozen warriors who faced a single fate: to live or die for their comrades in the face of near-impossible odds.
Download Description
“A true story of courage that captures–over the course of seventeen hours–all the drama and sacrifice of war. IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN. Highly recommended.”--James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys
“At once a terrifying and compelling narrative, ROBERTS RIDGE strikes awe for its unflinching and honest portrayal of the courage, determination, and capability of American fighting men. This true tale resonates with vitally important lessons of success and failure on the field of battle.”—Eric Haney, author of Inside Delta Force
"In the tradition of Black Hawk Down, Malcolm MacPherson vividly brings to life this harrowing story of courage, pathos, and war at its grittiest. For military history buffs, or those interested in the front lines of the war on terror, Roberts Ridge is a must read."--Jay Winik, author of April 1865: The Month That Saved America
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Good But Lacks Context.......2007-08-05
I read Not a Good Day to Die immediately prior to reading Roberts Ridge. I was curious about the comparison and thought the topic was worth reading both. I wasn't disappointed.
Roberts Ridge has one significant shortcoming as a piece of nonfiction and that really stands out against Not a Good Day to Die. The subject matter of Robert's Ridge takes place during a much larger operation named Operation Anaconda. Roberts Ridge can be read in isolation but the reader is left without an understanding of the larger context in which it took place. And that context is helpful in understanding how the events on Roberts Ridge came to be and who the actors where. Without that context, the book essentially becomes a kind of action book, focusing on only what happened at in that limited time, as opposed to a more useful piece of nonfiction.
The author seems to spend too much focus on the jocularity during combat. Some of that humanizes the characters but again, it felt like the author was aiming for the equivalent of an action movie. And remembering the success of Black Hawk Down, he may have been.
I also don't like the title. Neil Roberts died alone on that mountain, giving his life for his country in unfortunate circumstances. As far as I've read, the place retains its historic name and only the title of this book calls it Roberts Ridge. That seems to me to be a little cavalier.
If you have the time and interest to read both, read Not a Good Day to Die First. You'll understand more. But that book has its own flaws that Roberts Ridge helps offset so they are both worthwhile.
Great read despite the controversy.......2007-05-19
I have to say that prior to writing my own review, I read the reviews below and I am saddened that apparent family members of the fallen feel an injustice was perpetrated by this book. If that's true then that is very unfortunate. However, since I don't know anything about these issues personally, I can only comment on my experience with the book, and I loved it. While others clearly did not care for the author's writing style, I enjoyed it much more than many of the other military non-fiction writers I have read. I thought the author did a great job of bringing together the accounts of so many people and I also appreciated the insight into who the lives of the soldiers that was afforded by the chapters about their backgrounds. It gave a very personal ring to the story. I have not read Naylor's account yet, but it is next on my list. Overall I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Black Hawk Down or similar works. It's a very quick read with more action than most books in this genre can boast of.
Excellent Story.......2007-05-18
I knew only a little about this story before reading "Roberts Ridge." There are (of course) contradicting accounts about what "really happened" on Takur Ghar, but the story this book tells from that momentous fight was very compelling in my opinion. I read the book quickly and enjoyed it throughout. There are so many people involved in this battle it does get hard to keep it all straight in a few spots. Overall, I enjoyed the book and appreciated MacPherson's writing style.
Great read!!!.......2007-05-15
Once you pick it up...you won't put it down! Very accurate and uplifting story of true heroism.
Great Account of the Battle for Takur Ghar Mountain.......2007-04-22
Prior to Operation Anaconda, the less-than successful operation to trap and kill Al-Queda troops in the Sha-i-Kot Valley, a number of Special Operations Forces teams infiltrated the area in order to conduct reconnaissance prior to the operation and then direct close air support into the Valley to kill the terrorists. Mako 30, one of these teams, was sent to the most obvious observation point in the Valley - Takur Ghar mountain. Only problem was that the battle-hardened Al Queda terrorists, mostly Chechens, were quite aware of the military significance of Takur Ghar and made it their own before Mako 30 arrived. MacPherson makes a great argument for the pitfalls of relying on the best technology in the world - even our best "sniffers" never picked up on the terrorists on the peak. After attempting a landing and losing Neil Roberts, Mako 30 attempted to return to the same Landing Zone they had unsuccessfully tried to occupy the first time around. Mako 30's predictable defeat is followed by a Ranger Quick reaction Force that is also pinned down. Unbelievably, the Rangers landed in the exact place that Mako 30 did, losing their MH-47 in the process. A third reaction team lands, scales 2000ft on mountain, and the Rangers finally prevail over the enemy.
