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Forget Me Not: A Memoir | 
 enlarge | Author: Jennifer Lowe-anker
Creator: Jon Krakauer
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $15.00
You Save: $9.95 (40%)
New (21) Used (4) from $15.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 84215
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 276
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5.7 x 1.4
ISBN: 1594850828
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.522092
EAN: 9781594850820
ASIN: 1594850828
Publication Date: May 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: This is a brand-new book in excellent condition.
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Book Description
An insightful and at times wrenching memoir of love lost and love found, set against a backdrop of the world's tallest peaks In 1999 Jennifer Lowe's husband Alex Lowe died tragically in an avalanche on the Himalayan mountain Shishapangma, leaving her alone to raise three sons. Alex was widely considered one of the greatest modern climbers and the world mourned his loss--Tom Brokaw did a one-hour special for Dateline, and Sting narrated and composed music for a tribute film. While Jenni and her sons faced the absence of the most important man in their lives, Alex's best friend and longtime climbing partner, Conrad Anker, was dealing with the terrible loss as well as feelings of survivor's guilt. Jenni and Conrad gradually, and unexpectedly, found solace in one another and married in 2001--Conrad is now the adoptive father of the three Lowe children. Through letters and expedition notes from Alex, Forget Me Not spans continents and tells the story of three people whose lives intertwine to a degree they could never have imagined. Jenni's account takes readers inside a woman's heart and mind as she navigates her shattered life and survives, ultimately finding transformative love through her great loss. From the valleys of Montana to the peaks of the Himalayas, this never-before told story exposes the controversial yet ultimately redemptive power of love.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
This book catches hold and doesn't let go August 9, 2008
My husband doesn't typically cry. He's not opposed to emoting and doesn't think real men don't cry. He just doesn't find much to cry about, so when he tried to read a passage aloud to me from Forget Me Not, but couldn't make it through for the emotion clogging his throat, he got my attention. Likewise, when my sister spotted the book lying on my coffee table and picked it up to take a quick perusal but ended up having to take it home because she couldn't put it down, I took note. Their reactions to Lowe-Anker's book paralleled my own. Although our reactions were similar, the reasons were different. My husband was moved beyond words by the Lowe boys' loss of their father, whereas my sister was hooked by sheer adventure: "Why read somebody's made-up story when this adventure is so amazing and it happened to real people!"
I read memoirs and biographies for their lessons on living. Lowe-Anker's memoir offers a look at the human spirit and its capacity for compromise, empathy, patience, trust, and forgiveness. Although this story is primarily supposed to be about Alex Lowe, I was drawn to the story of the plucky young woman who chose him as her mate and was struck by the tragedy of suddenly losing him. To be able to, to want to move on into a new marriage is a testament to the depth of love Alex and Jennifer shared. Long before I read this book, I happened across an image of one of Jennifer's paintings in a magazine. There were two horses; both were running, and launching herself midstride from one horse to another was a cowgirl. Now I understand the painting to be a leap of trust and faith in both the journey of a new relationship and in the heart of her new partner.
Forget Me Not is a book that braids the strands of relationships, discovery, adventure, love, loss, and courage into a story you won't be able to put down.
Beautifully Written, Amazing, Very Personal, Insightful Memoir July 10, 2008
I loved this book, I couldn't put it down! Jennifer's story of adventure and being in love with such a dynamic man is a wonderfully written book.
It is a very personal, descriptive and objective memoir. I think that both men and women would enjoy this book, it is about adventure and risk and love and lessons and hope and being strong. I think Jennifer's writing was wonderful, the way she described the travels and the personalities were so well done. I would highly recommend this to anyone that loves adventure and that has been in love and knows what it is like to support someone in what they want to do.....no matter the risk. The cover is a little off putting, it doesn't say adventure so look past the pretty cover and know this will have you on the edge of your seat as you read this amazing story of love and adventure and loss...........
Please pick this one up!
