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Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know: The Autobiography
Ranulph Fiennes has traveled to the most dangerous and inaccessible places on earth. In the process he nearly died on several occasions, lost nearly half his fingers to frostbite, and raised millions for charity. He discovered the lost city of Ubar in Oman and attempted to walk solo and unsupported to the South Pole. He was the first man to reach both poles by surface travel and the first to cross the Antarctic Continent unsupported. In 1993, Her Majesty the Queen awarded him the Order of the British Empire for "human endeavor and charitable services." An elite soldier, an athlete, a mountaineer, and a renowned explorer, Fiennes describes here in his own words his incredible journey through life.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
208 people are currently reading
2357 people want to read
About the author
Ranulph Fiennes
98 books287 followersSir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, OBE, better known as Ranulph (Ran) Fiennes, is a British adventurer and holder of several endurance records.
Fiennes has written books about his army service and his expeditions as well as a book defending Robert Falcon Scott from modern revisionists. In May 2009, aged 65, he climbed to the summit of Mount Everest. According to the Guinness Book of World Records he is the world's greatest living adventurer.
Fiennes has written books about his army service and his expeditions as well as a book defending Robert Falcon Scott from modern revisionists. In May 2009, aged 65, he climbed to the summit of Mount Everest. According to the Guinness Book of World Records he is the world's greatest living adventurer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
September 8, 2021
I read this one soon after 'Cold', Fiennes' book about his expeditions to the Earth's cold regions. This one expands on those and throws in his warm weather adventures aswell. Its engrossing stuff. The reason for 3.5 stars is that only in glimpse's does Fiennes reveal his inner self, so as an autobiography it feels somewhat guarded. He doesn't delve into what actually happened at Eton or to any great extent what makes him tick. Perhaps he has just focussed on what he thinks his potential readership want to read, but I for one wanted to learn a bit more about the inner Ran. For those who haven't read any of his other books about his expeditions I'd recommend this - the last chapter about the Eiger is especially rivetting.
July 24, 2020
I really expected a little bit more from this book seeing that Fiennes is one of the great modern day adventurers. The book is not so well written as other adventure books, but there are a few great chapters in there. Also, some events are described in minute details, while others are just mentioned in passing almost. Still, Fiennes is a great example for young people of what can be achieved through hard work, a bloody-mindedness to never give up and to always believe in yourself. Still highly recommended to read about his incredible life.
February 14, 2012
I honestly didn't think I'd get into the book.
I'm so glad I read it. It took me a while (it's a long book) but I absolutely enjoyed it.
It starts off slow, you want to get to the polar expeditions, and it seems to take a long while to get there -- which isn't surprising, as Fiennes didn't exactly start doing them in his teenage years.
I've seen interviews -- who hasn't? -- and he always struck me as slightly arrogant, slightly cold and blase, yet witty.
He's definitely an alpha male, no question. Needs to be in charge, but can defer to someone else for a while if need be.
I'm impressed by what he went through, what he achieved...but it was the way he wrote about Ginny that impressed me even more. Here is a man who braved the extremes, who didn't think twice about amputating his own fingers -- and whose deep sense of devotion to his wife comes across without loud words or bragging, but rather in a quiet, persistent way.
Reading about Ginny's death made me cry. Not because of how it was written -- very matter of fact and straightforward -- but because of what someone else said. "The following Friday you phoned us in the evening and told me that dear Ginny had died just fifteen minutes earlier and that she was still in your arms."
THAT, more than anything, made the tears well up, and it still does. It showed me a man who was heartbroken and didn't want to lose the one person he held most dear in his life.
It truly is a remarkable account of a life lived to the fullest.
Read it. You won't regret it.
I'm so glad I read it. It took me a while (it's a long book) but I absolutely enjoyed it.
It starts off slow, you want to get to the polar expeditions, and it seems to take a long while to get there -- which isn't surprising, as Fiennes didn't exactly start doing them in his teenage years.
I've seen interviews -- who hasn't? -- and he always struck me as slightly arrogant, slightly cold and blase, yet witty.