MacPherson has done a great job of capturing the details of the battle, but his account falls far short of "Not A Good Day To Die", a far more detailed and better-sourced account. Nonetheless, MacPherson's account captures the individual bravery and sacrifice of the U.S. soldiers on the mountain. A great compliment to "Not A Good Day To Die". A must read for any small unit commander and anyone interested in Al Queda tactics.
Book Description
Three friends bound by love of the Southwest's canyonlands undertake the first traverse of the Comb Ridge, in search of the lost civilization of the Anasazi • A cultural pilgrimage as well as an athletic one • Story blends personal adventure, middle-aged angst, the beauty of a landscape, history of exploration, and mysteries of the rise and fall of an ancient culture • By a critically acclaimed travel and adventure writer also famous for his exploits in Alaska's mountains • Includes photos by Greg Child of the landscape, Anasazi and Navajo ruins and rock art On September 1, 2004, three middle-aged buddies set out on one of the last geographic challenges never before attempted in North America: to hike the Comb Ridge in one continuous push. The Comb is an upthrust ridge of sandstone—virtually a mini-mountain range—that stretches almost unbroken for a hundred miles from just east of Kayenta, Arizona, to some ten miles west of Blanding, Utah. To hike the Comb is to run a gauntlet of up-and-down severities, with the precipice lurking on one hand, the fiendishly convoluted bedrock slab on the other—always at a sideways, ankle-wrenching pitch. There is not a single mile of established trail in the Comb's hundred-mile reach.
The friends were David Roberts, writer, adventurer, famed mountaineer of decades past, at age 61 the graybeard of the bunch; Greg Child, renowned mountaineer and rock climber, age 47; and Vaughn Hadenfeldt, a wilderness guide intimately acquainted with the canyonlands, age 53. They came to the Comb not only for the physical challenge, but to seek out seldom-visited ruins and rock art of the mysterious Anasazi culture. Each brought his own emotions on the journey; the Comb Ridge would test their friendship in ways they had never before experienced.
Searching for the stray arrowhead half-smothered in the sand or for the faint markings on a far sandstone boulder that betokened a little-known rock art panel, becomes a competitive sport for the three friends. Along the way, they ponder the mystery, bringing the accounts of early and modern explorers and archaeologists to bear: Who were the vanished Indians who built these inaccessible cliff dwellings and pueblos, often hidden from view? Of whom were they afraid and why? What caused them to suddenly abandon their settlements around 1300 AD? What meaning can be ascribed to their phantasmagoric rock art? What was their relationship to the Navajo, who were convinced the Anasazi had magical powers and could fly?
DAVID ROBERTS is the author of On the Ridge Between Life & Death, Escape From Lucania, In Search of the Old Ones, and Escape Routes among other titles. His adventure and travel writing have appeared in Outside, National Geographic Adventure, The New York Times, and other publications.
Customer Reviews:
Good Travelogue.......2007-08-23
After reading David Roberts other book "In Search Of The Ancient Ones", I had to pick this one up as well. As a native Southwesterner and interested in ancient southwestern Indian history, I was eager to read about his trek across the "The Comb" with two friends. There was some interesting tidbits on how they went about placing their water caches and meetings with some of the locals before and during their trip. It was a fairly interesting read if you are an outdoors person but I as far as the Anasazi ruins, while several are mentioned, it would have been more interesting if more photos were included. Like a few previous reviewers I did find it annoying to read about David's arguments with his fellow companions as they all seemed to be instigated by David himself. I got the impression that he thought he was the "leader" of the group and the others were supposed to listen to him and follow "his" rules. It wouldn't have been too bad except he brings it up about 4 or 5 times throughout the book which I thought was a little excessive. Also, he makes a few remarks about others he has met or traveled with in the back country of the Southwest which, to me anyways, he thinks that we are not worthy of visiting these ancient ruins. Because others have vandalized ruins (which has been going on for about a hundred years now)does not mean that there some of us who are just as interested in the Anasazi and want to experience the thrill and wonder of finding an undiscovered site on our own or visit some of the ruins that are accessible, without looting them or damaging them. He gave me the impression that he is one of the "elite" who is one of the few who is knowledgable and because he's done some extensive backcountry travelling, "qualified" to visit these sites. Overall I thought the book was a good read. Not as good as his earlier one, "In Search Of The Ancient Ones." (Which I highly recommend). You should consider "House Of Rain" by Craig Childs.
