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The Great Swim
The dramatic story of the four courageous female swimmers who captivated the world in the summer of 1926.
Despite the tensions of a world still recovering from World War I, during the summer of 1926, the story that enthralled the public revolved around four young American swimmers―Gertrude Ederle, Mille Gade, Lillian Cannon, and Clarabelle Barrett―who battled the weather, each other, and considerable odds to become the first woman to conquer the brutal waters of the English Channel. The popular East Coast tabloids from New York to Boston engaged in rivalries nearly as competitive as the swimmers themselves; each backed a favorite and made certain their girl―in bathing attire―was plastered across their daily editions. Just as Seabiscuit, the little horse with the big heart, would bring the nation to a near standstill when he battled his rival War Admiral in 1938, this quartet of women held the attention of millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic for an entire summer. Gavin Mortimer uses primary sources, diaries, interviews with relatives, and contemporary reports to paint an unforgettable portrait of a competition that changed the way the world looked at women, both in sport and society. More than an underdog story, The Great Swim is a tale of perseverance, strength, and sheer force of will. A portrait of an era that is as evocative as Cinderella Man , this is a memorable story of America and Americans in the 1920s.
Despite the tensions of a world still recovering from World War I, during the summer of 1926, the story that enthralled the public revolved around four young American swimmers―Gertrude Ederle, Mille Gade, Lillian Cannon, and Clarabelle Barrett―who battled the weather, each other, and considerable odds to become the first woman to conquer the brutal waters of the English Channel. The popular East Coast tabloids from New York to Boston engaged in rivalries nearly as competitive as the swimmers themselves; each backed a favorite and made certain their girl―in bathing attire―was plastered across their daily editions. Just as Seabiscuit, the little horse with the big heart, would bring the nation to a near standstill when he battled his rival War Admiral in 1938, this quartet of women held the attention of millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic for an entire summer. Gavin Mortimer uses primary sources, diaries, interviews with relatives, and contemporary reports to paint an unforgettable portrait of a competition that changed the way the world looked at women, both in sport and society. More than an underdog story, The Great Swim is a tale of perseverance, strength, and sheer force of will. A portrait of an era that is as evocative as Cinderella Man , this is a memorable story of America and Americans in the 1920s.
325 pages, Hardcover
First published February 19, 2008
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Gavin Mortimer
64 books22 followersFor a detailed biography, to learn more about all the books I have written and to discover my forthcoming projects, please visit my website at the above link.
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March 9, 2015
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2015
From BBC Radio 4 - Afternoon Drama:
Adapted by Anita Sullivan from the book by Gavin Mortimer.
In the roaring twenties the world was changing at an electric pace. In science, commerce and art, everything seemed possible and the challenges were there to be confronted. By 1926, only five men had ever conquered the English Channel, and the race to become the first woman to swim the Channel captivated two continents. Many doubted that a woman could do it.
Gertrude Ederle, a brilliant young swimmer, was the 19-year-old daughter of a German migrant to the United States. Her father Henry Ederle ran a successful butcher's business in New York. Ederle's cross-channel swim was sponsored by the New York Daily News.
The News sent a crime reporter, Julia Harpman, to accompany the swimmer and cover the story and this drama is told through Julia's eyes.
Adapted by Anita Sullivan from the book by Gavin Mortimer.
In the roaring twenties the world was changing at an electric pace. In science, commerce and art, everything seemed possible and the challenges were there to be confronted. By 1926, only five men had ever conquered the English Channel, and the race to become the first woman to swim the Channel captivated two continents. Many doubted that a woman could do it.
Gertrude Ederle, a brilliant young swimmer, was the 19-year-old daughter of a German migrant to the United States. Her father Henry Ederle ran a successful butcher's business in New York. Ederle's cross-channel swim was sponsored by the New York Daily News.
The News sent a crime reporter, Julia Harpman, to accompany the swimmer and cover the story and this drama is told through Julia's eyes.
