Really enjoyed this book. It was a slow burner but it was needed to build the atmosphere. I loved and hated Salinger but I think he redeemed himself. Highly recommend this book.

What a great read - I didn't really know what to expect but this was so atmospheric and surprising. I'm waiting with excitement for ten years time when I've forgotten the ending so I can read this again anew.

Jeremiah Salinger, American TV documentary producer, investigates a cold case in the Dolomites - while being haunted by the mountain accident where several people had died because of the avalanche (and his adventurous streak).

Not bad, not good. While I have enjoyed the "sociological" part of the novel - the Siebenhoch community with its old customs, habits, loves and hates; the local folklore and the spirit of the people fighting the harsh nature by the old rules - the (forgotten?) crime itself and the quasi-mystical overtones surrounding it are difficult to connect and to believe. When one takes all of the "decorations" off the crime - the final solution is simply unbelievable (given the number of the people at the crime scene and the raging storm).
Characters were also not very alluring (one exception is Salinger´s daughter Clara - a sweetheart). Salinger is "too" American with the emphasized cool factor and Annelise sometimes feel just as a wifey prop. The Siebenhofers are more believable - yet I miss some love from the author for his natives and their quirks. Maybe this is because I can not connect - because the author is somehow bitter and disconnected, too?

Well written and engrossing and almost like two books in one with the helicopter crash and then the mystery of the 3 gruesome murders. A great little read that will have you reaching for the hot water bottle as you can feel the chill seeping off the pages!

I can’t believe I’ve had this book on my to be read pile for so long without picking it up! This was such an extraordinary little book and i loved reading the slow developing plot! It starts as a tale of a young family and the aftermath of a mountain accident. Jeremiah Salinger is an interesting character, a man with ghosts, marked by the voice of ‘the beast’ which haunts his nightmares. A documentary film maker / journalist by trade Salinger is drawn to the tale of three murders in his adopted home of Bletterbach, a mountain town in the Dolomites. As he investigates the events which occurred in 1985 he slowly discovers that the townsfolk are not keen to talk about the past. He becomes obsessed.
This is a tale which keeps the reader on their toes. Just when you think you’ve sussed out who has done what to whom, there’s a twist! Brilliant! Kept me guessing until the end. Can’t wait to read more from this author (and would love for Road Crew to actually BE a documentary too).

Very enjoyable and set in a beautiful environment which is brought alive through the pages, The Mountain is one of my favourite books I’ve read this year. Complex relationships, community secrets and personal tragedies are the life and soul of this book and the author writes fantastically well to create a book that will drag you in and keep you absorbed until the shocking end.

I am really excited to read more of Luca D’Andrea’s work.

I’m extremely grateful to NetGalley, Luca D’Andrea and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The premise is interesting and it sounded like the sort of book I’d enjoy. Salinger, Annelise and Clara’s relationship is close, but flawed, such is Salinger’s obsession with the killings. Despite many good points, aspects of the novel jarred with me. Contrary to other readers’ views about the translation, I found a lot of it not particularly original. Translation from Italian to English seems to have occurred literally, which is often fine, but also means some phrases are lost or are too cliche. I found the imagery too clumsy which I think is not a fault of the writer - more that it was translated literally from the Italian.

The novel is captivating in that it deals with an age-old legend in a part of Italy that has seen tensions with its heritage and past, as well a place that holds on to traditions that continue to provide entertainment in our current time. It’s an exploration of one man’s obsession with something he is warned against. So, yes, enjoyable to an extent but let down by some over-complicated phrasing which detracts rather than adds to the pleasure.

When Jeremiah and Mike choose to produce a "fly on the wall" film documentary about one of the rescue teams operating in the Dolomites, little do they know how it shall come to take over their lives. What starts out as a straightforward piece of filming evolves into a cold case murder investigation which tears families apart and arouses both hate and danger in the small village of Siebenhoch. Perhaps it takes a little too long to get going but, stick with it as this chilling tale, set in an appropriately snow-covered setting, will reward the effort.

Totally adored this book. Although I had it here I also went out and bought a copy as I loved it so much. I think that it takes the conventions of this kind of writing and totally subverts them to bring the reader something totally fresh and exciting and it certainly had me hooked from the start. Luca d'Andrea certainly can write! I felt that the characterization of Jeremiah was extremely strong indeed and the ending was something that I was longing to reach and yet kept delaying as I really didn't want it to end. I am always on the look out for fresh and original voices for our senior library and to get our senior students reading more diverse and interesting fiction and I'll certainly be recommending this to them. The Mountain is a first rate piece of International fiction that I kept thinking about, for a long time after I'd read it. I really hope to hear more from d'Andrea and I'm looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next!

This was a dark murder, mystery with lots of secrets and a close knit community. There were lots of twists and turns that kept me on my toes. A great deal of sadness and some happiness. The final twist was totally unexpected and the conclusion reassuring. Great story.

Thank you for the advanced copy. His book appealed to me based on the cover and description. It is a crime novel in an interesting place not often written about and the fact it is a translation made me intrigued. The story itself feels a bit disjointed but perhaps that is because of the translation aspect. It felt like it could have been two books- the helicopter crash and the cold case. They are linked but the link isn't strong enough for it to flow. The pace at the beginning is fantastic. I couldn't put it down. About 3/4 through though, it drags and became a real drag to read. I lost interest. Some good editing and cutting would help. I liked the characters but toward the end, after the big unveiling, the main character does something insane (no spoilers!) That defies logic, doesn't seem to serve mug purpose, and doesn't really feel in his character. The reaction his wife has doesn't feel in character either. It's like the author had a vision of something and crowbarred it in. A fair read but could be better.

Just could not get into it. More of my state of mind than the book tbh.

5/10

What better time to read a book set in a mountainous region than when you’re actually in the mountains yourself? Admittedly it was a different region but still, what’s the difference between the Alps and the Dolomites. They’ve both got pointy bits and bad weather.

I was hoping for an interesting mystery set in a small mountain village set over the decades but what I got felt like a cheap copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, only this wasn’t written anywhere near as well as that. The murder mystery is mildly interesting and teased early on as you learn about the narrator’s history and how he’s in the mountains and a terrible accident he was in. Then it just becomes a rinse and repeat of; main character looks into something new, wife/local/angry fake policeman tell him to stop, promises to stop, main character can’t help himself and then….looks into something new.

I grew tired of it by the end and was happy to just find out who it was even though it was revealed a couple of times to be different people only for a Scooby Doo type finally. I truly think they’d have got away with it if it wasn’t for those meddling kids! The characters were nothing special and never fleshed out enough to care, the writing was pretty weak overall but not the worst so did make it a quick read. Some of this could be down to the translation but that’s probably doing the translator a disservice as I’d never be able to read a book in Italian!

(Beneath) the Mountain is a masterful thriller set amongst the Dolomites of Northern Italy. The horror is small town, personal, and prehistoric/primordial with ample geology in play (yeah, in a thriller). Almost compulsive, the mystery was front and center yet also not really the important part. Really enjoyed it.

To be honest, when I began reading this I thought this book was not going to be for me. There was something about it I did not like but couldn't quite put my finger on and because I could not be specific about it I decided to read a bit further. So, I gave it a few more pages and then a few more and so on until I realised I was completely hooked and I was in the midst of a great story.

This book is atmospherically rich. The descriptions of the snowy terrain are almost tangible and the snow covered mountains become a character in their own right.

The majority of the characters are flawed in some way (aren't we all) but Salinger gains much reader sympathy due to his self-awareness. The only character who did not work for me was his daughter, Clara. Whilst, she is described as a precocious child she just did not feel childlike to me. Rather she reads more as a small adult and I had difficulty engaging with her character. However, the relationship between Salinger and his wife and his father-in-law were well developed.

What I mostly took away from this book is that Mr D'Andrea has excellent storytelling skills and the book appears to have been well translated from the Italian by Howard Curtis. Mr Curtis won an award for his translation of In the Sea There are Crocodiles in 2010.

This book will appeal to readers who like mysteries and thrillers alongside human interest. It is appropriately paced and well plotted. An enjoyable novel that I recommend.

Fantastic book, really well written and keeps you on edge for so much of the book!

This is a dark, gripping thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it highly to fans of Stephen King

A fantastical dark thriller, murder mystery set in a bleak landscape, it kept me guessing until the end

First of all, I must give credit to whoever translated this book. Very well done. Whilst I did think this was a good read, it unfortunately wasn't overly my cup of tea, but may appeal to others.

I was several chapters in to the Mountain when I decided I was bored. However, I reread the story outline and decided to be stoic and plough ahead. I am glad I did. Despite the 'lone survivor guilt' of Salinger dragging him to the depths of despair (and me the reader) everything picks up when he investigates the Bletterbach killings. From then on the pace improves and the intrigue too. A tightly knit community with even tighter lips serves to protect its own, or more precisely; hide a murderer in their very midst. Salinger runs the risk of losing his marriage, his daughter and his life in his quest to defeat his depression by finding the answers to questions unanswered for many years. Sadly, the ending was too far fetched and robbed the novel of a four star rating.