Forget Me Not --death and Love June 27, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Twenty eight October 1996 Alex Lowe speaks in Houston, Doug Scott in Sante Fe. Sante Fe a more enticing destination especially with a stop in the Guadalupe Mountain on the way I drove to Sante Fe enjoyed Doug's "Seven Summits" presentation and had a few beers with him and others at the Cowgirl Bar. In 1982 Doug and another Alex, Alex MacIntyre, climbed Shishapagma and collaborated on a book about it, THE SHISHAPANGMA EXPEDITION. The book would be published posthumously in Alex's case as this Alex was to die soon on Annapurna. Doug Scott who had survived a high altitude bivouac on the west face of Everest with Dougal Haston and climbed within a few feet [honoring the sacredness of the mountain] of the summit of Kangchenjungna with Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker. Dougal, Peter, and Joe would soon all die in the mountains. And on K-2 Doug would see his ropemate Nick Estcourt swept to death in an avalanche which would no doubt have killed him to if not the 5mm rope connecting them not have broken. Doug Scott who I understand prepares for every expedition as not to come back but somehow always has. Alex Lowe who promised to come back and finally could not. Alex Lowe would never write a book but thanks to Jennifer we have many of his letters. Poignant letters bimming with hope and love of Jennifer and people and mountains and his three young sons. From the Trango Tower he writes of the little Alpine Forget-Me-Nots imploring Jennifer to come up with an idea of a painting typing together the flowers and their Love. One wonders if Jennifer could bare to create such a painting. She, thankfully, has created the took and in FORGET ME NOT she writes of the 18 years Alex and she were together although because of Alex's involvements in expedition months adding up to years they were apart. She tells of the early years when she joined Alex on climbs and of their itinerant life working on a seismic crew: of times spent at Camp 4 in Yosemite, climibing in Alaska, climbing in Europe. She also writes of her development as an Artist, visiting the Lourve while Alex put up hard routes in the Chamonix. And she remembers soloing the Skyladder and going on the summit on Andromeda experiencing the risk, serenity and joy of climbing before finally becoming more like Hector's wife and devoted mother Andromechea in the book of Hectors death, the Iliad. Alex not unlike Hector tragically compelled to risk [duty] and adventure but albeit more so equally tied to Jennifer, Max, Sam and Isaac. An imaginative and impulsive father who engaged his sons in everything from tadpoles to homework. A world class climber who claimed his greatest climb was summiting the Grand Teton with his son Max. How could it be otherwise than through tears we read of Jennifer receiving words from Shishapangma that Alex was missing under tons of ice and snow. Alex, David Bridges, and Corad Anker had been crossing a face, the slope above avalanched, Alex and David had run down the mountain, Corad across. Alex and David were buried, Conrad although injured survived. We read of Jennifer being comforted by her mother and the monumental strength of her sister Jan, both of whom were to die and the next few years. Especially poignant is the picture Jennifer gives us of picking 3 year old Isaac up wishing to join him in the imaginative world of his sandbox. Later as Jennifer we learn more of the depth of Conrad. Alex had written of Conrad as one would imagine Enkidu would have written of Gilgamesh in that book of friendship and death, possibly the oldest story in world. Conrad who would become the tender and compassionate husband of Jennifer and father for Max, Sam and Isaac. Jennifer had written of seeing snow geese giving her a sense of Alex and of the affirmation of life which came of it, of continuing to fly, now with the companionship of Conrad, Max, Sam, and Isaac.
I devoured this book!! Wonderful!! June 10, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I devoured this book!! I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone. It was a nice read, and it surprisingly did not make me cry as much as I was afraid it would (Maria Coffey's Where the Mountain Cast Its Shadow made me pretty much cry through the entire book). Very interesting, touching story. I really enjoyed hearing about how they met, fell in love and all of the adventures they shared together, and how she handled her life while her husband was away doing what he loved while she continued to do what she loved (she is an accomplished artist). It was sad knowing how he died and how hard it must have been for her to break the news to her children, that part really got to me. Overall I think it shows just how strong of a woman Lowe-Anker is - how she almost lost it all but was able to keep going forward and putting one foot in front of the other and was able to find love again. Great story, you should really check it out!
Loved it! June 8, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved this book. I could really relate to it, as my husband spent time with Alex Lowe on one of his climbs. Small world. What an amazing climber and man Alex Lowe was. May his spirit live on in all of us. Jennifer is such a strong woman and I can relate to her, being the mother of boys also. I also met Jennifer at Mountain Film in Telluride, CO and had my books signed. It was an honor to meet such a respectable woman, then to read her story, was even more impressionable!
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