He's definitely an alpha male, no question. Needs to be in charge, but can defer to someone else for a while if need be.
I'm impressed by what he went through, what he achieved...but it was the way he wrote about Ginny that impressed me even more. Here is a man who braved the extremes, who didn't think twice about amputating his own fingers -- and whose deep sense of devotion to his wife comes across without loud words or bragging, but rather in a quiet, persistent way.
Reading about Ginny's death made me cry. Not because of how it was written -- very matter of fact and straightforward -- but because of what someone else said. "The following Friday you phoned us in the evening and told me that dear Ginny had died just fifteen minutes earlier and that she was still in your arms."
THAT, more than anything, made the tears well up, and it still does. It showed me a man who was heartbroken and didn't want to lose the one person he held most dear in his life.
It truly is a remarkable account of a life lived to the fullest.
Read it. You won't regret it.
October 28, 2020
Very very boring to read - this guy is the absolute worst at telling stories, but I guess this would be a fun book for someone who enjoys hearing about how to treat your wife like shit!
August 10, 2013
You have to admire this guy – if not for his common sense, then at least for his bloody-minded fearlessness. Fiennes is not so much an adventure traveller or explorer as an extreme fitness junkie – the places he passes through are less important than the process of getting to the other side ... first. So the journeys often tumble by at an astonishing pace – entire continents in a couple of pages.
But the arbitrariness of the competitions he sets up is wearying after a while ... first to circumnavigate the world via both poles, ”unaided” - meaning for him, man-hauling the most insane weights imaginable, rather than using dogs or even parasails, as a less driven idealist might.
You get the feeling he was born into the wrong age – he would certainly have been more content in the days of Scott when so much of the world was still unexplored by any means.
But the arbitrariness of the competitions he sets up is wearying after a while ... first to circumnavigate the world via both poles, ”unaided” - meaning for him, man-hauling the most insane weights imaginable, rather than using dogs or even parasails, as a less driven idealist might.
You get the feeling he was born into the wrong age – he would certainly have been more content in the days of Scott when so much of the world was still unexplored by any means.
July 21, 2008
This is an OK book. If you've read other adventure books then large sections of this largely disconnected account will be boring. However, there are some great sections and interesting adventures.
There are whole chapters which were a waste of time. However, the surprise good chapter was the section on the death of his wife. Quite well handled actually.
Failing on Everest quite interesting, polar slogs with Mike not too bad. I really liked the last chapter on climbing Eiger.
Would rate this book 2.5 if that were an option
There are whole chapters which were a waste of time. However, the surprise good chapter was the section on the death of his wife. Quite well handled actually.
Failing on Everest quite interesting, polar slogs with Mike not too bad. I really liked the last chapter on climbing Eiger.
Would rate this book 2.5 if that were an option
June 1, 2012
Sir Ranulph Fiennes is not a storyteller. Reading this, it is as if he just wants to put the facts out there, plain and simple. Still, his personal story is jaw-dropping enough that this plainly-told tale is fascinating -- John LeCarre as a schoolmaster, world travel, adventuring to both poles, running seven marathons on seven continents after heart surgery, auditioning to be James Bond, and on. Cousin to the acting Fiennes (Rafe and Joseph), a baronet in his own right, Sir Ranulph has led a life that few people do, and here he shares it with us.
September 11, 2019
I listened to the audiobook.
What is strange is that the unabridged version is 13hours and the abridged version only 2.5hours.
How do you condense a book that much? It simply doesn't make sense.
Reading reviews on Audible on the Abridged version, most people said that too much valuable/relevant information got stripped.
So I listened to the full version.
This was the first time I heard of Ranulph Fiennes.
Looking at the book cover, and listening to all the expeditions / endeavours he went out on, he seems to be quite the bad-ass.
So I have a couple of issues with what I got from this biography.
1. Why would someone willingly put yourself through all of this? Is it purely for the world records and the short lived fame?
