Customer Reviews

On the Wings of Mercury: The Lorraine Moller Story

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found this autobiography difficult to put down. Told in the first person (as you would expect) it traces Lorraines life focusing primarily on her running career and the forces which drove and often challenged her. This book was a winner for me because it provided insight into the inner workings of a NZ career athlete. Endearingly Lorraine shares her innermost thoughts, quirkiness and imperfections. I think that it is a MUST READ for every New Zealander and every runner. Inspirational.

This was a wonderful book. Lorraine has a great sense of humor! The book details her up and down struggles over her many years of running competitively. She shares her experience with hospitalization at a young age, and her struggles with her personal life. You also get glimpses of other famous runners and coaches. A must read for distance runner historians!

This one's a rarity: A memoir from a female elite distance runner (rare in itself, unfortunately) that may also appeal to non-runners. Moller's story is fascinating, from a childhood marked by chronic illness and solitude in the wards of various hospitals, to teenage years marked by low self-esteem, to rising to the heights of athletic success as an adult.

Through it all, Moller details the rocky relationships, struggles of being a stranger in a strange land (New Zealander transplanted to America), and inevitable highs and lows of competing at a high level on the world stage. In the process, Moller's participation and personality helped drive the legitimization of women's running (the marathon especially). Not only is this book a page turner, but it's also well written, funny and poignant. Worth the effort to track down in the US while we await publication here.

I came away with a solid sense of what Moller is like as a runner and as a person. She also shares some great stories about herself and other runners. For example, after reading this book, I know there is a certain German runner to avoid if you see her approaching you with a pair of chopsticks.

I gave it four stars only because I wished Moller had written a bit more about her experiences as a runner: how she trained, how she actually felt during her best and worst races, etc. But that shouldn't deter potential readers, runners or otherwise.