Disappointing........2007-06-26
I enjoyed reading "The Secret Knowledge of Water" and "House of Rain;" both books written by Craig Childs. So,I bought and read this book because Greg Childs acted as photographer in this traverse of Comb Ridge. And, Indeed, the photos are good. Unfortunatly, David Roberts, the author and traverse participant, comes off as needing total control of his hike companions. The writing seems choppy and more a personal journal than an adventure.
Amazing reading..simply outstanding!.......2007-06-12
From the moment I saw this book on the shelf, I couldn't wait to get to a computer and order it from Amazon. I neglected to write down the name, but was able to find it with a search. This book is one I had a very hard time putting down. Roberts is a fine writer, however, some terminology will most likely have you pining for a dictionary! Roberts has you feeling the burn of the climb and the heat of the desert, along with the blisters on ones' feet! I am just about done with it, and already ordered "In Search of the Ancient Ones" for my next read.
One-Part Cultural Exploration of the Anasazi (with a little Navajo as well) and One-Part Adventure Story.......2007-05-07
Overall, I really enjoyed *Sandstone Spine*; nothing overly ground-breaking here - no new revelations or significant finds in regards to the Anasazi were accomplished on the trip. But, that doesn't necessarily matter. Between the party's discovered and revisited sites there is something to learn about the Anasazi for those not already deeply versed in the history. The most interesting parts of the book in regards to the history are the tangents Roberts takes talking about previous historical understanding and research, and some of the local history surrounding the Comb Ridge. In the beginning, the reader also gets a peak at the Navajo Nation off the beaten path.
As for the trek itself, it is essentially a 100+ mile hike in late summer in a sometimes unforgiving landscape. The party's adventures have the usual desert travel moments of having to find water, a safe place to camp, and how to travel across a varied terrain. But, in the end, it is merely interesting and not too adventurous. This is not the fault of Roberts and his traveling companions; though the Comb Ridge is a fantastic example of the geology of Colorado Plateau that presented some challenges to the traverse, it is not all that daunting to the experienced backcountry travelers on this adventure (this is not to say that it wouldn't kill the unprepared).
At times I found myself frustrated along with David Roberts when he spends moments in this book complaining about how his friends travel in relation to his expectations - mostly about one of the friends. On one hand, I completely agree with him; when a travel companion goes off on one's own and especially doesn't communicate what he or she is doing, this is absolutely annoying! And dangerous in the backcountry - even for experienced hikers. And one of Roberts' co-hikers does this often. But, I don't know that it really adds to the book any; except maybe at the end (I won't give away why or how). Or, maybe I just relate so well to it in regards to someone I used to travel often with that I can't take it any more than Roberts can.
In the end, a good read; but, maybe not quite up to the same level as some of Roberts' other books in regards to history or adventure - essentially, not the fault of the three travelers, just the circumstance of the Comb Ridge and the high skill level of the hikers. I would classify this as essential for anyone interested in backcountry travel in the Comb Ridge area; and a good quick read for everyone else.
See a slice of the Four Corners and existential hiking as part of a travelogue.......2007-04-18
This is a good book in many ways. Let me list just a few of them.
First, you get David Roberts' intimate love of the Four Corners/Colorado Plateau, as well as that of his two fellow hikers. Second and related is Roberts' and their appreciation for the Anasazi ruins and artifacts they encounter, and the appreciation to not disturb them.
Related to that, you can learn the basics about their "museum of the outdoors" ethos that is a cornerstone of this care to not disturb these remains. Not everybody fully appreciates this; it is part of what motivates the trio to get snarky about people's trail register comments. But, this isn't an "environmental" book or an "archaeology" book; it's also a travel book. And to fully appreciate this book, I think you have to understand that. If you want "just" an archaeology/hiking book, there's always "In Search of the Old Ones."
Beyond that, you get a sense for the vastness and ruggedness of this land, both today and 700-7,000 years ago as it confronted the Anasazi and their various forbearers.
But, wait, that's not all.
You also get the story of the 61-year-old Roberts, wondering how much major hiking he has left, the 53-year-old Vaughn Hadenfelt, fearing he'll soon be stuck behind a desk rather than guiding people around the Plateau, and the 47-year-old Greg Child, a new father. You get the three of them trying to not wear on each other's last nerve through a couple of weeks of hiking with almost no human contact. The "whining" that some people may note, I rather saw as the personal wrestlings of three aging hikers knowing they are approaching turning points in their lives. I think it misses the point of this book to "just" look for nature photography or Anasazi ruins.
Finally, you get Roberts' exquisite writing ability, and 16 pages of full-color photography by Child. A definite winner.
I've driven through Comb Ridge and hiked areas of Cedar Mesa and Grand Gulch; I deeply appreciated this book.
