I believe many of us recognize the value of friendship. This book goes beyond to explore life after loss with a journey in the most rugged mountains in New England. This is an evocative read which teaches us how the experience of nature assists in the healing process.

48 Peaks is a completely enjoyable read and a compulsive read. Honest and open, I was truly moved by how she faced and overcame all the challenges thrown her way. The writing is terrific and very inspirational.

I love nature books, and books about hiking in nature, and books about how hiking in nature affect people's lives. Suchors details her quest to climb all 48 peaks in New Hampshire's White Mountains. I wanted to like it. The details of Suchor's training and her relationships with her hiking partners form the majority of the book, with less detail on the wonders of nature that she encountered on the various peaks. And that's one reason I didn't like it: the emphasis was on her obsessive training and her clashes with hiking partners whose hiking philosophies differed from her own. Suchors hiked to tick each mountain off her list, not to enjoy nature, to learn about the environment or the geology or plants, or to enjoy being in nature, and her frustration with people who did hike for enjoyment was dismissive and irritating. I would hate hiking with her. There are few deep introspections offered, but the clear emphasis on just climbing each mountain to climb it, not to enjoy it, detracts from the effort and the narrative in this hiking lover's opinion.

This book is not at all what I expected. I've read other books on long-distance walks by Keith Foskett and Cheryl Strayed, so I was expecting something akin to those. This is a story of the personal challenges faced when one woman decides to climb all 48 peaks, through illness, injury and personal loss. Whilst I love mountains and hiking, I don't understand peak-bagging, so I struggled a little with the baseline of this book. However, it is very well written, covering some delicate topics with sensitivity, and a good read.

This is the story of one woman's quest to climb all 48, 4,000 or over peaks in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It may have taken her 10 years to accomplish, but this she finally did, while battling health issues, family, loss of a dear friend and hiking companion. She had many setbacks which an ordinary person would have given up on.
I found her story to flow beautifully, keeping my interest while climbing those daunting mountains as if I was there with her. She is a person who did everything to overcome her circumstances and more.
We hear about her life, her love of writing which she had been struggling with for awhile, and the unfortunate health issues that arise. She has a backing of good friends and family that do these hikes with her at different times, even her daughters small dog.
This book shows us that anything can be accomplished when one puts their mind to it. I am so glad that I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley and She Writes Press.
This book and her courage will stick with me for a long time.

When I first saw this book shared by Book Sparks, I was really excited. A book called 48 peaks? Could it be about the 48 - 4000 and above footers in NH? It turns out, yes it could, and yet it was. I was surprised to see a memoir about someone who completed them all and was eager to read Cheryl’s experiences. I began hiking the 4000 footers myself in 2009. I took a many year hiatus where I did more of my hiking in VT and locally, and recently got back into NH peak bagging this past summer. I smiled while reading the book at times as she described moments that I remember vividly myself, and also cried… a lot.

Cheryl is an aspiring author (spoiler alert, nailed it with this book :-p). She finds that hiking frees her mind enough to give her the ability to write, and as a Type A personality, she enjoys the goals associated with peak-bagging. The book covers her own medical problems, injuries, and loss of someone close to her. She makes new friends along the way and grows a lot as a hiker and leader in the mountains. I found the story to be inspiring and I’d love to meet Cheryl… or possibly even complete a hike with her. I enjoyed taking this photo from the peak of Mount Pierce (4310’) facing out to Eisenhower (4780’) on my hike this summer (of both peaks) with my friend and fellow bookworm, Liz.

Thank you to She Writes Press and Netgalley for my review edition of the book. All views are my own.

This is a book to savor . It is that rare book that must be bought to kept in the bookcase and that you will recommend for years to come. It will change your life like Eat Pray Love and Wild. It is a heartwarming true account of the author's determination to climb 48 peaks in New Hampshire through cancer and grief. I loved the sheer will she exhibited throughout as she never lost focus on her goals. She is someone to be admired . I enjoyed reading this and plan on giving it out for gifts. I highly recommend this book for those who believe we can overcome illness through faith in ourselves and determination. Very well done !
My opinions are my own. Thank you for the ARC.

