Rating: 
Summary: A good mountaineering adventure
Review: Some stories are so good that no amount of bad writing can harm them. This is one. Blum's strident feminism and dislikable personality cannot harm this very exciting and ultimately tragic mountain adventure. Even though it is slightly shorter than Everest, Annapurna is just as brutally hard to climb. No less a climber than Anatoli Boukerev was killed on Annapurna. These brave women had to battle the mountain along with Sherpas and porters who were constantly extorting more and more money out of them. The final triumph and tragedy are profoundly moving. Jon Krakauer has raised the bar on these stories and this is not as good as "Into Thin Air", but it is a very good tale never the less.
Rating: 
Summary: an inspirational tale of women working together
Review: This book would be a thoroughly enjoyable read for anyone interested in tales of humans pushing themselves to achieve lofty goals. However, as a woman who started climbing a couple years ago at the age of 30, I found this mountaineering book to have an additional angle of particular interest to me. Sometimes I'm very conscious of being a female in a primarily male activity, with even fewer women interested in winter climbing than in rock climbing. I found it really inspirational to read about a women's expedition with such a high level of expertise. Having also just read Bill Birkett & Bill Peascod's book "Women Climbing: 200 Years of Achievement", I was particularly aware that their expedition faced an additional pressure. Many at the time felt a group without men organizing and climbing was destined for failure.Arlene's book gives wonderful insight into the motivation, determination, and exceptional teamwork of this group of women to achieve their goal. They worked together to face all of the pressures of Himalayan climbing, altitude, avalanches, difficulties with the Sherpas, and not least the fact that so many doubted that they could succeed. The updates on the expedition members in the 20th anniversary edition only adds to the story. It was really great to see what effect that expedition had on their lives and that so many of them are still climbing and spending time in the mountains in the 20 years since the trip to Annapurna.
Rating:
Summary: A story of a different kind of leadership
Review: This gripping account of the Annapurna Women's Expedition is more than just a mountaineering story, although it is also that. It is a story of a woman with a vision who insisted on doing it her way in a time (1978) when many doubted women's abilities to achieve at the highest levels. It is also a story of a different kind of leadership, a leadership where ego--but not strength and decisiveness--takes a back seat to team mission. Arlene Blum writes a compelling story of the heroic physical feats of team members, but she also writes with honesty and insight about the sometimes difficult team dynamics and her struggles to learn how to lead this group where everyone wants to have a voice *and* they want a strong leader too. Her account makes clear the team succeeded not because of the mountaineering skills and experience of the members (although these were superb and necessary) but because they were able to overcome conflicts, focus on their common goal, and work as a team--all the way to the top. An inspiring tale of leadership for all readers, even those who only climb mountains in their dreams. A great Christmas gift for visionaries and aspiring leaders of all stripes.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring and Exciting
Review: This inspirational story is a delight to ready. It captured me and didn't let me go, even after I had finished reading it. "Annapurna: A Woman's Place" is the thrilling story of the trials of climbing a mountain, from blizzards to avalanches to organization and teamwork. If you like a good adventure this is a story for you. However the mountain these women climb is not just a physical one. They face fears and frustrations and come through them triumphantly. They struggle with the unfortunate stereotype that women sometime face. Stereotypes such as, women are unorganized or they are not leaders when in fact women can and do accomplish great feats such as this one. We all have our mountains to climb in life and this tale with leave you with the strength and determination to climb yours.
Rating:
Summary: We've Come a Long Way...
Review: This is one of the best climbing narratives I have read. Arlene Blum gives us a glimpse into each climber's strengths and idiosyncracies. We are treated to an intimate look at how each member contributes to the team as a whole. I enjoyed seeing how each member of the team overcame personal challenges with the mountain, whether it was to climb higher than she ever had before, or to make the summit. Sadly, two climbers met their challenges with the ultimate price -- their lives. I was impressed with Arlene's leadership ability and organization. By the end of the book, Arlene's growth as a leader was obvious -- she made some difficult decisions (both good and bad) and learned from each of them. Several times I was annoyed by the Sherpas' insubordination, but perhaps that was due to a clash of cultures, etc. It's wonderful to see how the times have changed in the climbing world today as compared to back then.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down
Review: This is supposed to be a women's story, and a book about mountaineering. But even if you have little interest in either -- this book is a real page turner. Arlene has a way of putting you right there on the mountain, and you can't stop reading until you find out how it ends (Even though you already KNOW how it ends). Give this to someone for Christmas.