2. How do you get people to continually sponsor you for months at end to do this, and more often than not fail?
3. Why in the world did Prince Charles put so much money into Fiennes and his Arctic adventures?
4. Fiennes mentions that he mostly makes a living out of writing books and public speaking based on all his expeditions. So listening to the biography made me feel a bit cheated in that I'm just fuelling another expedition.
The Arctic section of the book was really repetitive and became boring.
Then it became quite interesting and engaging in the middle of the book when he had his heart-attack, and how quickly he recovered.
Trying to run 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents was simply stupid. Well done on accomplishing this, but WHY?
Then going through his wife/sisters/mother's death and illnesses was a better, more personal part of the book.
Then finally the whole Everest and then Eiger. I truly don't get why he even did this. I simply don't buy into the whole vertigo story.
Then finally credit is due in his fund-raising missions. But admittedly half of them failed, and when they succeeded, he nearly killed himself.
For me the whole reasoning behind things simply didn't make sense. And the fact that people paid him to do these stuff is absurd.
I'm not saying that he didn't accomplish in-human feats. I just don't see the purpose behind any of it.
What is strange is that the unabridged version is 13hours and the abridged version only 2.5hours.
How do you condense a book that much? It simply doesn't make sense.
Reading reviews on Audible on the Abridged version, most people said that too much valuable/relevant information got stripped.
So I listened to the full version.
This was the first time I heard of Ranulph Fiennes.
Looking at the book cover, and listening to all the expeditions / endeavours he went out on, he seems to be quite the bad-ass.
So I have a couple of issues with what I got from this biography.
1. Why would someone willingly put yourself through all of this? Is it purely for the world records and the short lived fame?
2. How do you get people to continually sponsor you for months at end to do this, and more often than not fail?
3. Why in the world did Prince Charles put so much money into Fiennes and his Arctic adventures?
4. Fiennes mentions that he mostly makes a living out of writing books and public speaking based on all his expeditions. So listening to the biography made me feel a bit cheated in that I'm just fuelling another expedition.
The Arctic section of the book was really repetitive and became boring.
Then it became quite interesting and engaging in the middle of the book when he had his heart-attack, and how quickly he recovered.
Trying to run 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents was simply stupid. Well done on accomplishing this, but WHY?
Then going through his wife/sisters/mother's death and illnesses was a better, more personal part of the book.
Then finally the whole Everest and then Eiger. I truly don't get why he even did this. I simply don't buy into the whole vertigo story.
Then finally credit is due in his fund-raising missions. But admittedly half of them failed, and when they succeeded, he nearly killed himself.
For me the whole reasoning behind things simply didn't make sense. And the fact that people paid him to do these stuff is absurd.
I'm not saying that he didn't accomplish in-human feats. I just don't see the purpose behind any of it.
December 29, 2019
Sunt oameni facuti din alt aluat. Za best ! Bravo lui !
September 14, 2016
The first half of the book deals mainly with Fiennes' expedition to the Antarctic, which primarily is the reason why I read the book, as it went towards my 'Antarctic' section on my Goodreads 2016 book challenge. At this point I would have given the book 2 out of 5 stars; it was repetitive and trolled through quite uninteresting parts of the journey for me.
The second half did get more interesting and more heart-wrenching as it deals with Ranulph's medical conditions and more personal issues along the way. I like to read these sorts of subjects, not for any macabre buzz but because they are close to home and can happen to anybody at any time and therefore seem more realistic; and mainly because it pulled at my heart strings. And I like my heart strings being pulled.
However, towards the end, again I became bored and disinterested; not puffing-out-my-cheeks bored but it just felt a bit monotonous. All hail to Fiennes though. What he has achieved is amazing and I do admire him but the book didn't do too much for me. Sorry.
The second half did get more interesting and more heart-wrenching as it deals with Ranulph's medical conditions and more personal issues along the way. I like to read these sorts of subjects, not for any macabre buzz but because they are close to home and can happen to anybody at any time and therefore seem more realistic; and mainly because it pulled at my heart strings. And I like my heart strings being pulled.
