‘Enthralling’Mail on Sunday

‘Like Joe Simpson, Andrew has discovered a latent talent for writing that only a mountaineering epic seems to have allowed him to uncover. And like Touching the Void, Life and Limb is brilliantly written and utterly un-put-down-able. If ever a tale evokes the phrase “life affirming” then this is it.’

On the Edge magazine

 ‘His courage, determination and sense of humour shine through the words of this remarkable book… Life and Limb is a genuinely life-enhancing read.’

Scottish Mountaineer

‘Driven and compelling… like Touching the Void I found myself reading on into the early morning to get through it.’

Climber magazine

Amazon Reviews:

A superb read – enthralling, moving and inspiring, 15 Jan 2007 Reviewer: A. Mason “Tony M” (UK)

It says everything about the quality of the writing of this book that even though you broadly know what is going to happen next you are still turning the pages as if you were reading the most exciting fiction bestseller, always wanting to know what happens next. Of course it is not fiction. Jamie is a real person in extraordinary circumstances. Although it may not make us able to climb the Alpine mountains he so loves, his tale certainly makes you think about how our own attitudes might help us better climb the hills we face in our own lives.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Jamie’s Life and Limb’s., 16 Jan 2006 Reviewer: s a innes (Kent, United Kingdom)

Can’t say much more then the reviewers above have said. The book is Brilliant! It is a modern day ‘Touching the Void’ (sorry to compare the two). Jamie has a serious talent for writing that I hope he continues to use. Not sure of the direction book two will take (or if Jamie intends to write it even), but kicking off where Life and Limb finished would make a very interesting start. The transition from climbing book to covering how Jamie rebuilt his life was superb, and held my interest to the very end.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

An excellent book – unputdownable!!, 29 Jul 2005 Reviewer: “simoncantrell2”

The book was excellent, unputdownable, and you feel gripped by his struggle from start to finish. It begins with an absolute fight to stay alive on a mountain top in a severe storm, the death of his climbing partner, and his incredible resuce. Then the story really starts. Frostbite claims both his hands and feet and the fight moves to adapting to everyday life again. Not only does he succeed in every challenge but returns to mountaineering again. It’s not just an amazing book, but one which will move you and put tears in your eyes. Of all the mountaineering books I’ve read, many of which include accidents and fights for survival, this one I would recommend the most.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

One of the best books I’ve read Ever !!, 25 Jan 2005 Reviewer: E. Gilchrist “Emma” (New Forest)

A book I simply could not put down. This is one of the best books I have read in years. The story pulls you in from the very first page and does not let go to the very last page. An amazing story very well told, if you only read one book this year make sure its this one !!!!!!!!

  9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

Outstanding and truly inspiring., 24 Sep 2004 Reviewer: “joballantyne2”

Jamie Andrew’s account of what happened to him and his friend Jamie Fisher on the mountain is truly riveting. I am not a bookworm and have not read a book since high school, I found myself unable to put this down. Jamie’s descriptions are fantastic and I was truly moved and inspired by his experiences. Jamie Andrew’s character shines through and I highly recommend this book to anyone. I just loved it.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

Inspirational, moving and thought-provoking, 22 Sep 2004 Reviewer: rucsacs.com

To write a great autobiographical book, you have to have lived a great life. Before he was 30 years old, the author had already experienced more hardship and tragedy than most people can imagine. Yet this book is, above all, one of inspiration. As a survival story, it is even more arresting than “Touching the Void”.

Jamie Andrew tells the story of the 1999 mountaineering ordeal in which his friend died without a trace of self-pity, even with humour. He describes factually his own subsequent surgery – the amputation of both hands and feet because of extreme frostbite. But the way in which he subsequently rebuilt his life is the author’s main message. What matters is not what happens to you, it is how you cope. Jamie Andrew’s response to his “disability” has been consistently heroic.

As a quadruple amputee, he has run a marathon, climbed Ben Nevis and more recently Kilimanjaro, fathered a child and written a moving book about his experiences. There is a marvellous passage about the many ways we use our hands – forms of expression now closed to him. There are tributes to the bravery of the helicopter and surgical teams who saved his life but could not save his friend’s. And there are excellent photographs to illustrate his extraordinary story.

If you have ever felt hungry, thirsty, cold or tired while walking or climbing, read this book and you will never feel sorry for yourself again. If you have had illness or surgery, read this book and discover new ways of coping with challenges. If you fit neither of these categories, read it anyway, as a well-written and gripping story. The book has already been nominated for the Boardman Tasker Prize for mountain literature, and it is clearly destined to become a classic.