This book had awesome pictures. I could have looked at the pictures and feel like I was really there. great book.

A very good book about overcoming adversity, in this case cancer, and still work towards achieving your goals. Cheryl finds out she has breast cancer but still wants to climb all 48 peaks over 4000 feet tall in New Hampshire. As someone who has climbed a few, this is no small feat. Through dedication and tenacity the author succeeds in her challenge while remaining true to herself and her family and friends. A must read for anyone who likes hiking and finding the determination to succeed against all odds.

In <i>48 peaks: hiking and healing in the While Mountains</i>, author Cheryl Suchors tells of her personal quest to ascend all 48 of New Hampshire’s rugged 4000’+ peaks. She reached her goal after ten years despite many challenges – both physical and spiritual - including the death of a close friend and hiking partner and her personal battle with breast cancer. Her descriptions of her journey are both poignant as well as inspiring.

Even though this genre is not my usual reading fare, I was drawn by the promise of hiking adventures and Suchors did not disappoint. But she also shared so much more. She expounds on her relationships with family and friends and the difficult road to becoming a cancer survivor, as well as the physical and mental challenges of hiking. All are blended powerfully with her relationship with the beauty and healing powers of the natural world.

An inspiring and rewarding read.


FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

48 Peaks by Cheryl Suchors

Full disclosure: I’m grateful to NetGalley for the free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I give this book 4 stars.

This book is meant to be savored with a cup of coffee or tea, and time to relax and hear the story while appreciating the relationships with their strengths and challenges. It is a beautifully blended memoir with honesty, vulnerability, courage and strength. The author is my hero. She is strong enough to demonstrate her strengths and vulnerabilities and how she grew throughout her aspiration of climbing the 48 4,000 footers. I can’t imagine how she was able to persevere through the physical pain to attain her accomplishments, but I’m so grateful she persevered, both through the climbing as well as the writing and publishing.

Some of the formatting seemed a bit confusing, such as starting out at the beginning of the book mentioning Kate’s death, and then backtracking and coming back to it later. While some parts seemed to move slower than others and I had to put the book down and come back to it later, I wanted to see how everything turned out, and I appreciated the epilogue following the story.

I look forward to seeing what comes next for this author, as her books will be at the top of my to-read list.

Full disclosure: I met the author of this memoir once, at a Smith College Club of Cambridge book club meeting. We share connections to Smith, Cambridge, the White Mountains, Kripalu, and possibly other places/institutions that I don't know about! The many familiar settings may have amplified my enjoyment, but I believe the narrative would holds its own even for someone with zero connection to the places described therein.

Amid the many pop psychology books currently coaching grit and resilience, and the many memoirs about what an unfortunate benefit race t-shirt in my household refers to as "survivorship," 48 Peaks stands out for its portrayal of the many forms that friendships among middle-aged women can take. I particularly enjoyed the arc of Cheryl's relationship with Ginny, as I have had occasion to ponder the potential of friendships that develop between what the obsolete social media platform Friendster used to call "activity partners." Relationships with bugs, body parts,

A bit more reflection on the privilege that enabled Cheryl to undertake her challenge in the first place - and the continued homogeneity of hikers in the Whites, in spite of the AMC's best efforts - would have been welcome. Otherwise, I can wholeheartedly recommend this memoir to readers of Let's Take the Long Way Home, Wild, and Truth & Beauty (and, yes, Smith alumnae).

As someone who aspires to hike the Appalachian Trail in my lifetime, the White Mountains are oftentimes a part of my research or the videos I watch, with over one hundred miles of the AT traveling through the range. This is one of the most grueling albeit beautiful parts of the hike. When I discovered Cheryl Suchors’ book, 48 Peaks: Hiking and Healing in the White Mountains by She Writes Press on Netgalley, I almost felt as if it was speaking to me personally! I just had to have it, not only because I love a good memoir, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more about hiking this area of our country.