However, towards the end, again I became bored and disinterested; not puffing-out-my-cheeks bored but it just felt a bit monotonous. All hail to Fiennes though. What he has achieved is amazing and I do admire him but the book didn't do too much for me. Sorry.
December 18, 2013
Fiennes has that complete lack of common sense which makes a great adventurer.
September 26, 2023
This guy is the most arrogant, self-interested and entitled man I think I've ever come across. I take issue with so many things he talks about in his book, from start to finish.
Mr Fiennes protrays his schooling years as though he had experienced great adversity. He invites the reader to pity the poor boy who just happened to go to one of the most expensive, famous and excellent schools in the world: Eton. At several points he describes those early years as the hardest of his life, saying that they had prepared him for anything that could possibly lie ahead. I don't need to explain to you how ungracious, ungrounded and privileged this makes him come across.
Next up we have his SAS experiences. Mr Fiennes actually takes pride in boasting about the fact that he cheated in his SAS training. Knowing full well he was incapable of completing the weighted march required to gain admission to the prestigious military unit, he takes a taxi to near the finish and cheats. Mr Fiennes couldn't even apply for the royal grey scots officer core because despite his world-class education he failed to attain the low number of O-levels required. This is the first red flag that we are following a man who has been given the best opportunities and still failed, feeling the need to cheat to fulfil an un-deserved sense of self-righteousness. I'm going to skip over the fact that he was discharged from the SAS for stealing explosives because it is so childish, irresponsible and criminal that it doesn't deserve discussion.
The next segment of the book is objectively the most questionable. Mr Fiennes goes into old glory mode, reminiscing on the good old days fighting for the imperialist sultan of Oman to help oppress the dirt-poor Omani people. In this section Fiennes makes no mistake to hide what he truly is: a Colonial era relic from a bygone time where current morals did not exist. He's a dinosaur. He represents everything that was wrong about the British empire. He proudly details his role in rounding up innocent Omani men and boys to imprison and intern them without due cause just to stifle any attempt at a people's republic. Fiennes talks about the days in Oman like they were the best in his life. He was a Colonialist mercenary in a poor, foreign land who used his position to prop up an autocratic dictator who sought to keep his peoples poor and oppressed in a time when oil-money should have meant economic prosperity for Omani people.
If you look objectively at what Fiennes did you can come to the conclusion that he is a charlatan. He continually and proudly makes comparisons to Scott and Shackleton but Fiennes failed in almsot every single venture he takes. Failure after failure. In his accounts of expeditions he criticizes his colleagues and the reader gets a flavour for Fiennes' horrendous leadership skills. Fiennes used his family name, his immense privilege to get the money to do his expensive trips. To summarise: he's been able to do all these really fun things because he's mates with King Charles. You or I would never in a million years ever be given these opportunities because we didn't go to Eton.
One of the worst bits about the book though has to be the way he talks about his wife. Throughout the whole book Fiennes dotes upon his darling Ginny. She was the light of his life, his everything. He loves her more than the earth itself if you will believe his words. A mere 6 months after Ginny's death, Fiennes started dating a woman a quarter-of-a-century his junior. In a year, he was married. Ginny? Oh her. The love of his life? Yeah. About that. I don't care how he spins it or how many of Ginny's family he gets a quote from, actions speak louder than words, and I don't trust Mr Fiennes words one bit.
I'm really struggling to bring myself to keep reading because I just dislike everything from head-to-toe about this guy. He is everything wrong with a bygone era of the British upper classes and as a result I'm going to seriously struggle to provide an objective view.
His life has been blessed with so many wonderful opportunities. I am open about the jealousy I feel when I see the exotic and exciting adventures he's continually lived. Has he ever worked a proper job? Not really. Has he ever achieved anything without the use of nepotism and networking? Debatable. Does he at any point ever acknowledge his luck in all of this? Hardly.
Mr Fiennes is a privileged man with a famous surname from Old Money. Nothing about his character inspires me except for his ability to physically endure long, tough adventures which I'll admit is impressive. I don't like him. He's not a great.
