Reviews

Named A Best Book of the Year by the Globe and Mail, Amazon.ca and the iBookstore

“This vivid, assured, and confident debut novel scales great heights of obsession and desire, both on the face of Mount Everest and in the loving bond between doomed explorer George Mallory and his wife, Ruth.”

–       Publishers Weekly Starred Review

 

“With a gripping, “you are there” realism, Rideout’s powerful prose evokes the scalpel-like sting of arctic winds and the bone-shattering cold of frigid mountain nights. Impeccably researched, Rideout’s vividly authentic debut historical novel is a paean to the ability of love to conquer all but the highest mountains.”

–       Booklist

 

“With graceful prose, Rideout unveils the histories of Mallory, Ruth, and Sandy Irving, Mallory’s climbing partner, with a leisurely but ultimately climactic pacing, creating an intimate, haunting, and luminous novel that is at once an adventure, a love story, and an interrogation.”

–       Library Journal

 

“A love story, a tale of adventure, and a study in obsession all at once, Above All Things is simply breathtaking. With Tanis Rideout’s debut, a major new voice in Canadian fiction arrives.”

–          Joseph Boyden, author of Through Black Spruce

 

“Above All Things has it all: adventure, tragedy, mystery, and a deeply moving love story. It’s gorgeously written and beautifully paced. I could not put it down. Prepare to be dazzled.”

–          Alison Pick, Man Booker Prize–longlisted author of Far to Go

 

“Because it’s there. With just three words, George Mallory explained why explorers do what they do. Yet beyond these words, volumes have been left unsaid. With Above All Things, Tanis Rideout finally fills in this void, illuminating one of the great, tragic adventure stories of the modern-day age. It’s a fantastic read.”

–           David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost City of Z

 

“Nothing short of outstanding. . . . Rideout has that all-too-desirable quality most authors strive for: you aren’t reading the story, you’re in it.”

–       Kingston Whig Standard

 

“Captivating. . . . It is Rideout’s enthralling blend of historical fact and imaginative fiction that allows her to tread new ground. . . . With precise language and perfect pacing, the novel builds to a terrifying climax. . . . This book is a must-read.”

Globe and Mail

 

“I loved this novel. Even though the outcome is known, Rideout’s beautiful prose and masterful storytelling elevate the book above the stacks of other recent novels.”

–         Quill & Quire (starred review)

 

“A glorious debut novel. . . . Rideout takes us to a place few of us will ever have the opportunity or the courage to visit: the heights of Mount Everest.”

–       Montreal Gazette

 

“An impressive combination of dazzling prose and gripping narrative. . . . Rideout manages to create, with great skill, an atmosphere of tension and suspense which leaves the reader eager to turn pages. . . . Above All Things is both engrossing and elegantly written. A tour de force in superb storytelling.”

–       London Free Press

 

“[A] magnificent novel, at once rugged and sensual. . . . Deeply felt, richly imagined, immaculately styled, and utterly compelling, Above All Things takes us to the heights of human experience and endurance, both in physical fortitude and erotic longing. Rideout brings us to the summit and back down, shaken but somehow saved by grace.”

–          Robert Goolrick, author of A Reliable Wife  

 

“Rideout’s debut is provocative, challenging, captivating and polished – quite possibly perfect.”

–          CBC Books, “10 Canadian Writers to Watch”

 

“A romantic, thrilling adventure of fiction based in fact. . . . Rideout’s debut novel is nothing short of outstanding. . . . She has that all-too-desirable quality most authors strive for: youaren’t reading the story, you’re in it. . . . [It is a story] that holds onto you so tight, you just can’t let it go or put it down.”

–       Kingston Whig Standard

 

“Rideout’s graceful turns of phrase, her realistic knack of winging us back and forth between Cambridge and Everest, and her powerful portraits of Mallory and his climbing team allow Above All Things to reach its own spectacular literary summit.”

–       Toronto Star

 

“Truly mesmerizing, a powerful weaving of the tensions and heartaches of a marriage in conflict with an obsession. . . . A deeply satisfying blend of truth and imagination that stands out from the crowd.”

–          Kate Alcott, author of The Dressmaker

 

“This is a fascinating, true story and Canadian Tanis Rideout has done justice to its harrowing quality.”

–       Philip Marchand, the National Post

 

“Above All Things reaches unimaginable peaks. Prepare your heart. . . . Rideout leaves readers holding the book close to their chest, knowing that the purpose of life, above all else, is love.”

–       Telegraph-Journal