Ascent by Sir Edmund and Peter Hillary
I couldn’t finish Ascent. I finished Sir Edmund’s half. Some of the early chapters were interesting and he had a lot of different experiences (not just Everest) but it wasn’t terribly interesting. The one thing I took away from it is that Everest was apparently a fluke – a matter of being the guy up for a summit attempt on the right day. He never did another memorable thing mountaineering-wise and was often sick or the weak link on other expeditions.
I’d never heard about the tragedy in his life. His wife and one of his daughters died in a small plne crash. He doesn’t have such great things to say about his son and surviving daughter at various times, describing them as difficult during their teenage years (like who isn’t). He should have reconsidered some of what he wrote.
His son’s half was less interesting and less well written. I eventually gave up due to a complete lack of interest.