August 31, 2014
The summer of 1926 was a busy time in the English Channel as an increasing number of swimmers set out to conquer it, and for the first time it looked as if more than one woman might have a good chance of making it across that narrow (21 miles) but wild, rough and extremely busy stretch of water. This was an era of considerable change in and debate about women’s abilities: women were able to vote in many countries (including the UK although at this time this was only women over 30) and there was a powerful global feminist movement beginning to have an impact in perceptions of women’s physical activity with the IOC under growing pressure to admit women to track and field events. The English Channel was widely seen as one of the great physical challenges, perhaps enhanced by its perception in the English speaking world as the cultural and physical marker of Britain.
This story of women endurance athletes is a great one worthy of many tellings, and like all history writing what sits at its heart is a really good story. In this case we have courage and drive, competition and drama, against the odds challenges, both success and failure in and out of the water. What made the focus on women setting out to swim the Channel more exciting for media outlets involved was the potential for international rivalry: among the most high profile were four from the USA, one from France and one from the UK. Two of the US swimmers were well supported by newspaper syndicates and a third had support from industrialists; the other three were, to a very large degree, dependent on personal resources and for the UK and US women these were meagre (Mortimer tells us little about the French swimmer, Jeanne Sion). Many of the swimmers found themselves subjects of wider political debates: many newspapers liked women swimmers because photographs allowed legitimate display of excessive amounts of women’s flesh (legs especially), while the image of women was highly contested – there was the vote and political rights, there was the issue of women’s higher education access, there was the post-war concern about the ‘flapper’ as loose women, there was the debate about women’s sporting abilities – much of which was overlaid by the social cultural changes that had come about during and after WW1, including new notions and practices of celebrity.
Mortimer focusses on three of the US women – Gertrude Erdele, Lillian Cannon and Mille Gade – with smaller parts for two with much less public and media profile, Clarabelle Barrett and Mercedes Gleitze (who became the first English woman to swim the Channel, in 1927). There is a large cast of characters and for the most part Mortimer manages them well (although once Erdele and Gade have returned to New York some of the secondary characters become slightly overwhelming); of course, with so many players in the story there is a risk of readers losing their way. It is a shame that Sion is to a large degree sidelined, not because she was successful in crossing in 1926 but because she made so many attempts. It would have been good to know a little more about her (but that might be the historian in me writing……).
The story is not only one of a sporting success/rivalry/achievement but also one of sporting profiles. Mortimer also explores the commercial and celebrity aspects of those two who were successful in the crossings, and points to the short lived nature profile in the 1920s (not much has changed there) as well as the risks of exploitation and the dangers of bad management.
It is a good yarn, with good characters and it seems fairly extensive media archives (there was widespread media interest and both Erdele and Cannon wrote weekly columns for their sponsoring syndicates) that Mortimer has used well. All in all, a good and engaging piece of popular history that helps restore to public profile a group of outstanding women athletes who deserve to be celebrated.
This story of women endurance athletes is a great one worthy of many tellings, and like all history writing what sits at its heart is a really good story. In this case we have courage and drive, competition and drama, against the odds challenges, both success and failure in and out of the water. What made the focus on women setting out to swim the Channel more exciting for media outlets involved was the potential for international rivalry: among the most high profile were four from the USA, one from France and one from the UK. Two of the US swimmers were well supported by newspaper syndicates and a third had support from industrialists; the other three were, to a very large degree, dependent on personal resources and for the UK and US women these were meagre (Mortimer tells us little about the French swimmer, Jeanne Sion). Many of the swimmers found themselves subjects of wider political debates: many newspapers liked women swimmers because photographs allowed legitimate display of excessive amounts of women’s flesh (legs especially), while the image of women was highly contested – there was the vote and political rights, there was the issue of women’s higher education access, there was the post-war concern about the ‘flapper’ as loose women, there was the debate about women’s sporting abilities – much of which was overlaid by the social cultural changes that had come about during and after WW1, including new notions and practices of celebrity.
Mortimer focusses on three of the US women – Gertrude Erdele, Lillian Cannon and Mille Gade – with smaller parts for two with much less public and media profile, Clarabelle Barrett and Mercedes Gleitze (who became the first English woman to swim the Channel, in 1927). There is a large cast of characters and for the most part Mortimer manages them well (although once Erdele and Gade have returned to New York some of the secondary characters become slightly overwhelming); of course, with so many players in the story there is a risk of readers losing their way. It is a shame that Sion is to a large degree sidelined, not because she was successful in crossing in 1926 but because she made so many attempts. It would have been good to know a little more about her (but that might be the historian in me writing……).
