Paths of Glory, by Jeffrey Archer
By Peter on Mar 10, 2009 in Crime Books, Fiction Books, Historical Fiction, Jeffrey Archer, The World of Books, Thriller, bestseller, book review
Jeffrey Archer, the somewhat controversial British master storyteller, whose novels and short stories have topped the bestseller lists around the world, and with sales of more than 135 million copies, has just published a new novel. This one, Paths of Glory, is
Born in 1886, George Mallory was a brilliant student who became part of the Bloomsbury Group at Cambridge in the early twentieth century and served in the Royal Garrison Artillery during World War I. After the war, he married, and had three children. His passion was mountain climbing. Mallory once told a reporter that he wanted to climb Mt. Everest, “because it is there.” He tried two times and failed. Archer, in Paths of Glory, takes us all the way from George Mallory’s childhood, living in his father’s house, to the summit of Everest.
On his third try, in 1924, thirty-seven years old, he was last seen four hundred feet from the top. His body was eventually found in 1999. It is still a mystery whether he and his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine, ever reached the summit.
You may ask whether it is possible to write a book about this that will keep you glued to your chair, not wanting to stop turning the pages? Well, the answer is probably that it is not, unless the writer is Jeffrey Archer or some other equally talented master storyteller! The book is, in fact, evidence that it is possible.
Paths of Glory is an excellent historical novel. How much of the story is fact and how much is fiction I am not able to tell. What I do know is that the tale Archer tells is fascinating, persuasive, and extremely enjoyable to read. Great entertainment! Oh – and did Mallory make it? I recommend you read the book and find out for yourself!
Selected Reviews:
“Archer does eventually offer his opinion as to whether Mallory summited Everest, but by that point all but his most devoted fans will have fled the icy crags of this lifeless novel..” – Publishers Weekly.
“Although Archer’s prose occasionally feels flat and overly workmanlike, this quality is offset by the frequent inclusion of heartfelt and moving letters from Mallory to his beloved wife.” – Library Journal.
“The mountaineering sequences are marred by Archer’s apparent ignorance of the mechanics of climbing…nor are the characters especially compelling, since the author seems to feel no need to flesh out real-life figures. A bland yarn…” – Kirkus Reviews.
, Jeffrey Archer at amazon UK
, and Jeffrey Archer at amazon CAN
.You can read more reviews Jeffrey Archer’s books at Leserglede.
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