Memoir set in Austria (mayhem and more in the Austrian Alps)

2nd December 2012

War & Piste by Alex Thomas – a fictional memoir set in Austria.

The Austrian Alps

This book bowls through a winter season, somewhere in Austria. It is written, apparently, under a pen name of an author who is well known, so it does have a sense of style and fluidity,   and is an extremely entertaining read. Life on the slopes is rather well observed. It is populated by a lot of characters, so it can be helpful to have a list of who’s who at the the beginning. However amassing lots of characters just serves to indicate how populated any resort can be during peak season and how everyone has to find a way of getting along – some manage it, some don’t.

However, there were a couple of things that didn’t sit quite right – Snowli, the kids character in the book isn’t Austrian, he is part of the Swiss Ski and Snowboard Schools (Austrian characters are more likely to be Goofy and Bobo). And in the Alps a Leisure Centre doesn’t mean a lot – if the audience knows about Stroh 80, Jägermeister etc, they will also know that saunas, steam baths, dip pools, whirlpools and the hot/cold adventures of the Kneipp Bad appear under the generic term “Wellness”. And an iIrritating, fundamental error – the accent on Après Ski goes the wrong way. Nevertheless, as a read, it flows, it is generally entertaining and would be a great read for anyone who is familiar with skiing in Austria.

If you fancy more Alpine adventures via fiction, we are bringing together titles over on Pinterest as we come across them – there are some great reads that will get you in the mood for The Season. If you know of any we are missing, tell us in the Comments Box!

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