The story is not only one of a sporting success/rivalry/achievement but also one of sporting profiles. Mortimer also explores the commercial and celebrity aspects of those two who were successful in the crossings, and points to the short lived nature profile in the 1920s (not much has changed there) as well as the risks of exploitation and the dangers of bad management.
It is a good yarn, with good characters and it seems fairly extensive media archives (there was widespread media interest and both Erdele and Cannon wrote weekly columns for their sponsoring syndicates) that Mortimer has used well. All in all, a good and engaging piece of popular history that helps restore to public profile a group of outstanding women athletes who deserve to be celebrated.
July 22, 2011
A story about a bunch of women who tried to swim the English Channel in 1926. There were 4 of them and between just them and their whole teams, the names were a big old mess for me. By the end, I knew who the swimmers were, but forget about who was training whom, as some of the people over lapped. And I hate it when people are referred to both by first name in some instances and last in others. In the end, only two women completed the swim, one first who was young and an older women who was a mother and got attention for that aspect. The book was pretty drawn out and took forever to get to the point in some cases and held a lot of facts that I didn't really care about. But if you do, then this is the book for you! It's been a while since I had read a non-fic and this was kind of a meh book to get me back into it.
Grade: C-
Grade: C-
August 13, 2013
I'm an ocean swimmer so this was a read I couldn't put down. A fascinating account of swimming the English Channel and also of the era, 1920's.
July 12, 2018
An excellent, page-turning account of the race to become the first woman to swim the English Channel. This book has appeal well beyond the world of swimming - being as much about how women in the 1920s challenged gender stereotypes, flouting conventional "public decency" to invent new, more practical swimwear, and forcing the world to take women's sporting aspirations seriously. It's also about how early mass media and celebrity culture could taint sporting ideals and ruin lives.
In 1907, the author notes, Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman was arrested for indecency; she had walked out onto Revere Beach in the USA wearing a one-piece bathing suit that ended in shorts above her knees. At this time it was not uncommon for women to bathe in a woollen dress, stockings and slippers.
Not quite 20 years later, 19-year-old Gertrude Ederle donned a custom-made, two-piece bathing costume, got covered in three layers of grease, put on her rubber goggles and set off from Cap Gris-nez to swim to Dover.
Trudy Ederle was only one of several hopefuls that summer; among her female rivals were Lillian Cannon, Clarabelle Barrett, Mille Gade and Mercedes Gleitze. Ederle, Cannon and Gade - attempting to swim from France to England - were sponsored by US newspaper syndicates. In the case of the first two, this was mostly an excuse for the papers to print pictures of them in their bathing costumes, thereby boosting sales. In contrast to these "flappers", Gade - a long-haired, mild-mannered mother of two - was portrayed as the paragon of traditional womanhood.
Less well-funded than these three were Clarabelle Barrett (a 6-foot, 16-stone Amazon of a woman, not built to sell newspapers) and the British-German Mercedes Gleitze. Both were attempting the harder swim from England to France.
Almost as interesting as the women were the trainers, particularly the ill-starred Jabez Wolffe - who had tried and failed to swim the Channel himself no less than 21 times, coming within a mile of success on four occasions. Despite his poor luck in his own attempts, several of his female proteges would prove successful in the 20s and 30s.
All these characters come vividly to life off the page, and Mortimer's skillful narrative keeps the pages turning right to the end. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read.
In 1907, the author notes, Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman was arrested for indecency; she had walked out onto Revere Beach in the USA wearing a one-piece bathing suit that ended in shorts above her knees. At this time it was not uncommon for women to bathe in a woollen dress, stockings and slippers.
Not quite 20 years later, 19-year-old Gertrude Ederle donned a custom-made, two-piece bathing costume, got covered in three layers of grease, put on her rubber goggles and set off from Cap Gris-nez to swim to Dover.
Trudy Ederle was only one of several hopefuls that summer; among her female rivals were Lillian Cannon, Clarabelle Barrett, Mille Gade and Mercedes Gleitze. Ederle, Cannon and Gade - attempting to swim from France to England - were sponsored by US newspaper syndicates. In the case of the first two, this was mostly an excuse for the papers to print pictures of them in their bathing costumes, thereby boosting sales. In contrast to these "flappers", Gade - a long-haired, mild-mannered mother of two - was portrayed as the paragon of traditional womanhood.
