Now out in paperback, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailers the. Meridian rare books po box 51650 london se8 4xw united kingdom. So how can i read matterhorn, which has the subtitle a novel of the vietnam war. Free shipping on due to covid19, orders may be delayed. Below is an excerpt focused on one of bobby kennedys high achievements this one quite literal in memory of his brother president. There is a blizzard of names, ranks and military terms, for instance, and despite the glossary and unit schematic included in the book, i still felt lost much of. The second route up the matterhorn, the lion ridge from italy, was completed just three days after the first, on july 17, 1865. Matterhorn is a riveting but emotionally grueling read.
Karl marlantess 35year struggle to write a true novel of the vietnam war has finally paid off, says robert mccrum matterhorn is a bestseller. The matterhorn museum zermatlantis offers insight into the development of zermatt. Matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailers the naked and the dead and. Our guided climb up the matterhorn is perfect for mountaineers who want to climb one of the most classic routes in all of the world. Matterhorn quotes showing of 32 it was all absurd, without reason or meaning.
With authentic storytelling and firstclass narration, youll appreciate why matterhorn was chosen as audiobook of the year for 2010. Climb the matterhorn 810 hour climbing hut to hut and a 1,5 hour hike to the tram station at schwarzsee to return to zermatt. Mellas stood beneath the gray monsoon clouds on the. It is a large, nearsymmetric pyramidal peak in the extended monte rosa area of the pennine alps, whose summit is 4,478 metres 14,692 ft high, making it one of the highest. A novel he started in 1975, matterhorn, was finally published two years ago. This book is the 1988th greatest fiction book of all time as determined by. The matterhorn this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as. Firsttime author karl marlantes tackles some tough subjectsracism among the troops, for onein his vietnam novel, matterhorn. During the next four years his seven attempts on the matterhorn were unsuccessful and so, from the italian side, he crossed to zermatt joining forces with the young lord francis douglas and his guide old peter taugwalder. Following the last assault on matterhorn, mellass mind is filled with troubling images. Apr 04, 2010 matterhorn is a raw, brilliant account of war that may well serve as a final exorcism for one of the most painful passages in american history.
Mellas stood beneath the gray monsoon clouds on the narrow strip of cleared ground between the edge of the jungle and the relative safety of the perimeter wire. For anyone under the age of 50 or so, the vietnam war occupies at best a dim place in the cabinet of memory. A beautiful, brutal vietnam war epic april 22, 2010 karl marlantes debut novel, 30 years in the making, follows waino mellas, a young. The matterhorn is one of the most recognizable mountains in all the alps. Four of whympers companions died during the descent, and whymper would finish his book, scrambles amongst the alps, with the climbing worlds most famous cautionary words.
Mellas stood beneath the gray monsoon clouds on the narrow strip of. Since the first ascent, more than 500 people have died while climbing or descending the matterhornan average of three to four per year. Intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailers the naked and the dead and james joness the thin red line. Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are naught without prudence, and that a momentary. He shows due respect to the nva that were often demeaned in other books. He tried to focus on counting the other thirteen marines of the patrol as they emerged single file from the jungle, but exhaustion made focusing difficult. Karl marlantes s first novel, matterhorn, is about a company of marines who build, abandon and retake an outpost on a remote hilltop in vietnam. Standing in their way are not merely the north vietnamese but also monsoon rain and mud, leeches and tigers, disease and malnutrition. It is the timeless story of a young marine lieutenant, waino mellas, and his comrades in bravo company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of vietnam as boys and forced to fight their way into manhood. March 23, 2010 it took karl marlantes 30 years to write matterhorn, an exhaustive and unsparing war novel.
Matterhorn could have been written about combat anywhere, anytime. Matterhorn is a raw, brilliant account of war that may well serve as a final exorcism for one of the most painful passages in american history. Hike to the matterhorn tram and ride up to schwarzsee station 2,583 m and hike to the hoernli hut. Jul 30, 2010 matterhorn is a story of men without women. Zermatt and the matterhorn by meridian rare books issuu. Matterhorn mountain facts and information, switzerland. A novel of the vietnam war by karl marlantes hardcover, 592 pages atlantic monthly list price. Honour is among fellow soldiers is surely the greatest motivator of men in dire circumstances. When mellas thinks of the girl he left behind in virginia, marlantess prose becomes fluttery, as it does when mellas, suffering an eye injury, is cared.
One sees how the people lived in zermatt in the 19 th century and shudder at the sight of the broken rope from the. Mellas ran forward, throwing himself behind rocks, scrambling across exposed patches, and then lunging again for any sort of cover from the fire pouring down on them. Karl marlantes wrote what some have called the best novel to come out of the vietnam war. Cervin is a mountain of the alps, straddling the main watershed and border between switzerland and italy. With little or no climbing experience made the first british ascent of the pelvoux in 1861. Matterhorn draws from karl marlantes experience as.