Average customer rating:
- Birthright-Not bad but not great
- Two Stars-Spoilers follow
- STILL TRYING TO GET THRU IT
- Excellent Novel
- So-so offering
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Birthright
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
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ASIN: 0399149848
Release Date: 2003-03-31 |
Book Description
When five-thousand-year-old human bones are found at a construction site in the small town of Woodsboro, the news draws archaeologist Callie Dunbrook out of her sabbatical and into a whirlwind of adventure, danger, and romance.
While overseeing the dig, she must try to make sense of a cloud of death and misfortune that hangs over the project-fueling rumors that the site is cursed. And she must cope with the presence of her irritating-but irresistible-ex-husband, Jake. Furthermore, when a stranger claims to know a secret about her privileged Boston childhood, she is forced to question her own past as well.
A rich, thrilling, suspenseful tale from a "storyteller of immeasurable diversity and talent" (Publishers Weekly), Birthright follows an inspiring heroine, an intriguing hero, and a cast of fascinating characters whose intertwined lives remind us that there is much more going on under the surface than meets the eye.
Download Description
"When five-thousand-year-old human bones are found at a construction site in the small town of Woodsboro, the news draws archaeologist Callie Dunbrook out of her sabbatical and into a whirlwind of adventure, danger, and romance. While overseeing the dig, she must try to make sense of a cloud of death and misfortune that hangs over the project-fueling rumors that the site is cursed. And she must cope with the presence of her irritating-but irresistible-ex-husband, Jake. Furthermore, when a stranger claims to know a secret about her privileged Boston childhood, she is forced to question her own past as well."
Customer Reviews:
Birthright-Not bad but not great.......2007-08-23
I finished "Birthright" and almost didn't finish it after the first few chapters. Callie's character bothered me with her profanity and temper. I'm thinking by almost 30 a person should have learned more control. Her birth parents as well as adopted are loving gentle people. Where did she come from??? Towards the end of the book I got to where I could tolerate her a little more. I liked Jake's character and loved the end where he tells her he never signed the divorce papers. I had guessed that by a couple other things that was said but that was a fun ending. Unlike some other reviewers I liked Doug and the grandfather and of course Lana and her son. I skimmed a lot and almost didn't read the book because I have no interest in archaeology. I liked the secondary characters and would have liked NR to have gone a little further with the ending of the 2 families together and feelings a little more resolved. I very often think that NR shorts the ending. All in all it wasn't a bad read as some reviewers indicated. The whole adoption thing was interesting because I was taken from my birth mother when I was 2 and adopted shortly after. I found my birth family after my adopted parents were deceased. I could relate to Callie's feelings as your feelings for people who raised you as opposed to the ones who gave you birth are different. It's a difficult dilemma. For some reason my birth mother had raised my siblings and these were 2 different enviornments. We had nothing in common. I think in Callie's case the backgrounds weren't that much different. I didn't care for Callie's birth mother at first because she had been so obsessed with finding Jessica/Callie she destroyed her marriage and neglected her son. Later in the book she realizes what she has done and mellows some but sitll 29 years of damage was done. Some of the book was unrealistic to me but after all it is fiction so I have to remember that. I still didn't think the murder of the 2 people in the story were necessary to the plot. They really had nothing to do with anything going on in the book and a young woman killed both of them?? It's not a book I will read again but it was an okay read.
Two Stars-Spoilers follow.......2007-05-22
The plot sounded really good a thirty year old Callie Dunbrook finds out that she was adopted and learns she was kidnapped from her stroller at three months. It was a major disappointment. There were too many plot lines going on that you got lost. I didn't like the main charactor Callie at all. She was raised in a loving home so why did she have a hard time accepting love and trust? Neither of her birth or adoptive parents had problems in that department. Even her reason for it didn't make any sense. She blamed it on her adoptive parents' relationship but not once during the whole book did you ever see an example of it. Her language was bad and mouthing off to anyone and everyone got old really fast.
The real reason behind the murders was so farfetched it didn't make any sense neither did the end of the story. From the final climax you expect me to believe one person managed to knock out, drug and tie up four people? Would of liked Callie's relationship with her birth parents to of been worked out more. More of Suzanne and Jay working out their problems and getting back together. I did like the charactor Lana. Usually the dead husband is protrayed as evil or a jerk it was a nice change that she loved her late husband and realized she could still move on with her life and Doug. I did like that Suzanne and Jay were portrayed very realistically as parents who's child was kidnapped who find their way back to each other. The fact the person responsible for the kidnapping and black market ring will never have to pay for the crimes made the story fall flat. After all the suffering all those years Suzanne and Jay deserved to face the man who arranged their daughter's kidnapping and see justice served. I felt like they were playing down the crime making it seem less serious then it was. Sure Callie ended up having a great life but that doesn't change the fact she was kidnapped and sold on the black market. She spends more time whining about everything and everyone in her life then being angry about the whole crime. Her immature additude at Jake was annoying. Jake came across as a good guy but I couldn't imagine why he liked Callie especially since I didn't even like her.