Less well-funded than these three were Clarabelle Barrett (a 6-foot, 16-stone Amazon of a woman, not built to sell newspapers) and the British-German Mercedes Gleitze. Both were attempting the harder swim from England to France.
Almost as interesting as the women were the trainers, particularly the ill-starred Jabez Wolffe - who had tried and failed to swim the Channel himself no less than 21 times, coming within a mile of success on four occasions. Despite his poor luck in his own attempts, several of his female proteges would prove successful in the 20s and 30s.
All these characters come vividly to life off the page, and Mortimer's skillful narrative keeps the pages turning right to the end. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read.
June 25, 2008
This was such and interesting and inspiring book. I was fascinated by the environment in which the four American swimmers were each trying to be the first woman to cross the English Channel. They each had such unique stories and backgrounds. I ended up cheering for each of the swimmers mentally as I read about their attempts to beat the channel.
Gertrude Ederle's story in particular was both inspiring and very sad. I was happy that the end of the book ended with this quote from Ederle:
"...slowly I came to know that the depth of our heartbreaks determines the depth of our faith. God gives us everything to conquer the big and little hurts of life." - Gertrude Ederle
I would also recommend Lynne Cox's book Swimming in Antarctica for readers who enjoyed The Great Swim.
Gertrude Ederle's story in particular was both inspiring and very sad. I was happy that the end of the book ended with this quote from Ederle:
"...slowly I came to know that the depth of our heartbreaks determines the depth of our faith. God gives us everything to conquer the big and little hurts of life." - Gertrude Ederle
I would also recommend Lynne Cox's book Swimming in Antarctica for readers who enjoyed The Great Swim.
December 7, 2008
Interesting book about the race for the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926. Slowed down in spots but still very interesting to read about everything that went into training and the stamina required to perform such a feat. Forget the whole "wait 45 minutes after eating to swim" rule. When in the water for 20 + hours you bring food along. Other obstacles to overcome include, schools of jellyfish/sharks, large ships ignoring the signal from the swimmer's support boat to stay clear of you and storms sweeping in during the middle of the grueling journey across. Not only did a woman swim the channel but she shattered the existing record by 2 hours! Fun to see how this accomplishment changed perspectives about the "weaker sex" and what they were capable of.
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February 11, 2009The impossible dream of every swimmer is to one day swim "the Channel" There is really only the English Channel, it is the sine qua non in the aquatic world. Today a challenger must apply one year in advance in order to secure an opening on the neap tide, the swim can only be made in one direction (England to France), and it is an expensive endeavor. More people alive today have left the earth's atmosphere than have swam the Channel. It is one of the most extraordinary physical challenges in our world. This book is the story of the 19 year old sylph who first woman who successfully swam the Channel. A must read even for non sports books readers.
June 7, 2016
This is the fascinating account of the first woman to swim the English Channel. (Actually, it is account of several women who either swam or attempted to swim the channel in 1926.) It is a truly inspiring story! Besides the fact that these women accomplished such an amazing feat, even shattering the previous men's times, they did it in a time when the world seemed to think that women couldn't lift a finger without fainting from exertion. From the stories about swimsuit laws to breaking the rules and setting records, the details are fascinating. It started to get a bit slow toward the end, especially since I already knew the outcome. But an informative read, anyway.
August 5, 2016
True story of the race for the first woman to swim the English Channel. There are 4 women (3 most focused on) who tore down barriers by swimming competitively in the 20's. Even non-swimmers will enjoy getting to know these dynamic interesting women. It also clips along with analysis on their training and the media. I thought it was interesting just from a perspective of celebrity and how much more gentle it was for these women to be famous. Makes me want to challenge myself and swim longer swims!
March 27, 2011
The Great Swim was an interesting book about the first women to try to swim across the Channel. At times it was a bit slow and bogged down with too many names and details but it was interesting to read about that time period and see how things were different.
I will add that the Amazon Kindle version of this book is in desperate need of some proofreading... there was quite a lot of errors in the text, which made it frustrating to read.