Rating:
Summary: A WOMAN"S PLACE IS ON TOP...
Review: This is without a doubt one of the best books written about a specific mountain climbing expedition. This particular book is a lyrical and moving account of the the first women's expedition to climb Annapurna in the Himalayas. It provides great detail and insight into their two month odyssey in the mountain and chronicles the challenges that they faced in trying to reach the summit. The leader of this 1978 expedition authored the book and her characterizations of her fellow expeditioners are interesting and engaging. Her description of life on an expedition is filled with a myriad of detail that will enthrall all armchair climbers, as well as climbing enthusiasts. These details make for gripping reading at times, and her descriptive narrative is always evocative of another time and place. In reading it, one realizes just how far women have come in terms of acceptance in the mountain climbing arena. Their time spent on the mountain is illustrated by photographs which beautifully resonate the lyricism of the author's chronicle. The obstacles they overcome, their day to day travails, the bonding and alliances that formed amongst the different members of the expedition, all add to the three dimensional quality of the book. The photographs memorialize those moments in time that best evoke the nuances of what it was like on the expedition and, at the same time, give the reader a sense of the beauty and majesty of the mountain. On October 15, 1978, two of the women met the challenge of Annapurna, one of the world's highest mountains at 26,540 feet, and stood on its summit, achieving a historic first for women climbers. The success of the expedition, however, was clouded by the tragic loss of two of its members on a second, ill-advised attempt to reach the summit. Nonetheless, the American Women's Himalayan Expedition quest to reach the summit of Annapurna is a testament to great courage and commitment. It is also a great read.
Rating:
Summary: A Woman's Place Is On Top
Review: This is without a doubt one one of the best books written about a specific mountain climbing expedition. This particular book is a lyrical and moving account of the the first women's expedition to climb Annapurna in the Himalayas. It provides great detail and insight into their two month odyssey in the mountain and chronicles the challenges which they faced in trying to reach the summit. The leader of the expedition authored the book and her characterizations of her fellow expeditioners are interesting and engaging. Her description of life on an expedition is filled with a myriad of detail that will enthrall all arm chair climbers, as well as climbing enthusiasts. These details make for gripping reading at times, and her descriptive narrative is always evocative of another time and place. In reading it, one realizes just how far women have come in terms of acceptance in the mountain climbing arena. Their time spent on the mountain is illustrated by photographs which beautifully resonate the lyricism of the author's chronicle. The obstacles they overcome, their day to day travails, the bonding and alliances that formed amonst the different members of the expedition, all add to the beauty of the book. The photographs memorialize those moments in time which best evoke the nuances of what it was like on the expedition and, at the same time, give one a sense of the beauty and majesty of the mountain. The success of the expedition in terms of their having actually reached the summit, however, is clouded by the tragic loss of two of the members on a second, ill-advised attempt to reach the summit. Nonetheless, the American Women's Himalayan Expedition quest to reach the summit of Annapurna is a testament to courage and commitment. It is also a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Wow.
Review: This new release of a 20yo book is a winner. I still have my tattered T-shirt proclaiming women should be 'on top,' that I bought in Berkeley way back then, in support of Blum?s fundraising for her 1978 all-woman assault on Annapurna. By proving to the skeptical small mountain-climbing community of men, as well as to the world at large, that women COULD be leaders of expeditions into the high Himilayas, Blum opened the door to a new vision of women's abilities in sports as well as all other areas of life.
Rating: 
Summary: A great expedition into reading!
Review: When I started to read this fascinating tale I was on my way to work. I stopped half way through Chapter 1 and told my husband I just had to share this wonderful story with him. Reading it aloud on the way to and from work, my husband and I vicariously shared the trek up to the summit of Annapurna with all the memsahibs, porters and Sherpas. Arlene Blum is an excellent narrator and should be thanked for re-releasing this tale of women's achievement. As they say "A Woman's Place is on Top...Annapurna!"
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