The Wall
by Jeff Long
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From the New York Times Bestselling Author of The ReckoningOn the vast, sunlit walls of the world's greatest monolith, two veteran climbers unwittingly ascend into a vertical underworld. In a place where obsession kills, they quickly fall prey to past loves, old demons, and ghostly revenge.
Hugh and Lewis were Yosemite legends. El Capitan was their holy grail, and their destiny seemed written on its big walls. Here they met the women who married, then left them. Now, 35 years later, Hugh's show more wife has long since mysteriously disappeared into the desert and Lewis's wife is divorcing him. The old friends reunite to climb El Cap one last time and make a fresh start.
But "the Captain" seems cursed this time around. Even before the aging "wall rats" leave the ground, disaster strikes three young women high on a neighboring route. Hugh discovers one body in the forest and spies a second dangling a half mile overhead. He and Lewis launch their ascent, desperate to leave the terrible omens behind. But there is no escape. Doubts haunt them, the elements plague them, and an eerie reptilian woman invades their sleep. Every vertical inch, the men must battle the stone, their aging bodies, fear, and the memories of great loves lost.
"Grover Gardner has readers clinging to Long's novel about mountain climbers endangered and trapped on El Capitan, in Yosemite. Gripping is too mild a term for the intense listening experience as a reunion of two 50-year-old climbers turns into a nightmare... Gardner's narration is the voice of sanity among the most bizarre events, keeping reader pinioned. "--
"Heart-stopping vertical adventure."--Kirkus Reviews
"The surprise ending is a true shocker in this hurtling, gripping read."--Publishers Weekly
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Member Reviews
What seems like a story about two old climbing buddies, is actually a metaphor for something else (I won't spoil it); the subtly of the "real" plot is very well written. There were times while reading that I skipped over something that didn't seem to have anything to do with the story, only to have to reread those parts when the book's true nature is reveled at the end.
Two middle-aged men attempt to reclaim lost youth and lost relationships by climbing El Capitan one more time. El Capitan seems to have other ideas. A mystical mountain-climbing adventure, part gritty realism and part peyote dream, this was a gripping and strange book.
Jeff Long's book begins strong with excellent descriptions of two middle aged climbers trying to regain their glory. But then the rescue turns strange with an ending that caught me off guard.
Good book about a mountain climbing rescue. (I really enjoy reading this author, his book Year Zero is one of my fav's.) Has a great ending... didn't see it coming!
Having read Year Zero, I expected this to be better, but turned out to be an OK book...
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19 works; 1 member
Author Information
16+ Works 3,197 Members
Jeff Long is a veteran climber and traveler in The Himalayas. He has worked as a journalist, a historian, and an elections supervisor for Bosnia's first democratic election. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.
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Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2010
- People/Characters
- Hugh Glass; Lewis Cole; Augustine; Cassie; Cuba; Andie (show all 9); Annie Glass; Rachel Cole; Joshua
- Important places
- El Capitain (Yosemite National Park)
- First words
- When God throws angels down, it starts like this.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He reached past the prayer flags, up from the darkness, fingers outstretched, commanding the light to hold him from his fall for just a moment more.
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Statistics
- Members
- 183
- Popularity
- 178,312
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (3.46)
- Languages
- English, Finnish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 4
