Book Review ~ Just Another Mountain by Sarah Jane Douglas

Elliot&Thompson
26 March 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

In 1997, at the age of 24, Sarah lost her mother to breast cancer. Alone and adrift in the world, she very nearly gave up hope - but she'd made a promise to her mother that she would keep going no matter what. So she turned to the beautiful, dangerous, forbidding mountains of her native Scotland. - and then beyond.

What did I think about it..

All of us rise to the challenges of our lives in very different ways. Some of us take to moments of quiet reflection whilst others turn to more adventurous pursuits, and that was certainly the case for this author, who, having already lost her mother to breast cancer, faces her own cancer diagnosis, not with a sense of impending doom, but with the realisation that she promised her mother that she would never give up.

Rediscovering her love of hill walking in her beloved Scotland , the author finds freedom, and the joy of living, when she reaches the top of her chosen mountain. This love of walking in the great outdoors and the sheer pleasure from reaching the summit of the most impressive hills and mountains allowed her to put her rather fractured life into perspective again.

In this week when the country has faced the greatest challenge of a generation I have been inspired by the books I have been privileged to read in this troubled time. Some of them have been light hearted fun reads which made me smile, others have taken me back to another time and place, whilst clever poets have allowed me a moment or two of reflective calm.

Just another Mountain has been an inspiration. Beautifully written with real insight into, not just the physical benefits of striding out in the glorious countryside, but also of the sheer majesty of the hills and mountains,  and not just in Scotland but on whichever summit around the world the author chose to explore on her challenging journey of self discovery.

About the Author

Sarah Jane Douglas writes the popular blog ‘Smashing Cancer in the Face’. She is an artist and former teacher who lives with her two teenage sons in an old fishing village on the northeast coast of Scotland, is a lover of mountains and is proud to be Munroist number 5764. This is her first book.

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