STILL TRYING TO GET THRU IT.......2007-03-02
Nora Robert's is my favorite author and her books are the best...but I am having a tough time getting thru this one. Birthright doesn't project any of the detailed gorgeous scenery Nora is so wonderful at describing. The characters are just ok. I am still reading it..and have been putting down for a month now on and off!
Excellent Novel.......2006-10-18
I just reread this book for the second time. I haven't read it since it came out a few years ago. I enjoyed it this time around as much as I did the first time. The book has everything, mystery, romance, humor, and sadness. It's an emotionally charged book that keeps you hanging on til the end. The main plot is around Callie an archeologist who has her life turned around after appearing on TV. She is approached by a woman (Suzanne)who is convinced she is the daughter who was taken from her stroller in a mall when she was an infant. After some investigating and tests, Suzanne is proved correct. But a baby stealing/selling scheme is uncovered in the process. Callie is determined to get to the bottom of it. While that is going on she has to deal with her ex-husband Jake being brought in on her dig, he's an anthropologist. I don't want to get into too much detail and ruin all the surprises but there are several wonderful relationships being developed, reconciled and explored. Callie has a new family and it is interesting to watch everyone get to know eachother and heal after this upheaval. It is a wonderful love story and mystery. I think this book would appeal to anyone who just loves good fiction.
So-so offering.......2006-10-05
A reader of fiction must, of necessity, give a writer a certain latitude with respect to how a plot unfolds. The problem here is that the writer went just a bit too far. For example, when the central female character discovers that she may be adopted after being kidnapped, she uses DNA to determine her birth parents, rather than relying on the footprint/and or fingerprints on her birth records. Fingerprints would be faster and more reliable than the preliminary DNA results--although the DNA results in this case were surprisingly quick, too quick, in fact.
The plot is just a trifle too drawn out, apparently to fill the requisite pages. This happened and then this happened--without going forward very much.
Again we have a strong female lead, rather, two strong female leads in this case, both in a field dominated by men: archaeologist and lawyer. As always, Ms. Roberts' women are young, gorgeous, a bit round in the heels, assertive, and overly competent. Sometimes a flaw might be helpful to make them more realistic. Still, the characters are not dull and that's a plus.
As usual, there is an R rated sex scene about halfway through, with buttons flying, followed by some such scenes that are not described in glorious detail. With two female leads here, there are two R rated sex prelims, a bonus, if you will.
The description of archaeology is accurate enough. Unfortunately archaeology, particularly of pre-historic sites, is an almost bogus science. Oh, it has the trappings, the grids, the recording of finds, etc. But too often it crosses over into fiction as the archaeologist speculates about the lives of people who owned the pottery shards and pieces of femur. Added to this is the fact that there is no historic record to dispute the speculations. Soon speculations become statements of fact, when we really do not know much at all about the shards and bone. This is particularly well shown in this book. At one point the archaeologist is shown a scrap of bone and dismisses it immediately as being from a deer, without any testing at all. Unfortunately too many archaeolgists actually do just that.
Some Nora Roberts books drift into the paranormal and others are, after a fashion, whodunits. "Birthright" is in the latter category. The tracking down is perhaps too facile, but the outcome scene is pure nonsense. We have seen far too many of these, in which the criminal, once found out, holds a gun on the "detective" and explains in detail and in sequence exactly what happened, while supposedly intending to kill the detective. Nonsense. Why would the criminal not just shoot his enemy and get away quickly and safely? But no, the villain waits too long and is upended. And I didn't believe a word of it in "Birthright."
There is much to like, however, as is always the case with a Nora Roberts book. She has style. I just wish there had been a little more here.
Book Description
This revised edition of one of Backcountry's bestselling hiking guides features several new trails and new and improved maps. The Great Smokies and Blue Ridge mountains are the most visited natural areas in the United States. The mountain ranges of North Carolina--from the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains to the southern foothills--offer an abundant variety of terrain, scenery, and wildlife to those who explore them. Distinguished by steep gorges, spectacular waterfalls, lush forests of rhododendron and laurel, and the blue haze that hangs over distant views, North Carolina's mountains are a popular hiking destination in every season of the year. The authors of this guide have explored more than 350 miles of trails through the mountains of their home state to choose 50 of their favorite day hikes, ranging from 1 to 15 miles. The hikes vary in difficulty and offer something for hikers of all abilities. Many trails are conveniently accessed from the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, and several are handicapped-accessible. Each hike description includes directions to the trailhead, hiking distance, and estimated hiking time; detailed trail descriptions, safety precautions, and topographical maps; options for longer and shorter hikes on adjacent trails; and folk stories, historical anecdotes, and natural history information. 50 black and white photographs, 51 maps.