I will add that the Amazon Kindle version of this book is in desperate need of some proofreading... there was quite a lot of errors in the text, which made it frustrating to read.
June 30, 2011
As a former long-distance swimmer myself (although not at the Channel level!) I really enjoyed reading these ladies' stories and trying to guess who'd be the first to swim the Channel.
The one thing that bothered me was the lack of pictures. Mortimer references a lot of photos of the women but then doesn't show them and I'd like to have seen more.
Otherwise, a fun and inspiring book, and I now plan to do a swim beneath the Brooklyn Bridge next year as a direct result of reading this book. :)
The one thing that bothered me was the lack of pictures. Mortimer references a lot of photos of the women but then doesn't show them and I'd like to have seen more.
Otherwise, a fun and inspiring book, and I now plan to do a swim beneath the Brooklyn Bridge next year as a direct result of reading this book. :)
August 27, 2012
Very interesting report of the women who swam (or attempted to swim) the English Channel in the summer of 1926, including details of the events prior to and following the swim - training, news publicity, backing, post-swim rewards, etc. I would've liked to have felt like I knew the swimmers a little bit better as people - their feelings, etc. Also, sometimes I got a little bogged down with the rivalries between newspapers and coaches. Otherwise, a very good read.
April 7, 2008
I just finished reading this book and thought it was really interesting, but the copyediting is pretty shabby. There are numerous misspellings and words that do not make any sense in the context of some of the sentences. I almost did not stick with the book, but it's dense with details and I wanted to see what happened with all of the principal characters.
June 30, 2009
True story of the race for the first woman to swim the English Channel. I really liked this. I ended up rooting for one(who didn't win) and felt like I ended up knowing all four. It also inspired me to kick up my swimming for the year. And I learned what English Channel rules mean. No wetsuit. A lesson all triatheltes should learn
July 30, 2009
The book tells the story of the four American women who trained for and attempted to swim the English Channel in 1926. The story aspect was interesting, but the writing was not great. There is a lot of attention paid to the trainers for the swimmers, and the role of the media (newspapers) in the attempts of the swimmers. Also, there's more authorial presence than I would have liked to see.
July 7, 2015
Memorable if bittersweet tale of the first crossing of the English Channel done a by a female swimmer, this book is not just an account of the swim itself, but also a vivid portrait of the era, where women can't show up on the street without a hat, and many swimmers make a living by performing in a tank on stage.
August 22, 2014
Took a little dedication to get through, because it's a long story with a lot of historical details. However, it was a great story (if you're interested in the topic), and I really enjoyed it overall!
October 27, 2008
Starting to read this now, a little hard to keep up with who is doing what but very facinating all the same. The girls take training swims that last for hours in the frigid waters of the English channel with no wet suit! Brrr....
NOw I am finished. Great story -
NOw I am finished. Great story -
February 21, 2010
Good read if you're into swimming, interested in the achievements of women, or interested in reading the biographies of the first people to achieve amazing things. I'm not so sure others will find it a very captivating story.
June 23, 2014
Fabulous book. The story of the first women to swim the Channel, with corruption, deceit, courage, desperate dreamers, hard-nosed business people, dreams realised, dreams shattered - you couldn't have made up a better fictionalised version, but this is how it really happened.
July 15, 2017
The story of the first women to swim the English Channel is a great one. I did not enjoy completely the way the author told the story; he followed several rabbit trails in depth which I felt didn't add to the story of the women, and should have been their own stories (books).
August 12, 2008
really great!
March 25, 2009
Gertrude lived longer than anyone else in the history of this swim. Say something about swimming?
November 19, 2008
Swimming the English Channel is no easy task. But you knew that.
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May 4, 2011began last summer and quit with about 30 pages to go!!
I think its because I discovered Henry VIII books!!
I think its because I discovered Henry VIII books!!
Currently reading
August 20, 2009These women are incredible!
January 10, 2011
The book tells the story of the four American women who trained for and attempted to swim the English Channel in 1926. Wicked.
Currently reading
June 7, 2012Great read...my grandfather wast the photographer for the Daily News. Grew up with a photo of him and Gertrude Ederly displayed in the den. Very cool.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews