Where The Mountain Casts Its Shadow

Oct 4, 2024 7:16 PM

Author:Maria Coffey

Climbers who court danger in the world's highest places risk far more than just their own skins. When tragedy strikes, what happens to the people who love them? Why would anyone choose to invest in a future with a high-altitude climber? What is life like in the shadow of the mountain? Such questions have long been taboo within the international world of mountaineering. Now Maria Coffey breaks this silence. She recounts climbers' stories of near-death experiences, and gives a voice to the families and loved ones of Chris Bonington, Ed Viesturs, Anatoli Boukreev and Alex Lowe, amongst many other famous names. Her riveting narrative weaves tales of adventure with first-person accounts of the people left behind, highlighting the conflicting beauty, passion and devastation of this alluring obsession.

Reviews

I am tempted to conclude that Palmer's take is the right one.

—— Melvyn Bragg, The Times

Lively, quirky and clever

—— Time Out

Impressive … these amateurs were taking their lives into their hands every time

—— London Review of Books

Invokes the spirit of Darwin, Audubon and Jacques Cousteau

—— Washington Post

Heartbreaking...poingnant

—— Robert Philip , Daily Telegraph

One of the finest autobiographies to be written by a footballer... a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows, gain and loss, of loneliness, of fear, of self-loathing, and of guilt.

—— Birmingham Post

It is funny. It is sad. It is brilliant.

—— Hyder Jawad , Birmingham Post

The travails of Tony Adams, Paul Gascoigne and even George Best pale when compared with McGrath's horrors.

—— Paul Rowan , The Sunday Times

McGrath's book is voyeuristic and gruesome... sheds light on one of sport's last great taboos.

—— Rick Broadbent , The Times

Gripping [and] unflinching... His story is as complex as it is moving, as vulnerable as it is brutal.

—— Donald McRae , Guardian

Genuinely absorbing... harrowing and honest... his is a story truly worth telling.

—— Adam Marshall , Eurosport

Amid the basketful of bland post-World Cup books, McGrath's life story stands out a mile... Fascinating reading.

—— Evening Standard

The Republic of Ireland's most popular sportsman, still adored by fans of Manchester United and Villa.

—— BBC Sport

An all-too honest account of a playing career that just got better and better, despite threatening to go off the rails.

—— Sunday Mercury

An extraordinary book.

—— Irish Independent

Harrowing and brutally honest...a gripping story.

—— Derby Evening Telegraph

Brutally honest.

—— The Irish Post

Less a football autobiography, more repentant confessional.

—— Kevin Hughes , FreeSport

stunning

—— FourFourTwo

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