Annapurna

A Woman's Place

By: Arlene Blum, Maurice Herzog - foreword

Narrated by: Eileen Stevens

In August 1978, 13 women left San Francisco for the Nepal Himalayas to make history as the first Americans - and the first women - to scale the treacherous slopes of Annapurna I, the world's 10th highest peak. Expedition leader Arlene Blum here tells their dramatic story: the logistical problems, storms, and hazardous ice climbing; the conflicts and reconciliations within the team; the terror of avalanches that threatened to sweep away camps and climbers.

On October 15, two women and two Sherpas at last stood on the summit - but the celebration was cut short, for two days later, the two women of the second summit team fell to their deaths.

Never before has such an account of mountaineering triumph and tragedy been told from a woman's point of view. By proving that women had the skill, strength, and courage necessary to make this difficult and dangerous climb, the 1978 Women's Himalayan Expedition's accomplishment had a positive impact around the world, changing perceptions about women's abilities in sports and other arenas. And Annapurna: A Woman's Place has become an acknowledged classic in the annals of women's achievements - a story of challenge and commitment told with passion, humor, and unflinching honesty.

©1980, 1998, 2018 Arlene Blum (P)2018 Blackstone Publishing

Great Listen

Although I have never been interesting in climbing. I found the determination, efforts, difficulty , strength and near death these woman went through as a show that woman can achieve whatever they set their minds to.

Glad this book was written. I get tired of male adventure novels.

Great story, needs a different narrator

Generally I liked the narrator's voice but she seemed to always be reading with a smile that felt inappropriate for this genre. A voice with more confidence and determination would have fit the subject matter and people much better. That said, a great book and a great story full of challenges and it made me supremely happy for the accomplishments and extremely sad that in 2020 we are still having these inane conversations about where a woman belongs and what she is capable of every day.

The foreword ruins the ending!

Do not listen to the foreword of this book unless you want to know how it ends. Maurice Herzog did not seem to have a problem spoiling the ending in the first three minutes of the book. It was still a good story, but I did not want to know what happened to the climbers ahead of time.

Interesting book

I really enjoyed the focus on and history of women climbers, and the story of the climb. It was a little hard to keep the women straight, and there was a little too much focus on Arlene’s doubts and second guessing. The narrator was good I’m some ways but seemed just too young and chirpy for the topics being discussed sometimes

Great story until the last chapter

The main story is great with lots of adventures and great background. I did not like the last part that is no longer part of the main story. One more part to cut is the first part which was "too many details"