The Mountain Story
A Novel
By Lori Lansens
Dear Reader,
I’ll always give you a clear, easy to read review of books. One of the ways I do this is including the basic information & the summary from the internet; then following it with my opinions & descriptions…
Official blurb: In New York Times bestselling author Lori Lansens’ “moving portrait of the human spirit—as fierce, lovely, and indomitable as nature itself” (People, “Book of the Week”), Nola has decided to hike up a mountain to commemorate her wedding anniversary, the first since her beloved husband passed. Blonde, rail-thin Bridget is training for a triathalon. Vonn is working out her teenage rebellion at eight thousand feet, driven by family obligation and the urge to escape her mistakes. Still reeling from the tragic accident that robbed him of his best friend, Wolf Truly is the only experienced hiker in this group of four strangers but has come to the cliffs on his eighteenth birthday to end his life.
When a series of missteps strands them together in the wilderness, these four broken souls soon realize that their only defense against the brutality of nature is one another. As one day without rescue spirals dramatically into the next, and misadventure turns to nightmare, they begin to form an inextricable bond, pushing themselves and one another further than they ever could have dreamed possible. The three who make it home alive will be forever changed by their harrowing days on the mountain.
Braving a landscape both unforgivingly harsh and breathtakingly beautiful, Nola, Bridget, Vonn, and Wolf find themselves faced with an impossible question: How much will they sacrifice for a stranger? The Mountain Story is a fast-paced, suspenseful, and a gorgeous tribute to the resilience of the human spirit. “Your heart will be in your throat,” says Helen Simonson, New York Times bestselling author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.
HH: I liked this book [much] more than I thought I would. Both from the outside, and the content and even after I starting reading it…it’s hard to explain. In other words, I liked it more and more as I went on & wanted to know more about it and finish it as fast as I could.
After finishing, I went back to re-read the set-up of the characters. When you’re first introduced to them they don’t ‘mean’ as much to you as they do later. Later as you get to know them; and see the sacrifices and bonds that are made, you are drawn back to the early days. You want to re-read their intro to your life; and you want to know more.
One character that I didn’t particularly care for, came to make a sacrifice that I respected more than words can say.
The main character was so revealing in his flaws and his shortcomings—and his backstory at times was so heartbreaking…his honesty was the best part of his narrative.
Having read Wild I thought I was done with these types of novels. I also found myself going back to make sure it was fiction! It reads as real as Wild did…
I also sure want to know how Lori Lansens did such a good job inhabiting a young male’s voice. I literally kept checking on the author’s gender[!]
This is a simple book in many ways—with profound moments that surely make you contemplate both your life—and the mysteries of life in general.
https://www.heatherhancock.net/