Customer Reviews:
Good, just less full coverage than title might indicate.......2002-09-22
This is a very good guide to the hikes that it covers. All 50 hikes are rated and include a range of difficulties from easy to strenuous. Many are in some of the most beautiful parts of the North Carolina mountains. And topographic maps help show the routes well and clarify what one shoule expect. A chief drawback (only hinted at in the low-key extended part of the title after the colon), is that it is less than a comprehensive guide to North Carolina mountain trails. It covers nothing west of the central part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park or west of the Cashiers area to the south thereof. North Carolina extends more than a hundred miles west of those areas, and there are plenty more mountains that way. So if that western extremity of the state is where you're wanting to explore, this is not the guide for that. But for mountains to the east thereof, this book should serve you well. One irony is that, although omitting that vast area of westernmost North Carolina, it does have a "Foothills" section that includes at least three hikes properly described as in the Piedmont, hardly foothills at all. Those are at Reed Gold Mine and Duke Power State Park (as the book still calls it). They can be pleasant and rewarding hikes, but if you go there expecting mountain or foothill vistas, you could be disappointed. By the way, Duke Power State Park has since been renamed Lake Norman State Park. You'll need to know that if you look for signs directing you there (like from Interstate 77).
Good, just less full coverage than title might indicate.......2002-08-09
This is a very good guide to the hikes that it covers. All 50 hikes are rated and include a range of difficulties from easy to strenuous. Many are in some of the most beautiful parts of the North Carolina mountains. And topographic maps help show the routes well and clarify what one shoule expect. A chief drawback (only hinted at in the low-key extended part of the title after the colon), is that it is less than a comprehensive guide to North Carolina mountain trails. It covers nothing west of the central part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park or west of the Cashiers area to the south thereof. North Carolina extends more than a hundred miles west of those areas, and there are plenty more mountains that way. So if that western extremity of the state is where you're wanting to explore, this is not the guide for that. But for mountains to the east thereof, this book should serve you well. One irony is that, although omitting that vast area of westernmost North Carolina, it does have a
"Foothills" section that includes at least three hikes properly described as in the Piedmont, hardly foothills at all. Those are at Reed Gold Mine and Duke Power State Park (as the book still calls it). They can be pleasant and rewarding hikes, but if you go there expecting mountain or foothill vistas, you could be disappointed. By the way, Duke Power State Park has since been renamed Lake Norman State Park. You'll need to know that if you look for signs directing you there (like from Interstate 77).
Very sparse coverage of a very rich subject.......1999-08-10
There are over a thousand good hiking trails in North Carolina (Allen de Hart's "North Carolina Hiking Trails" describes 968 of them), yet this book only covers fifty. And much of the material simply quotes from trailside signs or visitor information pamphlets that you'll see anyway when you hike the trails. On the positive side, the book contains reproductions of topo maps for each hike listed, so casual day hikers can save themselves the trouble of buying topos. Unless you need the topo maps, Randy Johnson's "Hiking North Carolina" is a much better bet.
Excellent guidance. Helps set expectations before trip........1998-08-29
Found this book in B&B in Blowing Rock. It was a great help in planning our hikes. We had limited time, and it helped us find the best entry point, and to know, for example, that hiking to the top of Grandfather Mtn. was beyond our time and experience limits. That saved us $20 and no telling how much grief!
Good maps, good descriptions. Definitely will buy if plans to move to NC from Houston pan out.
Book Description
Fiction. Robert Morgan has had four NEA Fellowships as well as Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundation fellowships. Ten powerful new stories are collected here for the first time and seven are reprinted from his two acclaimed earlier collections.
