The Mountain Story: A Novel

On his 18th birthday, Wolf Truly rides to the top of the mountain near Palm Springs, California, intending to jump to his death. He lost his mother when he was four, his best friend has suffered a tragic accident, and his father is a drug addicted criminal. But Wolf meets three women who are lost and agrees to direct them to the lake they are seeking. The four of them become lost and stranded for five days on the mountain. This is a story of physical survival as they face starvation, dehydration, frostbite, wild animals. It's also a story of emotional survival as they learn things about each other, and about themselves. We know from the beginning that only three of them survive, and that adds to the dramatic tension of the story.

I show more really liked this book. Wolf has a strong character and I was fascinated by his relationships with both his friend, Byrd, and with his dysfunctional father, Frankie. The story of the women he meets on the mountain is one of a family that, despite not having the challenges of Wolf's, nonetheless struggle to remain close and to accept each other for who they are.

The writing is very good. I felt as if I were on the mountain with the characters and wondered what I would do in their shoes. A great read. show less

I was surprised by this book. I was expecting a survival story, action/adventure, but it was so much more. Deeper, moving, and heartrending. The writing was lovely. Definitely a tale that sticks with you.

The book is written as a letter from Wolf to his son Daniel, as he prepares to leave for college. It’s been twenty years since Wolf was lost on the mountain with three other people, and not everyone returned home. Wolf feels that Daniel is old enough now to know the truth.

The Mountain Story isn’t just about surviving the harsh elements of nature, no shelter, going days with very little food or water, it’s about Wolf managing to survive his entire difficult life.

Compelling blend of coming of age, friendship, sacrifice, loss, show more suspense, and of course, survival. I was quite surprised at the big twist at the end!!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. show less

Wolf is an experienced hiker and heads to the mountain overlooking Palm Springs to take his own life. However after a series of random events, he finds himself lost with three women on the mountain. Forced to survive gruelling conditions, Wolf is finally coming clean years later about what really happened during their five days on the mountain.

This was a gripping survival story and we know from the blurb that only three of the four hikers will survive. The tension comes from not knowing which of the hikers will succumb to the bitter conditions in the isolated wilderness.

I enjoyed the interactions between the characters and of course learning Wolf's backstory. The ending was unexpected, yet strangely satisfying too.

My only regret is not show more getting to this sooner.

* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *

Full review here: https://www.carpelibrum.net/2019/03/review-mountain-story-by-lori-lansens.html show less

The Mountain Story begins on Wolf Truly's 18th birthday, the day on which he has decided to end his life. He set out for the mountain range to jump off of Angel's Peak, a section high above Palm Springs. His plans are interrupted when he encounters three women who, unbeknownst to him, will change his life forever. The quartet continue on together and through a series of mishaps end up getting stranded for five days. During their days on the mountain, the group endures injuries, hunger pains and are on the brink of dehydration. But, somehow still find the strength to carry on.

Wolf, now a grown man, is a husband and father. He has never told anyone the truth about what actually happened during those days on the mountain. With his son, show more Daniel, now leaving for college he decides that it's finally time.

An introductory letter from father to son appears on the first few pages. After reading it, I knew this was going to be a book that I would not want to put down. So, I buckled in to prepare myself for the ride. Afterall, Wolf warned, "There will be sway".

The Mountain Story is a book filled with family drama, heroism and a little bit of humour. It is a coming of age story tangled into a thrilling tale of survival and redemption. For me, the story was also inspiring. There were so many moments during the hikers' time on the mountain where I thought if I were in their shoes, I would give up. But, surprisingly they continued to push on. One of my favourite quotes from the book simply emphasized their perseverance and will to live:
"The most successful people in the most impossible situations are the ones that are sure they're gonna get out of it, and they go on thinking that, even if they die trying."
I adored this book and wholeheartedly recommend it to all readers. There's something in here for everyone. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was expecting more quirkiness from the characters a la "the Girls" as that is what made that book so endearing. However, this story moved along in such an exciting fashion that I have to say it was just as good. It was especially interesting to me as I have been up this mountain but never knew even 1/10th of what I learned in this book. Place seems to be a recurring theme in Ms. Lansens books and it always stands out. The Girls was good, for me, because so many of the places were familiar and that is almost as true for this book. I read it at the cottage and kept gasping at the suspenseful bits. I told my family at the cottage that for sure the "1 dead" advertised in the title wasn't going to be the show more obvious person. Boy, it sure wasn't. show less

Lori Lansens is one of my favourite authors. Each of her previous three books has been a very different story, but each of them celebrates the fortitude of the human spirit.