Mr Fiennes protrays his schooling years as though he had experienced great adversity. He invites the reader to pity the poor boy who just happened to go to one of the most expensive, famous and excellent schools in the world: Eton. At several points he describes those early years as the hardest of his life, saying that they had prepared him for anything that could possibly lie ahead. I don't need to explain to you how ungracious, ungrounded and privileged this makes him come across.
Next up we have his SAS experiences. Mr Fiennes actually takes pride in boasting about the fact that he cheated in his SAS training. Knowing full well he was incapable of completing the weighted march required to gain admission to the prestigious military unit, he takes a taxi to near the finish and cheats. Mr Fiennes couldn't even apply for the royal grey scots officer core because despite his world-class education he failed to attain the low number of O-levels required. This is the first red flag that we are following a man who has been given the best opportunities and still failed, feeling the need to cheat to fulfil an un-deserved sense of self-righteousness. I'm going to skip over the fact that he was discharged from the SAS for stealing explosives because it is so childish, irresponsible and criminal that it doesn't deserve discussion.
The next segment of the book is objectively the most questionable. Mr Fiennes goes into old glory mode, reminiscing on the good old days fighting for the imperialist sultan of Oman to help oppress the dirt-poor Omani people. In this section Fiennes makes no mistake to hide what he truly is: a Colonial era relic from a bygone time where current morals did not exist. He's a dinosaur. He represents everything that was wrong about the British empire. He proudly details his role in rounding up innocent Omani men and boys to imprison and intern them without due cause just to stifle any attempt at a people's republic. Fiennes talks about the days in Oman like they were the best in his life. He was a Colonialist mercenary in a poor, foreign land who used his position to prop up an autocratic dictator who sought to keep his peoples poor and oppressed in a time when oil-money should have meant economic prosperity for Omani people.
If you look objectively at what Fiennes did you can come to the conclusion that he is a charlatan. He continually and proudly makes comparisons to Scott and Shackleton but Fiennes failed in almsot every single venture he takes. Failure after failure. In his accounts of expeditions he criticizes his colleagues and the reader gets a flavour for Fiennes' horrendous leadership skills. Fiennes used his family name, his immense privilege to get the money to do his expensive trips. To summarise: he's been able to do all these really fun things because he's mates with King Charles. You or I would never in a million years ever be given these opportunities because we didn't go to Eton.
One of the worst bits about the book though has to be the way he talks about his wife. Throughout the whole book Fiennes dotes upon his darling Ginny. She was the light of his life, his everything. He loves her more than the earth itself if you will believe his words. A mere 6 months after Ginny's death, Fiennes started dating a woman a quarter-of-a-century his junior. In a year, he was married. Ginny? Oh her. The love of his life? Yeah. About that. I don't care how he spins it or how many of Ginny's family he gets a quote from, actions speak louder than words, and I don't trust Mr Fiennes words one bit.
I'm really struggling to bring myself to keep reading because I just dislike everything from head-to-toe about this guy. He is everything wrong with a bygone era of the British upper classes and as a result I'm going to seriously struggle to provide an objective view.
His life has been blessed with so many wonderful opportunities. I am open about the jealousy I feel when I see the exotic and exciting adventures he's continually lived. Has he ever worked a proper job? Not really. Has he ever achieved anything without the use of nepotism and networking? Debatable. Does he at any point ever acknowledge his luck in all of this? Hardly.
Mr Fiennes is a privileged man with a famous surname from Old Money. Nothing about his character inspires me except for his ability to physically endure long, tough adventures which I'll admit is impressive. I don't like him. He's not a great.
August 6, 2022
Not a fan.
I admired very much Ranulph Fiennes relationship with his wife Ginny. It was obviously a wonderful match with devotion and many happy years, and then heartbreak when she died.
My first encounter with this author was his biography of Ernest Shackleton. He seemed to diminish Shackleton for being an adventurer trying to make a name for himself, with no other talents. Hello! Admittedly Fiennes is a more accomplished author and possibly a more skilled fundraiser, but Shackleton proved himself when it counted, saving his crew with a passion that is still being talked about in leadership seminars today.