In his new book, the house of kennedy, james patterson explores the politically focused familys incredible accomplishments and losses and how their drive to win at all costs sometimes cost them so much. People who didnt know each other were going to kill each other over a hill none of them cared about. While written as a novel, it is obvious this book is based on reallife experiences by the author. Climb matterhorn with a mountain guide guided matterhorn. The air force spends too much time going 500 miles an hour because that. It is an unforgettable novel that transforms the tragedy of vietnam into a powerful and universal story of courage, camaraderie, and sacrifice.
A big, powerful saga of men in combat, written over the course of thirtyfive years by a highly decorated vietnam veteran. The nook book ebook of the how i met your mother and philosophy. Matterhorn may be the definitive novel of the vietnam war. Sep 28, 2015 climbers, equipped with headlamps and ropes, set out shortly after 5 a. As a war novel, the text contains numerous antagonists that the protagonist. Matterhorn is a visceral and spellbinding novel about what it is like to be a young man at war. Matterhorn is a marvela living, breathing book with lieutenant waino mellas and the men of bravo company at its raw. What makes this novel so irresistible is marlantes skill at peeling away the many layers of truth in combat.
Oct 03, 2017 matterhorn tells the story of the daytoday experience in a combat situation as well as any book i have read, and far better than most. Climbers, equipped with headlamps and ropes, set out shortly after 5 a. Intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailers the naked and the dead and james joness the thin red. During the preparation days each guide can climb with up to 2 persons. I will leave you to take the train to go back to beatenberg. There are passages in this book that are as good as anything i have ever read, etc. Matterhorn is one of those countless hills in vietnam that makes young mens lives so cheap. Matterhorn by karl marlantes book club discussion questions. Karl marlantes on his 30year quest to publish matterhorn. It is a rich, fine, powerful story told with excruciating precision about men driven to extremes of fear and courage. A novel of the vietnam war as a young man, returned from a tour of duty in vietnam, he began writing an epic novel about the war he experienced and the way that combat changes people. From the hornli hut we climb a rock ridge that is about 1200m long. Matterhorn by karl marlantes the 1988th greatest fiction.
According to the publisher, marlantes a highly decorated vietnam vet spent 30 years writing this book. As a young man, returned from a tour of duty in vietnam, he began writing an epic novel about the war he experienced and the way that combat changes people. The matterhorn is a pyramidalshaped colossus, standing at a skylinedominating elevation of 4478 metres 14,690 feet tall which makes it the sixth highest mountain. Walter mosley takes up a new detective case in known to evil. Matterhorn by karl marlantes in the tradition of norman mailers the naked and the dead and james joness the thin red line, marlantes tells the powerful and compelling story of a young marine lieutenant, waino mellas, and his comrades in bravo company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of vietnam as boys and forced to fight their. During the ascent of the matterhorn each person will climb with his or her own guide. Matterhorn, by karl marlantes, is a book about a marine who is a part of bravo company and is in the jungles of vietnam. It is the timeless story of a young marine lieutenant, waino mellas, and his comrades in bravo company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of vietnam as boys and forced to. Intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailers the naked and the dead and james joness the. Intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the. Karl mariantes has hit the nail on the head about the feel and sense of any war. It shows the triumph and tragedy surrounding the first ascent of the matterhorn. Karl marlantes debut novel, matterhorn, which centers around a company of soldiers in vietnam, is being hailed as a masterpiece. A novel of the vietnam war1 sarah boyce2 in matterhorn, karl marlantes, a vietnam combat veteran and rhodes scholar,3 has created what may be the finest novel yet written on the vietnam war.
Matterhorn should be a great book and is a great book. This page contains details about the fiction book matterhorn by karl marlantes published in 2009. Matterhorn a novel of the vietnam war by karl marlantes. The route is very exposed, mainly consisting of lowergrade rock climbing, with and without crampons, and some sections on larger snow fields. Matterhorn tells the story of the daytoday experience in a combat situation as well as any book i have read, and far better than most. Here one is immersed in the mountain world of past generations. A beautiful, brutal vietnam war epic april 22, 2010 karl marlantes debut novel, 30 years in the making, follows waino mellas, a young ivy league student sent to vietnam to lead. The matterhorn this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. It is the timeless story of a young marine lieutenant, waino mellas, and his comrades in. The easiest way to climb matterhorn is from the zermatt side via the hornli hut 3260m and the hornli ridge. Whats the story set in 1969, a young marine lieutenant and his comrades in bravo company are dropped into the mountain jungle of vietnam. Matterhorn mellas stood beneath the gray monsoon clouds on the narrow strip of cleared ground between the edge of the jungle and the relative safety of the perimeter wire. How much do you think the answer to this question explains why the author wrote the book. May 01, 2011 matterhorn should be a great book and is a great book.
128 144 794 726 1556 1417 1553 728 636 405 342 1204 480 354 816 626 674 464 622 817 220 813 917 63 1329 1489 196 1175 1474 874