Living the Life: Tales from America's Mountains & Ski Towns

Beautifully written, a collection of essays and the occasional poem about a sport - sort of - but more, about a way of life. These little stories transport us to mountains in New England, New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Utah - I can't remember them all. The skiing is phenomenal, but there is so much more here. These are stories of living in community, raising self-reliant children, having grand adventures, and discovering deeper meaning in life.I didn't love every one of these stories, but as a whole I loved this book. How wonderful to be transported for a few hours into the high peaks out west, to imagine the view, to feel the speed, to meet the people who give meaning to David Rothman's life.

This author may be a university English teacher but he forgets one of the most important components of being a good writer, which is to tell an entertaining story in an easy to read fashion. The type of storytelling that leaves you hanging on every page wanting to keep reading just to see how good it can get. Instead he tries to impress his reader with rhetorical concepts and words that he probably used on his Freshman class to berate their writing samples. Each page of this book is so dull due to the style of writing that I cannot encourage hardly anyone to read it. I buy and read dozens of books each year and rarely write any reviews at all, but this book disappointed me so that I felt compelled to alert any future reader that the title and book cover suggest much more fun than you can ever find within its pages.

I read this book in one great gulp, not because I'm a skier but because I'm a devourer of David Rothman's writing. But as I read, a miracle happened: by the end of Living the Life I had become a skier. What Rothman does so skillfully is first to grab you with the power of his story-telling, and then he hauls you up into the mountains with him, and cuts you loose on the steepest slopes. Believe me, the book's a rush!

Rothman’s essays read like hero bumps on tele skis, like running effortlessly from one bump to another, eagerly anticipating the next rise and shift of legs. I enjoyed each chapter and wanted to linger there even though I couldn't wait to get to the next one. But then it was over, too quickly, with no way back up for another run. At least not until the next book comes out.-Mark Heller, Crested Butte expat to the Front Range

A truly delightful way to enjoy skiing even when you can't be on the slopes. Rothman’s stories — some hilarious, some poignant — add up to more than a memoir. With eloquence, humor, erudition, and a mountain of insider’s experience, he leads us on a captivating tour of skiing, skiers, ski towns, and the magnificent outdoors where it all happens.

made me want to leave the city and move and travel around the mountains following an endless winter.

This book spoke to my inner ski bum. I recommend it to anyone who is—or is considering—living the mountain life.

Hmmm well pretty boring. The stories are like 1 page little tidbits. No real "story" about ski life towns. Eh, don't really recommend.