I was turned off by the author’s running here and there, in an almost frantic Forrest Gump approach - getting negative health warnings and then immediately heading off to do the 7-7-7 and then an attempt at Everest. Most readers seem to think he’s accomplished a lot in life and that might be the case, but it is not something that is impressive to me. I barely finished the book.
I admired very much Ranulph Fiennes relationship with his wife Ginny. It was obviously a wonderful match with devotion and many happy years, and then heartbreak when she died.
My first encounter with this author was his biography of Ernest Shackleton. He seemed to diminish Shackleton for being an adventurer trying to make a name for himself, with no other talents. Hello! Admittedly Fiennes is a more accomplished author and possibly a more skilled fundraiser, but Shackleton proved himself when it counted, saving his crew with a passion that is still being talked about in leadership seminars today.
I was turned off by the author’s running here and there, in an almost frantic Forrest Gump approach - getting negative health warnings and then immediately heading off to do the 7-7-7 and then an attempt at Everest. Most readers seem to think he’s accomplished a lot in life and that might be the case, but it is not something that is impressive to me. I barely finished the book.
August 16, 2020
Great book to read on the beach in the hot sun! Amazing feats of courage and strength! I kept wondering what in the world drove the author to keep going to such dangerous extremes in the most dangerous environments on Earth. Adrenaline addiction? After suffering so much how do you forget the last time and end up planning another expedition? I’d have given it another star but I kept wishing the author would provide more detail and description instead of skimming over the events with a list of facts and dates. The excerpts from his expedition mates were often better at describing emotions and events than he was. It was hard to completely identify with him when I sometimes felt so badly for his wives.
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July 29, 2011Nobody can acuse this man of not living a full life. Wonderful tale, that the whole way through, I could just feel his "stiff upper class, upper lip" being somehow expressed.
Felt I would have liked to hear more about other aspects of his life, not just the journeys he has taken, but then again, since this is mostly the way he makes his living, maybe there really is no story or life between trips away.
Read if you like tales of explorers and the journeys they take and the adventures they have.
Felt I would have liked to hear more about other aspects of his life, not just the journeys he has taken, but then again, since this is mostly the way he makes his living, maybe there really is no story or life between trips away.
Read if you like tales of explorers and the journeys they take and the adventures they have.
June 12, 2018
This is a reasonable read of a simply amazing life. One can't help but marvel at the achievements of Fiennes, who stands out as an inspiration for all us to get off our backsides and go out and live our lives according to our own roles. His sheer determination is simply outstanding. Whilst the writing doesn't quite meet the standards of his achievement, it is still sufficiently good to invest a good chunk of your time in escaping to the far flung corners that Fiennes "conquers".
August 28, 2020
What a sufferfest! The trials Fiennes puts himself through are incredible, and reading about these harrowing trips and endless dances with near-death along the way was thoroughly enjoyable from the safety and comfort of my chair.
I was recommended this book by the wild Dr. Hugo, a larger than life Bolivian mountaineering master. I would thoroughly recommend this book to all who crave adventure.
I was recommended this book by the wild Dr. Hugo, a larger than life Bolivian mountaineering master. I would thoroughly recommend this book to all who crave adventure.
February 26, 2020
This book is exciting and inspiring. He is a mad man but very likeable and writes very well. You really feel like you’re going through the many extreme experiences with him and suffer his pain, fear and determination along the way. All in all a very good read which can’t fail to stir a wanderlust in you.
February 2, 2011
Another great story told poorly. Some other reviewers have thought Fiennes' nonchalant manner of reading makes this story all the more interesting but for me, he sounds bored. How can you be bored about climbing Everest?
March 21, 2012
How exciting can it be??? Snow, cold, ice, frostbite more cold and so on... Well, it is!! This is a well written, easy read and very interesting book by and of a very interesting man.
What a life and what a man. I think I fell a little bit in love...
What a life and what a man. I think I fell a little bit in love...
August 5, 2019
Thrilling Read! Ran is an inspiration for all ages. Well worth a read.