Customer Reviews:
Dark corner of the Southern Appalachians.......2001-06-05
This collection of stories is my favorite of all the Robert Morgan books I've read so far. It seems to me that the short story is Morgan's strongest literary form; whereas his novels tend to be tedious and his poetry somewhat bland, his stories often carry some genuine emotional punch. These stories, arranged in a generally chronological (in terms of the time in which the pieces are set, not when they were written or published) sequence, are all set in the Southern Appalachians, where Morgan was born and raised (although he now teaches at Cornell University). "The Tracks of Chief DeSoto," perhaps the best story in the anthology, is set in a Cherokee village at the time of the arrival of the first white explorers to visit the mountains, while "The Balm of Gilead Tree" is set in modern time. Nearly all the stories have a powerful sense of pathos, although Morgan occasionally injects a dose of grim humor. These are stories of exploitation, depression, loss, death, disappointment, and occasional small triumph. I have heard Morgan say during a lecture that he writes stories which have a sense of inevitability, whose outcomes seem to follow directly from what happens earlier in the story. He accomplishes this, although the sense of inevitability also results in a predictable approach to storytelling. Nothing happens to his characters that is unexpected or clever; they live simply and according to a cosmic plan. They are believable people, but I sometimes found myself wishing that they were a little less ordinary. I recommend this collection to lovers of Robert Morgan, as well as anyone interested in the craft of writing short stories, particularly stories with a strong sense of place. This book leaves the reader with the smell of sweat, hog, and honeysuckle lingering long after the final page is turned.
EXPLORE ROBERT MORGAN'S STORIES!.......2000-01-27
The Balm of Gilead Tree is a strong collection of stories by Robert Morgan whose Gap Creek has been selected as Ophrah's Book Club Selection for January.
Ranging over three centuries, The Balm of Gilead Tree shows Morgan's mastery and displays a wider scope of his grasp of history and language than his novels.
Book Description
From Civil War prison camps to contemporary trailer parks, these thirteen memorable tales of life in the Southern Appalachians come alive with an array of intriguing characters -- male and female, young and elderly, learned and unlearned. The separate passions and dreams of these individuals mirror the larger cultural and historical dramas of American life, revealing the strengthening and loosening of the strong bonds of families over generations.
Customer Reviews:
From the Civil War era to a Myrtle Beach honeymoon ..................2005-12-28
This is a unique book by Robert Morgan. It is a collection of short stories that run the gamut from the Civil War era to a young married couple going to Myrtle Beach for their honeymoon. It is an odd collection that is intriguing, strange, unexpected and at times touching. The stories seem to center on the family as a building block and it's importance in the lives of those from one generation to the next, with it's strength ebbing and flowing and creating unexpected ripples in the future that each individual pursues.
Book Description
First published in 1984, Robert Utley's The Indian Frontier of the American West, 1846-1890, is considered a classic for both students and scholars. For this revision, Utley includes scholarship and research that has become available in recent years.
What they said about the first edition:
"[The Indian Frontier of the American West, 1846-1890] provides an excellent synthesis of Indian-white relations in the trans-Mississippi West during the last half-century of the frontier period."--Journal of American History
"The Indian Frontier of the American West combines good writing, solid research, and penetrating interpretations. The result is a fresh and welcome study that departs from the soldier-chases-Indian approach that is all too typical of other books on the topic."--Minnesota History
"[Robert M. Utley] has carefully eschewed sensationalism and glib oversimplification in favor of critical appraisal, and his firm command of some of the best published research of others provides a solid foundation for his basic argument that Indian hostility in the half century following the Mexican War was directed less at the white man per se than at the hated reservation system itself."--Pacific Historical Review
Choice Magazine Outstanding Selection
First published in 1984, Robert UtleyÂ's The Indian Frontier of the American West 1846Â-1890, is considered a classic for both students and scholars. For this revision, Utley includes scholarship and research that has become available in recent years.
Customer Reviews:
Among the best for a great overview.......2004-04-21
Utley's works on the conflicts in the American West from prior to the Civil War until the last Apache surrender are all good ones. As a general survey for an understanding of that aspect of the whole period I'd say this is one of the best on the market. Although it lacks a lot in specific detail if your interest involves a particular geography, tribe or time, it provides a good lay view of the era.
More Facts Than Story.......2000-07-31
Utley's The Indian Frontier of the American West presents a brief overview of America's clash with the frontier indian culture over a fifty year period. What is a fascinating story unfortunately disappoints in Mr. Utley's hands.
The information relating to scores of major tribes during several decades of relationship with the US involves a large cast. This book presents the briefest of sketches relating to conflicts, treaty negotiations and battles. Characters pop into the book and disappear just as quickly. The middle of the book provides a chronological accounting of the two decades after the Civil War, and that is where it has its difficulty. Perhaps this is just too thin a book to cover such a broad expanse. What is presented in this middle is a recitation of vignettes, persons and events, none presented in enough detail to grip the reader or provide any meaningful flavor to this narrative.
