We Begin Our Ascent: A Novel

by Joe Mungo Reed Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies

Overview

Sol and Liz are a couple on the cusp. He's a professional cyclist in the Tour de France, a workhorse but not yet a star. She's a geneticist on the brink of a major discovery, either that or a loss of funding. They've just welcomed their first child into the world, and their bright future lies just before them—if only they can reach out and grab it.

But as Liz's research slows, as Sol starts doping, their dreams grow murkier and the risks graver. Over the whirlwind course of the Tour, they enter the orbit of an extraordinary cast of conmen and aspirants, who draw the young family ineluctably into the depths of an illegal drug smuggling operation. As Liz and Sol flounder to discern right from wrong, up from down, they are forced to decide: What is it we're striving for? And what is it worth?

We Begin Our Ascent dances nimbly between tragic and comic, exploring the cost of ambition and the question of what gives our lives meaning. Reed melds the powerful themes of great marital dramas like Revolutionary Road with the humor, character, and heart of a George Saunders collection. Throughout, we're drawn inside the cycling world and treated to the brilliant literary sports-writing of modern classics like The Art of Fielding or End Zone.

Editorial Reviews

NOVEMBER 2018 - AudioFile

Sol is a professional cyclist competing in the Tour de France. He is a member of the peloton, whose job is to protect and pace the team leader. Narrator Matthew Lloyd Davies’s fine performance is similarly disciplined and unfussy, allowing the characters and story to take center stage. But like the peloton’s, Davies’s obligations are multiple and various as he switches between accents and temperaments. Sol is thoughtful, conflicted, and loyal. Rafael, the French coach, wheedles as he convinces Sol that doping is necessary and responsible, but he's prone to self-centered outbursts anytime something goes awry. For Fabrice, the team leader, Davies adopts a light accent and imbues his tone with an almost Zen-like love for both the steep ascents and for his teammates. A.B. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2018 - AudioFile

Sol is a professional cyclist competing in the Tour de France. He is a member of the peloton, whose job is to protect and pace the team leader. Narrator Matthew Lloyd Davies’s fine performance is similarly disciplined and unfussy, allowing the characters and story to take center stage. But like the peloton’s, Davies’s obligations are multiple and various as he switches between accents and temperaments. Sol is thoughtful, conflicted, and loyal. Rafael, the French coach, wheedles as he convinces Sol that doping is necessary and responsible, but he's prone to self-centered outbursts anytime something goes awry. For Fabrice, the team leader, Davies adopts a light accent and imbues his tone with an almost Zen-like love for both the steep ascents and for his teammates. A.B. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171063269
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	06/19/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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