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leontyna's review
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I really enjoyed the book, I only wished there were some photos of mentioned places, I paused frequently to Google them. I liked how interwoven the story of Hargreaves and the author was, I was a bit more engaged with the narrative about Alison but I also enjoyed the personal perspective on the challenges of motherhood and climbing offered by the author.
saskia_jnm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
barefootmegz's review
4.0
A poet, a mountain climber, and a mother: one person. Helen Mort’s essays in A Line Above the Sky trace her experiences with climbing, motherhood, and climbing-and-motherhood, often by superimposing them on what she knows of her climbing idol, Alison Hargreaves.
When reading a memoir focussed on an author’s passions, some parts will ring true, and some may not. The memoir, after all, is the author’s truth. And passionate it is indeed - I have had but brief experiences with climbing, but Mort has the gift of transporting the reader to those crisp mountain mornings with gear on your back and a peak in the distance.
Slightly longer narratives are interspersed with short, poetic flights of thought - the latter following a direction I struggled to understand fully, but the rest gripping enough to keep going.
Mort’s reflections on the similarities and differences between herself and Hargreaves - that thought-experiment of looking into another’s life in order to find answers about your own - is something I can relate to, easily. It is notable that Mort explores the complicated relationship between climbing and motherhood: motherhood threatening to remove her from climbing, while climbing teaches her more about motherhood every day.
There is a trend where people - sportspersons, celebrities, authors - write books about motherhood; how it changes them. Not being a mother, I can’t claim to understand it all, but the uncomfortable sense that women must profess the impact that motherhood has on their lives, prevails. Yet Mort manages to steer clear of sentimental tropes, and makes no excuse for her loyalties to self and climbing.
Helen Mort has a gift for gently dissecting the history within her own passions - eventually delving deeper than her own experiences, to explore the history of climbing women, and how the climbing world’s treatment of women has been reflective of greater societal attitudes.
I imagine fans of the author will readily read this collection - as for me, I had never heard of her before this, and will recommend A Line Above the Sky to climbers of all levels of experience (including those who climb mostly in their dreams), as well as lovers of the outdoors. And yes, to mothers, too.
I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
When reading a memoir focussed on an author’s passions, some parts will ring true, and some may not. The memoir, after all, is the author’s truth. And passionate it is indeed - I have had but brief experiences with climbing, but Mort has the gift of transporting the reader to those crisp mountain mornings with gear on your back and a peak in the distance.
Slightly longer narratives are interspersed with short, poetic flights of thought - the latter following a direction I struggled to understand fully, but the rest gripping enough to keep going.
Mort’s reflections on the similarities and differences between herself and Hargreaves - that thought-experiment of looking into another’s life in order to find answers about your own - is something I can relate to, easily. It is notable that Mort explores the complicated relationship between climbing and motherhood: motherhood threatening to remove her from climbing, while climbing teaches her more about motherhood every day.
There is a trend where people - sportspersons, celebrities, authors - write books about motherhood; how it changes them. Not being a mother, I can’t claim to understand it all, but the uncomfortable sense that women must profess the impact that motherhood has on their lives, prevails. Yet Mort manages to steer clear of sentimental tropes, and makes no excuse for her loyalties to self and climbing.
Helen Mort has a gift for gently dissecting the history within her own passions - eventually delving deeper than her own experiences, to explore the history of climbing women, and how the climbing world’s treatment of women has been reflective of greater societal attitudes.
I imagine fans of the author will readily read this collection - as for me, I had never heard of her before this, and will recommend A Line Above the Sky to climbers of all levels of experience (including those who climb mostly in their dreams), as well as lovers of the outdoors. And yes, to mothers, too.
I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
bobthebookerer's review
4.0
This is a beautiful memoir where Helen Mort traces a few overlapping stories- that of her idol and fellow mountaineer Alison Hargreaves, Hargreaves' son- a mountaineer himself, and Mort's own personal adventure to find her own path through life.
In it, Mort recounts her childhood and her desire to follow in the footsteps of her idol, but also how being alone against the challenges of nature also give her the distance to grow, to think, and to convalesce.
Her perspective about the unique challenges for women in her field is fascinating- not only the lack of role models and the sexism faced directly when climbing, but also in the external perceptions, and how they enter into her own thinking- for example, is she being selfish by taking time away to climb and be outside, even though men rarely, if ever, get the same treatment.
A deceptively short read, this book was a beautiful insight into her world and the joys of being small in the presence of nature.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In it, Mort recounts her childhood and her desire to follow in the footsteps of her idol, but also how being alone against the challenges of nature also give her the distance to grow, to think, and to convalesce.
Her perspective about the unique challenges for women in her field is fascinating- not only the lack of role models and the sexism faced directly when climbing, but also in the external perceptions, and how they enter into her own thinking- for example, is she being selfish by taking time away to climb and be outside, even though men rarely, if ever, get the same treatment.
A deceptively short read, this book was a beautiful insight into her world and the joys of being small in the presence of nature.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
lilyreads01's review
4.0
A Line Above the Sky by Helen Mort is a powerful and moving memoir of mountain climbing and motherhood. It is a book about being pushed to your limits literally facing the danger and beauty of nature and the emotional extremes of becoming a mother. The author expertly balances both nature and nurture in the context of her writing reflecting on why people desire to reach new heights climbing and the intensity and awakening of having a child. The narrative weaves in the authors own personal experiences with the story of other climbers, focusing on Alison Hargreaves who lost her life descending K2 in 1995 and the tragic death of her son Tom Ballard also whilst climbing. It is a compelling and visceral piece of storytelling that explores what it means to climb as a woman, a mother and the risks we take. It is a tale of endurance both in the skies and on the ground and an ode to the history of climbing. A unique, beautiful book for fans of heartfelt memoirs about motherhood, nature and mountaineering. 4 Stars ✨.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.
steffitina's review
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
nrldyer's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
A beautiful memoir on climbing, motherhood, on the desire and the reality of living close to the edge while feeling the pull of a small being who is forever yours and attached to you, but not. On the many dynamics women must navigate, on being a child to many women. And, of course, featuring the Derbyshire mountains as a constant.