Her newest novel, The Mountain Story, continues that concept.

Four people - three of them know each other, the fourth was alone - are stranded on a mountain with no food, no water and no shelter for five days. Three make it down the mountain. And one of the survivors tells the tale....

"A person has to have lived a little to appreciate a survival story. That's what I've always said and I promised that when you were old enough, I'd tell you mine .... What happened up there changed my life, Danny. Hearing the story is going to change yours."

Wolf Truly is our narrator. He show more brings to life his fractured upbringing..."In those dangerous narrows grew children who knew too much too young, but sadly, always seemed to learn too little too late."

And the story of the mountain. I felt like I was sitting with Danny, reading the letter Wolf has written. Lansens has a way of drawing the reader in, making them feel like they are part of the story as well.

Lansens captures the physicality of Wolf's life and his time on the mountain in both good and bad times. Her descriptions painted vivid pictures in my mind as I read. But, The Mountain Story is more than a story of survival. (Even though we know there are survivors, the question of who dies and the fight to make it through another day does not lessen the tension)

Where Lansens excels for me is in her characters - their lives, their thoughts and their interactions. The Mountain Story is a coming of age story, an exploration of parent and child relationships, friendships, a questioning of a higher power, loss, love and redemption. And always - the strength of the human spirit. Life is a bumpy road. As Wolf says "There will be sway."

Absolutely, positively recommended. show less

Having read and enjoyed Lori Lansens’ three earlier novels, I looked forward to this one. I was not disappointed. It’s a great read.

The novel is written as a letter from Wolf Truly to his college-bound son. He tells his son the full story of being lost for five days on a mountain ledge high above Palm Springs, California: “Five days in the freezing cold without food or water or shelter. . . . I was with three strangers . . . not everyone survived” (1).

What follows is a man versus nature adventure story as Wolf and the three Devine women (Nola, Bridget and Vonn) battle hunger, thirst, hypothermia, frostbite and wildlife. But the book is also a character study; via flashbacks, we learn about Wolf’s life and why he made the show more decision to go to the mountain that fateful day. His character and the personalities of the three women are gradually developed. By the end, Wolf knows the women intimately, and they learn things about each other they didn’t previously know.

There is a great deal of suspense. The situation of the four hikers becomes more and more dire. And from the book’s cover (“Five days. Four lost hikers. Three survivors”) we know one will die. Which one? Will it be Nola, the injured grandmother; Bridget, the ever-panicking, “dangerously lean” blonde; or Vonn, the teenager who goes hiking in flip flops? We know only that Wolf will survive since he is the narrator. His survival, however, is ironic since he tells his son that “on that cool, grey afternoon, I had decided to hike to a spot called Angel’s Peak to jump to my death” (3).

Wolf tells his son, “What happened up there changed my life” (1). It is this story of rebirth that is the added dimension. Almost immediately after meeting the women, Wolf says, “That’s when I noticed that my despair . . . was gone . . . It was like some switch had been flipped off, or rather, on” (52). He is reborn with a new mission: to bring everyone back to safety. Eventually, he comes to think of the three as “A blessing of Devines” (270). And it is not only Wolf who is reborn. There are tensions among the Devine women, especially Bridget and Vonn. Their experiences on the mountain, however, rekindle their love for each other and bonds are restored. Vonn, for example, “completely [rewrites] the story of their difficult past” (349).

This book is different from Lansens’ other novels; this is the only one that has a male protagonist and narrator. It is like her other books in that it presents an interesting plot, fully realized characters, and insight into life. show less