Book Spotlight: Above All Things By Tanis Rideout

ABOVE ALL THINGS

By: Tanis Rideout

Published: June 19,2012
Berkley Trade Reprint February 2014

Fiction

Sadly, I can't get to every single book I want to read.  But, there are some books that sound so intriguing that I want to tell you about them. ABOVE ALL THINGS is one of those books.  "Amazing", "Beautifully written", "Gripping", and "Suspenseful" are just a few words used to describe this novel.  ABOVE ALL THINGS is the March book club choice for Ladies Home Journal. 

In ABOVE ALL THINGS, poet turned debut novelist Tanis Rideout writes about someone who is so passionate about something and sacrifices so much that he may just do it at the detriment of the one he loves most. 

"Tell me the story of Everest," she said, a fervent smile sweeping across her face, creasing the corners of her eyes. "Tell me about this mountain that's sealing you away from me." 

In 1924 George Mallory departs on his third expedition to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Left behind in Cambridge, George's young wife, Ruth, along with the rest of a war-ravaged England, anticipates news they hope will reclaim some of the empire's faded glory. Through alternating narratives, what emerges is a beautifully rendered story of love torn apart by obsession and the need for redemption.  

Through George's perspective, and that of the newest member of the climbing team, Sandy Irvine, we get an astonishing picture of the terrible risks taken by the men on the treacherous terrain of the Himalaya. But it is through Ruth's eyes that a complex portrait of a marriage emerges, one forged on the eve of the First World War, shadowed by its losses, and haunted by the ever-present possibility that George might not come home. 

Drawing on years of research, this powerful and beautifully written novel is a timeless story of desire, redemption, and the lengths we are willing to go for honor, glory, and love.

Tanis Rideout - Source

Tanis Rideout is a poet and writer living and working in Toronto. In the fall of 2005 she released her first full-length book of poetry Delineation, exploring the lives and loves of comic book super-heroines, which was praised as a “tantalizing, harrowing read.” Her poetry and fiction have appeared in numerous quarterlies and magazines and received grants from local and national arts councils. ABOVE ALL THINGS is her first novel. For more on Tanis Rideout, check out her website, http://tanisrideout.wordpress.com/. You can "Like" Tanis on Facebook, HERE.

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