Don't Fall: Adventures in Love, Loss, and Lead Climbing by Sophie Smith
Don't Fall: Adventures in Love, Loss, and Lead Climbing
by Sophie Smith
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Ratings 4.4/5
Synopsis
"Never again would I let myself be talked into something so insane as this, no matter how alluringly dark and handsome my climbing partner was. I felt a hard, vicious ball of ice in my stomach every time I looked down at the ground far below, and my vision creased and blurred when I glanced up to the summit, so I glared ferociously at the rock directly in front of me, and climbed higher..."22 year old Sophie is living a life of paradoxes. She loves rock climbing, but is afraid of heights. She has embarked on a solo traveling adventure, but keeps meeting attractive men who insist on complicating things. She is heartbroken after the death of her mother, but feels more alive than ever as she traverses three continents and eleven countries, trying to find her way. This is a coming of age story; a tale of adventure; and a powerful memoir of loss and love.
My Thoughts
I spotted this book accidentally on Amazon and knew I had to get it. This book wasn't on my radar and appeared out of nowhere. This is a really surprising book. Between the covers you will find apparent contradictions; outrageous adventure and domestic comfort, tears and laughter, love , loss and thoughtful commentary, and a narrative that tells a real life tale of many parts; part climbing adventure, part travel to intriguing places, part homage to lost mother, part bande dessinee, all drawn together like a scrap book, and yet there is a deftness of touch in the storytelling. In the end, it all adds up to a work of art. The whole is greater than the parts. Recommended, highly.
While most of the book focuses on sport and climbing instead of mountaineering, this book is fantastic for any rock climber. This book taught me to embrace the inner journey, stop using the comparing mind to pad my ego and take a hard look at how I could grow as a human and a climber. My comfort with exposure and heights is still a work in progress. This book deserves a lot of the credit. If you climb at all in any discipline, I can't recommend it enough. If you struggle with fear of falling or fear of exposure, it is a must-read.
This book will serve as a great reference to look back on for years to come. I've already lent it out to a friend to borrow and can't wait to get it back to read it again. It provides lessons for climbing, but also things that can be applicable to life in general. It's a very inspirational book that teaches you how important it is to explore outside of your comfort zone. 5 stars! Highly recommend. Thank you, Sophie Smith's Way!
The storytelling is fantastic. She describes her adventures in detail with beautiful imagery, either drawn or in words, the people she meets, her climbing buddies and the mountains she climbs. There's also tension in the book. You won't know until the next page. It happened a few times and that really made for some tense reading. I finished the book in one sitting as I wasn't able to put down the book.
I can only imagine how awe-inspiring it is to be standing at the foot of rocks, and how amazing it is to be able to scale one.
Highly recommended!
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