March 24, 2021
Tales of the incredible highs (literally and metaphorically) and lows of Sir Ranulph's feats.
April 24, 2024
Ranulph Fiennes gilt als einer der großen Abenteurer des 20. Jahrhunderts. Er ist der erste Mensch, der den Nord- und auch den Südpol über Land erreichte und unternahm Expeditionsfahrten und hält zahlreiche Ausdauerrekorde. Seine berühmteste und auch längste Expedition ist die Transglobe-Expedition, die ihn von 1979 bis 1982 entlang des Nullmeridians von London aus zum Südpol, über entlang der Datumsgrenze zum Nordpol und entlang des Nullmeridians zurück nach London führt.
"Bad, mad and dangerous to know" waren die Worte, mit denen der Vater seiner ersten Frau Virginia seinen zukünftigen Schwiegersohn beschreibt und ich kann verstehen, warum er so gegen die Beziehung seiner Tochter war. Fiennes sah sich schon früh als Abenteurer, aber auf Außenstehende hat sein Verhalten wahrscheinlich eher verantwortungslos und leichtsinnig gewirkt. Auch mir ging es so, obwohl ich beim Lesen seiner Biografie einen Blick auf seine Motivation werfen konnte. Aber genau das war mein Problem bei diesem Buch: ich konnte nichts über seine Motivation erfahren. Auf mich wirkt es so, als ob er einfach macht, weil er gerade die Idee zu seinem jeweiligen Unternehmen oder man ihm eine neue Expedition angeboten hatte. Dabei kann er durchaus erzählen, aber manchmal wirkt er zu bemüht, als ob er beim Schreiben schon die Reaktion seines Publikums im Blick hat.
Bei den Berichten über seine Expeditionen wirkte es auf mich so, als ob er nur selten die Meinung anderer zulassen würde, zumindest nicht beim ersten Versuch, sondern erst, wenn ein Scheitern drohte. Die Hartnäckigkeit, mit der sich sich in seine Unternehmungen fast gestürzt hat und alle Schwierigkeiten auf dem Weg dorthin beseitigt hat, kann ich nur bewundern. Zu seiner Zeit war es noch nicht so einfach wie es anscheinend heute ist, Gelder aufzutreiben und von den Einkünften zu leben. Das ist heute einfacher.
Fiennes' Autobiografie kam mir über weite Strecken wie ein Bericht über eine andere Person vor. Mir haben Gefühle und Persönliches gefehlt, die habe ich nur wenig wahrgenommen. So verspricht der Titel, was er für mich nicht halten kann.
"Bad, mad and dangerous to know" waren die Worte, mit denen der Vater seiner ersten Frau Virginia seinen zukünftigen Schwiegersohn beschreibt und ich kann verstehen, warum er so gegen die Beziehung seiner Tochter war. Fiennes sah sich schon früh als Abenteurer, aber auf Außenstehende hat sein Verhalten wahrscheinlich eher verantwortungslos und leichtsinnig gewirkt. Auch mir ging es so, obwohl ich beim Lesen seiner Biografie einen Blick auf seine Motivation werfen konnte. Aber genau das war mein Problem bei diesem Buch: ich konnte nichts über seine Motivation erfahren. Auf mich wirkt es so, als ob er einfach macht, weil er gerade die Idee zu seinem jeweiligen Unternehmen oder man ihm eine neue Expedition angeboten hatte. Dabei kann er durchaus erzählen, aber manchmal wirkt er zu bemüht, als ob er beim Schreiben schon die Reaktion seines Publikums im Blick hat.
Bei den Berichten über seine Expeditionen wirkte es auf mich so, als ob er nur selten die Meinung anderer zulassen würde, zumindest nicht beim ersten Versuch, sondern erst, wenn ein Scheitern drohte. Die Hartnäckigkeit, mit der sich sich in seine Unternehmungen fast gestürzt hat und alle Schwierigkeiten auf dem Weg dorthin beseitigt hat, kann ich nur bewundern. Zu seiner Zeit war es noch nicht so einfach wie es anscheinend heute ist, Gelder aufzutreiben und von den Einkünften zu leben. Das ist heute einfacher.
