The Mountain Between Us

A Novel

By: Charles Martin

Narrated by: George Newbern

On a stormy winter night, two strangers wait for a flight at the Salt Lake City airport. Ashley Knox is an attractive, successful writer, who is flying East for her much anticipated wedding. Dr. Ben Payne has just wrapped up a medical conference and is also eager to get back East for a slate of surgeries he has scheduled for the following day. When the last outgoing flight is cancelled due to a broken de-icer and a forthcoming storm, Ben finds a charter plane that can take him around the storm and drop him in Denver to catch a connection. And when the pilot says the single engine prop plane can fit one more, if barely, Ben offers the seat to Ashley, knowing that she needs to get back just as urgently. And then the unthinkable happens. The pilot has a heart attack mid-flight, and the plane crashes into the High Uintas Wilderness - one of the largest stretches of harsh and remote land in the United States.

Ben, who has broken ribs and Ashley, who suffers a terrible leg fracture, along with the pilot's dog, are faced with an incredibly harrowing battle to survive. Fortunately, Ben is a medical professional and avid climber. With little hope for rescue, he must nurse Ashley back to health and figure out how they are going to get off the mountain, where the temperature hovers in the teens.

Meanwhile, Ashley soon realizes that the very private Ben has some serious emotional wounds to heal as well. He explains to Ashley that he is separated from his beloved wife, but in a long standing tradition, he faithfully records messages for her on his voice recorder, reflecting on their love affair. As Ashley eavesdrops on Ben's tender words to his estranged wife she comes to fear that when it comes to her own love story, she's just settling. And what's more: she begins to realize that the man she is really attracted to, the man she may love, is Ben.

©2010 Charles Martin (P)2010 Random House

Could NOT put this down!!!!

From the very 1st line of this book to the last, I was captivated. Pulled in, hooked, engrossed. " Totally exciting and on the edge of your seat" reading. I had read some reviews on this book and had seen it in a couple of my magazines as a "must read". Now I understand why!!! I was so engrossed in this book that I could not put it down.....I had to know what was going to happen next! I am not a fast reader because I have problems with my eyes. But, I read this book in 1 1/2 days!!! For me, that is WAAAY fast. I would read till things were blurry and stop and rest my eyes and then read again. I loved the book so much that I bought the Audible version because this is one I will read/listen to again!!! I cannot imagine going through all these 2 people go through......you think "it can't get any worse" and then,..... there it is, something worse!!! I loved the way he wrote this book and the charactors are so real that you instantly fall in love with them. I laughed and I cried, I got mad and sad, a mark of a great book for me!!! You will not be sorry you got this book. It is a must have for any library, whether book library or audible library. I have it in both places!!! This book is full of intrigue, it's fast paced, and emotional. Imagine you,1 other person and a dog, alone, crashed on the side of a mountain in the wilderness with no one around, injured and hungry, scared and alone, lost in a vast wilderness refuge and and no one even knows you are gone.......No One Knows You ARE Gone........an awesome book of determination, grit and survival. Hope you don't miss this one!!!

I have recommended this book dozens of times

What did you love best about The Mountain Between Us?

When someone asks me for a book recommendation, I always suggest The Mountain Between Us. I love the story, the development of the characters and interaction between Ben and Ashley, and the unexpected ending. All these add up to a superb novel about what makes us human. And I thought the narrator was excellent.

What other book might you compare The Mountain Between Us to and why?

A book I read years ago called "The Distant Summer" by Sarah Patterson. Another of my all-time favorites.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It makes me cry every time I listen to it -- and I have done so several times.

Any additional comments?

Read it - or listen to it. You won't regret it.

One of the best of Charles Martin’s pen, but I say that about all his books

This story hooks you in the beginning of an unimaginable experience of a plane crash in bitterly cold snow covered mountains in Utah. How two people fight the elements. One with broken body and the other broken spirit. Both have determination to heal. What Mr. Martin did with this story not only told us what the physical challenges for both antagonists were but how one cleverly told of his unbearable hurt of a broken heart. This story is so much more than just going through an awful experience of the crash and trying to survive, it’s so poignant and deeply felt in many ways. Love how good it is and devastating when it’s taken away. The reader, Mr. Newbern was great. He knows how read this story with an emotion that draws the picture the author has written. I’ve read this story and now listen to it. Both were an emotional experience.

WOW!

I enjoyed this IMMENSELY. Initial thoughts were skepticism, but being that the author is Charles Martin I figured he just might pull it off. He did not dissappoint. Matter of fact, the only disappointing thing about this book was that it ended! I even found myself wishing Charles Martin would write it again...exact same story, just from Ashley's perspective.

One of the best books i ever read!

This was very well written. It kept me engaged and also was a great example of marriage, perserverence, empathy. I thought to myself, "Wow, this would make a great movie!" And sure enough...it is! I highly reccommend it!

Captivating drama surprises

Charles Martin tells an engaging story that pits people against the most rugged landscape and climate conditions nature has to offer. With very little chance of survival and debilitating injuries, they do not give up.
I was bothered by a few minor holes in the story (which I won't turn into spoilers here), but overall it was a plausible enough read to be enjoyable. I recommend this clean romantic/drama/thriller!

Beautiful. 5 stars is not enough!

I wish I could rate this book anything more than 5 stars. 10, 20, 100 wouldn't be enough.

Loved it!!

I can't wait to watch the movie!! This is a really good romance novel! Loved it!

A must read!

Words cannot to this book justice. Fantastic storyline. Believable characters. Insurmountable odds. A very touching and heartfelt story of two lost people who found themselves,and their hearts, along their way to being rescued. One of the best books I’ve ever read. I highly recommend this book.

great book

I left this book. I would highly recommend it. It got me through several miles of riding my bike