While this was a slower read for me because of the immense detail and span of years, friendship, and life covered, I couldn’t skip a single word. I had to know what would happen next, almost as if I was reading a fictional novel. I was inspired by something on nearly every page, feeling as if I could accomplish anything after I finished this book. Cheryl’s strength both mentally and physically is awe-inspiring. She battled numerous injuries, cancer, death, and the normal demands one would face in the span of ten years. Simply, this is a tale of a life of a woman determined to accomplish her goal, despite the tremendous obstacles standing in her way.

Being able to learn about the condition of the body, challenges, people, and acts of nature making each individual hike difficult was one of my favorite things about this read. These are things I look forward to learning about this topic and I was happy to see everything I hoped for was covered in this novel.

The biggest thing I took away from reading 48 Peaks was the human ability to accomplish anything we put our minds to, if only we keep trying. Cheryl faced basically every hardship a person can experience in life within the ten-year span of chipping away at her goal. Most people would have given up, no doubt Cheryl felt like she should at times, but after each set-back, her resolve only strengthened. Cheryl Suchors’ impeccable will almost makes me feel a well of emotions, just thinking about it. I want to be a woman with as strong of a mind, unable to accept failure; instead, seeing impediments as another mountain to climb whether those mountains are physical or metaphorical.

I’m so thankful for the chance to have been able to read Cheryl’s story and bear witness to her huge accomplishment, if only in writing. 48 Peaks gets a strong 4-stars from me, only losing one star for the organization of the story as a whole. I can’t recommend this fantastic memoir enough. Even if you don’t find yourself being an outdoorswoman, this book is worth picking up, as it delves into the issues we face as women, motherhood, friendship, and the heartbreaking loss of people we love. I guarantee this book will make readers feel inspired and moved to take action in their own lives, no matter their goals.

Cheryl, you are a superhero!

Get your copy of 48 Peaks on September 11, 2018 or pre-order now!

A memoir of bagging 48 peaks through friendships, deaths, cancer, raising a daughter and dealing with injuries and ageing. A nice balance between the narrative of nature and that of personal anecdote. Inspiring and likable, the narrator works through what life throws at her to be the strongest she can be while meeting her utmost goal.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

I loved, loved, loved this book and would hike with the author anywhere. I loved her faults, her courage in facing her health battles, her insecurities, and, most of all, her struggle to not control her hiking buddies. I saw so much of myself in watching the clock, checking hike-completion deadlines, list-making, and wanting, as most of us do, for life and people to adhere to our schedule, thank you very much. It made her all the more endearing. Her honesty in sharing so many parts of herself made me feel I knew her, which, in my opinion, is the number one requirement for a well-written memoir.
And I must say, the account of the death of her good friend was one of the most touching I have ever read. Ms. Suchor is not only an accomplished athlete, but a wonderful writer as well. I hope to read more of her work.

I love reading about hiking and nature. I love reading about people experiencing nature, whether it be hiking, climbing, living, or observing wildlife and 48 peaks didn't disappoint.
Along with the author's quest for the 48 peaks, I enjoyed reading of her struggles and relationships and all those involved in this book.
Great reading!

I love a good hiking memoir. This is an interesting one. The mountains and hikes are detailed somewhat but the focus is more on the hiker and her thoughts and emotions. I found it a unique perspective that was clearly written and enlightening.

48 PEAKS tells Cheryl Suchors’ poignant, inspirational and beautifully written story of loss, illness, friendship, and recovery. Over a decade, she loses her best friend to cancer, nearly loses her own life to the illness, struggles mightily in a mid-life second career, and copes with a long-held crippling need to succeed and be in control. She decides to hike the highest peaks — all 48 — in New Hampshire’s White Mountains with the support of friends and it is this journey into the wild that leads to deep emotional, physical and spiritual healing. A lovely, hopeful narrative that encourages us to keep climbing our own life peaks, no matter the obstacles. Highly recommended!

Pub Date 11 Sep 2018

Thanks to She Writes Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#48peaks #NetGalley

This was an inspiring book to read. The author went through so much and I could relate to her ups and downs of pursuing a goal of hiking. The ending was rather abrupt though