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"Gavin Mortimer's story of the grit of these women cracks along like a Channel tide - " Daily Telegraph "Mortimer's tale, narrated with pacy enthusiasm, is a fascinating and irresistible slice of sporting history." The Daily Mail "Gavin Mortimer has unearthed one of the lost souls of twentieth-century history" TLS "The long-forgotten battles against cold, adverse tides, jellyfish and each other are marvellously brought back to life - " Sunday Times
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With the rain driving against her goggles, Gertrude stole one or two glances toward the English coast, but it seemed if anything to be receding. 'After that, I felt I had better not look any more,' she said later, 'but just go on swimming as long as I could keep alive.'" In the aftermath of the Great War when the world was still trying to bury its wounds, one story captivated Europe and America - the battle between four young women to be the first to conquer the formidable waters of the English Channel. Newspapers from Paris to New York engaged in rivalries nearly as competitive as the swimmers themselves, each backing a favourite which only fuelled the frenzy - Gertrude Ederle and Lilian Cannon, the two frontrunners, were sponsored by tabloid barons who used increasingly titillating photographs of them in their respective papers to drive circulation. But ultimately it was the sheer physical determination and courage of the women themselves, as they battled the weather, the odds and each other, that made this swim one of history's greatest sporting moments.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was the great period of channel swimming and belongs peculiarly to the twenties. Other than Gertrude Ederle the other lady challengers were unknown to me and their "can do" spirit is amazing. Not too many worries then about health and safety. The power of the US press at that period is also revelatory.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A fantastic tale. The book is very well written, in an easy style which brings alive the historical setting and the charged emotions of the battle to be tbe the first woman to swim the channel. Gertrude Ederle's story is relatively unknown but it shouldn't be. Her life is both inspiring and instructional. I won't give too much away but anyone with the slightest interest in channel swimming, the 1920's and or women in sport should read this. Most enjoyable.
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