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Touching the Void

By: Joe Simpson
Narrated by: Andrew Wincott, Daniel Weyman
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Publisher's summary

Joe Simpson, with just his partner, Simon Yates, tackled the unclimbed West Face of the remote 21,000-foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in June of 1985. But before they reached the summit, disaster struck.

A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frostbitten, to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out with torches, where they found Joe, badly injured, crawling through the snowstorm in a delirium.

Far from causing Joe's death, Simon had paradoxically saved his friend's life. What happened, and how they dealt with the psychological traumas that resulted when Simon was forced into the appalling decision to cut the rope, makes not only an epic of survival but a compelling testament of friendship.

©1988 Joe Simpson (P)2012 Random House Audiobooks
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What listeners say about Touching the Void

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Compelling Read

This was an amazing adventure! Hard to stop reading! Both climbers are courageous heroes, despite the controversy. This book was mentioned in another book I was reading, and I finished this one first. It's a harrowing tale that illustrates the power of the human mind and spirit. I'm kind of sad to see it end.

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aw struck.

on the edge of my seat. wonderful writers voice and vocabulary kept me interested.

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THE Mountaineering Memoir

This is one of the finest pieces of climbing literature I have ever read. The story is nothing short of remarkable.

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BRILLIANT BOOK & JUST AMAZING

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This really is one incredible story of ones mans will to survive. It will leave you speechless as to what this guy did just to live. Very inspirational as I would have given up at the first hurdle, he inch by inch, set back after set back kept on. An amazing story.

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Didn't think I'd like it, amazing

Didn't think I'd like it, amazing. Short of the bone-numbing cold, I thought I was there. Wish they would've told us what happened after the frostbite.

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Harrowing story of survival

Joe Simpson's grit and determination to get off the mountain, Simon Yate's impossible decision that saved them both - it's one of the greatest alpine survival stories ever experienced and told.

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Not for the squeamish

An amazing adventure from pre-GPS and selfie days. The story was so well told that I winced with every bit of injury...

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Great great book!

I wasn’t sure at first that I’d like it when i started listening. However, within a few minutes, I was captivated and short of feeling the cold, thirst, hunger and pain, felt like I too was on that mountain. Very well written and narrated. Didn’t want it to end.

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Love the movie, the book is better

This is a book that I have listened to on multiple occasions. Being a true story drew me in to my initial purchase of the book and I have certainly gotten my monies worth out of it. The movie of the same name is also worth a watch and gives the visual of what it was like. Beautiful but deadly. I'll be listening again some time soon.

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Inspirational and moving

Amazing story I listened to this with our 4 boys, and we loved every second of this book.

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2 people found this helpful