Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
twin peaks, 7 May 2004
Has anyone heard of Simon Mawer? Why haven’t we heard? The Fall is his fifth book, he’s approaching 60 years old, he’s British. Surely this is all about to change.The Fall is quite the most sublime, brilliant, very very good book you’ll read this year or at anytime you happen to come across it. A startingly well written and conceived, superbly plotted, gripping, surprising and refreshing novel which covers coming of age, family ties and tensions, friendships, lovers; underpinned (or should that be "belayed") by the world of the rock climber. You can rely on The Fall giving you some heart stopping mountain action, extraordinary sexual tension, a touching exploration of deep seated friendship and a killer twist left tactfully until the very last page. The climbers, friends and protagonists are the enigmatic Jamie Mathewson and reserved Rob Dewar who meet as young boys on the verge of adolescence. We explore their sexual awakening and burgeoning love of the challenge of the mountain. The novel then criss-crosses between their parents con-joined and conflicting younger lives and loves and the two boys growing together and apart into middle age. One slight negative criticism is that the lynchpin to the climbing plot bears some keen similarities to Joe Simpson’s Touching the Void, a remarkable real life account of a climbing expedition to Peru in the 1980’s now released as a mesmerising and chilling movie. But then again both add to each other as a rewarding follow on. The Fall’s action sequences are poetic and compelling, matching the emotional angst and joy of their own climb through life. It is beautifully observed without once laying on thick the easy symbolism between the two challenges that some lesser writers could easily and cheaply succumb to. At last a British novelist that can treat life’s universal themes with likely universal appeal, in an intelligent, articulate, original and highly readable way. If you’re an avid reader or even if you’re just looking for a commute pass time, The Fall is simply great. What a refreshing change to the manufactured and commercial pap that our more well known and popular British "boy meets girl" authors could ever offer. The Fall, released in paperback in April 2004, is still relatively a new book. Get in quick and read it now. Guaranteed to having you recommending it to everyone you know and starting something special for Simon Mawer. He deserves it.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Wrong and right are judged by one thing: the outcome.", 19 Feb 2003
Such a pragmatic thought would be amoral in most contexts, but this is by no means an ordinary context. Rob Dewar and his climbing partner, Jamie Matthewson, are clinging by their fingertips to the North Face of the Eiger, one of the most difficult and dangerous of all mountaineering challenges, as this thought takes shape. Simon Mawer, a former mountaineer himself, recreates not only the drama of this "sport" but also the personal psyches of the climbers, those inner forces which impel climbers to face "Time and Death...the great parameters." With vibrant sensual descriptions of the mountain, the acts of nature which make the mountain so treacherous, and the agony of the climbing experience, many readers will feel the "chicken skin" which accompanies vivid writing and turns fiction into a vicarious, personal experience.As exciting as the mountaineering passages are, this is not primarily an adventure story. With its title connoting the fall of Adam and Eve, the novel deals with huge, complex questions of love and loss, life and death, and truth and responsibility. The story of whether Jamie's death was accidental or suicide, which seems so straightforward and plot-driven on the surface, becomes far more intricate as the reader is guided back and forth in time, sharing the lives of Rob and Jamie as young teenagers, the lives and interrelationships of their mothers during World War II, the life and loves of famed mountaineer Guy Matthewson (Jamie's father), and the lives of Rob and Jamie and their lovers when they are in their twenties. Because of the many interrelationships among the characters--love affairs, seductions, pregnancies both planned and unplanned, and even sexual abuse--some of the most sensational events in the novel take place not on the mountainside but in the bedroom. These scenes often combine the imagery of love with that of climbing and falling, and contrast the subjective reality of love and life with the objective reality posed by danger in the mountains, especially with its death and loss. Heaven and hell, sin and redemption, love and loss, honesty and betrayal, and ultimately life and death are all combined here in a vibrant novel which provides fast action and crises both on the mountain and in the personal lives of the characters over two generations. Though there are some clichés, along with some awkwardness in the plotting (especially in the predictable ending), this is a strong, dramatic novel which may become a popular breakthrough for Mawer. Mary Whipple
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful novel, 14 Sep 2008
Simon Mawer "Fall" is a beautiful novel to really read and appreciate its fondness of nature and humanity. A typical representation of what contemporary literature provides to readers. Absolutely compelling, richly descriptive and wonderful narration throughout the novel. The author;s attention to detail is spectuclar and skillful. The skill has been displayed to perfection. It feels though that you are part of the story, as its written in such a manner. Every detail you read, can be vividily pictured in your mind of the events occurring.
The Fall is based in the scenic beauty of the Welsh mountainous regions that consist of some wonderful attractions to really admire. These sites continue attract strong interest. Much of the focus is one hillside regions. The story focal point is about a friendship between two lads who are raised from similar family backgrounds with the absence of a father. The two boys in question reveal contrasting personalities. Robert the narrator who is reserved and Jamie the outgoing individual with an obsession for climbing.He enjoys mountain excursions and goes to various sites, to demonstrate the passion. His dream is to follow the footsteps of the father and become a recognised mountaineer. Does he achieve the dream? Does this obsession led to discaster?
The novel embarks on a journey involving three generations of families shifting from various decades. This includes the present, swinging 60's and the world war 2. A hidden secret emerges that threatens to destroy nearly everything. The mood and tonne of the story from this point is nicely set with the powerful narration and strong dialogues. Will life ever be the same again?
The Fall is a powerful and emotionally piece of novel writing. Once you are really absorbed in the novel, you start ro appreciate the story and the lessons not to take for granted in humanity. It is a type of novel with a hidden message uncovered.
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