Fiennes' Autobiografie kam mir über weite Strecken wie ein Bericht über eine andere Person vor. Mir haben Gefühle und Persönliches gefehlt, die habe ich nur wenig wahrgenommen. So verspricht der Titel, was er für mich nicht halten kann.
August 25, 2021
The author has undoubtedly suffered more uncomfortable days and nights than in most human's nightmares. At an early aged he decided to be an explorer, and that's exactly what he did. To be an explorer one must do something that has never been done before. Otherwise, no one is interested, no one will sponsor you. No one will pay to have you be the second person to climb a mountain. So, Ran Fiennes, did all kinds of crazy stuff; circumnavigated the globe from pole to pole, pulled a sled across Antartica, ran seven marathons in seven days on seven continents, and climbed mount Everest as a mature man after having had a heart attack! There are lots of other adventures equally as uncomfortable and dangerous. He is a tough guy who trained like a demon, planned extensively, had excellent team members, and yes, enjoyed a boatload of luck to have survived it all. It is exhausting to read of his adventures, but worth it, so you don't have to do it.
April 4, 2025
This man is insane
July 7, 2021
Captivating!
May 10, 2022
One of the toughest cookies on the planet. It can be highly motivating just to read a chapter. The zest for life and admirable endurance are exploding from the pages while he stays informative and feeding your curiosity to know how his adventures evolve.
September 20, 2022
I listened to the audiobook version, I always get FOMO when the audiobook is abridged. What did they feel was OK to cut out? Would I have enjoyed it more if I had read the full version?
I felt that this was a book written for income. I often feel with autobiographies/biographies they read like a list of achievements and I need more that that.
Ran Fiennes is an amazing character and I wanted more about him.
I felt that this was a book written for income. I often feel with autobiographies/biographies they read like a list of achievements and I need more that that.
Ran Fiennes is an amazing character and I wanted more about him.
June 4, 2014
I bought this book after seeing the author on a daytime TV show, and thinking that he was someone I'd sort of seen a lot about - usually at the end of an expedition where an endurance record had been broken, and usually somewhere that has never been on any sort of bucket list that I would compile, but someone that I knew little or nothing about in terms of what drives someone to do what he does. The book covers his childhood, right up to his sixties and for me, it was in three parts. There were school and army days, by which I mean the British Army which he left after some issues with explosives, then a middle bit where he joins a group of soldiers in the middle east (the word mercenary is never mentioned) before starting on a large number of journeys usually on foot, and which have varying degrees of success. The accounts weren't, for me anyway, that riveting or enthralling and at times I felt myself saying 'yes it's cold and it's a long way, I get it!'. I found the human side of this much more interesting, how he came to terms with the consequences of one of the expeditions and still continued, despite the handicaps that came his way. The middle part sort of merged in with the third, when he comes to terms with his age, and limitations. There is some regret about the time he has spent away from his wife who, with all of the journeys and preparation for his adventures has taken something of a back seat in the marriage, with the added bonus of worrying about whether he will come back or not this time. We see throughout the book that Fiennes agrees to take part in most of the challenges offered, and invents a few of his own, which makes for long periods of separation. This part also has his accounts of marathon running which, given the limitations mentioned above, makes for interesting reading. The book ends with the author facing his biggest fear of all, vertigo, by trying to climb one of the most fearsome mountains in Europe, by this time having the shadow of a potentially fatal health condition hanging over him. Overall, I found the book very absorbing and, with the maps showing the distances travelled, a reader can't really fail to be impressed by the achievements of the author. I suspect that for all this though, not many people would be able to live with a person of such determination, focus and addiction to danger and endurance for long. A great book for reading on a comfy sofa, with the thermostat within easy reach as you look out at the snow falling knowing you don't have to venture out for any reason.
December 16, 2022
Almost unbelievable what the human body can endure when it's driven by an unwavering determination.
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