The author has more luck in his chapters that are not chronological. They book-end the story. A brief on how American indian policy arrived to mid century (1800's) and two at the end on the Indian reform movement and the closing of the frontier are much more tightly written and interesting.
I think the author just tried to accomplish too much and ended up with a broad brush stroke of what should be a fascinating story. The material reads like a school text book, facts are presented rather than a story told. This makes for dry reading at times.
Overall, this is a passable book for anyone wanting to get an overview of Plains Indian history. For those wanting a fascinating story, they may want to check out Connell's Son of the Morning Star.
Engrossing Narrative on the Indian-White Man Conflict`.......2000-06-25
This book is written largely from the perspective of the Indians of the American West but Utley does a good job of including insight into why the white man acted the way they did. His conclusion at the end of the book is "Given who these people were (the whites), what they knew, and what they believed, it is difficult to see how they might have behaved differently enough to have brought about a result that would be acceptable today". What struck me throughout the book was how often agreements that were made with the indians were ignored, violated, and broken. The book is well written and easy to read. If you want a good overview of the American West from 1846-1890, this is a must read.
Book Description
From the bestselling author of Gap Creek, comes a breathtaking collection of stories about the lives and history of the settlers of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Struggling to survive in an ancient mountain landscape that alternately thwarts their efforts and infuses them with joy and vitality, the strong-limbed and strong-willed people of the Blue Ridge Mountains undergo the transition from ploughshares to bulldozers -- from the Indian skirmishes of the post-Revoluationary War era to the trailer parks of the present day. In these eleven first-person narratives, Morgan visits the themes that matter to all people in all places: birth and death, love and loss, joy and sorrow, the necessity for remembrance and the inevitability of forgetting. This is a moving tribute to that which is universal and eternal -- the majestic immutability of the earth and the heroic human struggle to live, love, and create new life.
Customer Reviews:
A Chronology of America.......2001-03-19
Robert Morgan's collection of eleven short stories spans over 200 years of American history. Each story is told in first-person point of view. Five of the stories are told by women, and the narrators range in age from about twelve to late eighties. Several of these stories are so well-written, they are sure to be included in short story anthologies. Morgan varies his style of writing throughout the collection, and he gives glimpses of life in the North Carolina mountains from pre-colonial days to the present. Along the way, he shows that though times may have changed, people remain pretty much the same. Two stories are especially powerful. "Watershed" and "Mack" were two of my favorites. "Watershed" gives a unique look at life in the mountains when settlers were still challenging the Indians over the land. "Mack" is set in the present and is narrated by an elderly man who suffers from a very weak heart. His story focuses on what he has learned from life and from his dog Mack. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has interest an in history, the South, and people in general.
Amazon.com
In his books on butterflies and the natural history of the Rockies and Pacific Northwest, Robert Michael Pyle has combined rigorous science with graceful expression--a blessing for his readers, and a model for other interpreters of nature.
In Walking the High Ridge, Pyle describes his development as a writer and lepidopterist ("my most important classes in school," he writes, "were typing and plant pathology"), helped along by mentors and "sacred texts" like The Origin of Species and A Field Guide to the Butterflies of North America. Readers familiar with Pyle's work will appreciate his account of how several recurrent themes in his work came into being, among them what he calls "the extinction of experience," which is given book-length voice in The Thunder Tree.
Students of nature writing will appreciate, too, his views on the craft. One, gently stated, is a devotion to appropriate technology (meaning pencils, paper, and binoculars). Another is a concern for natural literacy and for finding one's place in the world. "I tell students," he writes in his amiable memoir, "that a nature writer can be thought of as an amanuensis to the land: the land speaks, we take dictation, and by dint of great attentiveness, care, love, and luck, we might get some of the words right." --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
For Robert Michael Pyle, "walking the high ridge" is a way of life both figuratively and literally. In his latest book he describes in compelling detail his efforts to live and work in that special natural space Nabokov described as "a high ridge where the mountainside of scientific knowledge joins the opposite slope of artistic imagination."
Books:
- Panzers I and II and Their Variants: From Reichswehr to Wehrmacht
- People of the Silence: A Novel of the Anasazi (The First North Americans series, Book 8)
- Police Ethics: The Corruption Of Noble Cause
- Private Pilot Manual (JS314500)
- Rethinking the Principles of War
- Royal Navy Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces)
- Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945
- Sharpe's Trafalgar: Richard Sharpe & the Battle of Trafalgar, October 21, 1805 (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #4)
- Shenandoah Summer: The 1864 Valley Campaign
- Shrapnel in the Heart: Letters and Remembrance from the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial
Books Index
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Annapurna
True Summit : What Really Happened on the Legendary Ascent on Annapurna
