All the Way to the Tigers: A Memoir
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- Create Date：2021-05-24 10:19:21
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Mary Morris
- ISBN：0593081021
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Summary
One of NPR's Best Books of 2020
From the author of Nothing to Declare ， a new travel narrative examining healing， redemption， and what it means to be a solo woman on the road。
Mary Morris has long been a master memoirist。。。and has even more to teach us about the lengths to which we must go to reach our deepest selves。 I loved this book。
-Dani Shapiro， author of Inheritance
In the tradition of Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Eat， Pray， Love by Elizabeth Gilbert， Mary Morris turns a personal catastrophe into a rich， multilayered memoir full of personal growth， family history， and thrilling travel。
In February 2008 a casual afternoon of ice skating derailed the trip of a lifetime。 Mary Morris was on the verge of a well-earned sabbatical， but instead she endured three months in a wheelchair， two surgeries， and extensive rehabilitation。 On Easter Sunday， when she was supposed to be in Morocco， Morris was instead lying on the sofa reading Death in Venice， casting her eyes over these words again and again: He would go on a journey。 Not far。 Not all the way to the tigers。 Disaster shifted to possibility and Morris made a decision。 When she was well enough to walk again （and her doctor wasn't sure she ever would）， she would go all the way to the tigers。
So begins a three-year odyssey that takes Morris to India in search of the world's most elusive apex predator。 Her first lesson: don't look for a tiger because you won't find it--you look for signs of a tiger。 And all unseen tigers， hiding in the bush， are referred to as she。 Morris connects deeply with these magnificent and highly endangered animals， and her weeks on tiger safari also afford a new understanding of herself。
Written in over a hundred short chapters， All the Way to the Tigers offers an elegiac， wry， and wise look at a woman on the road and the glorious， elusive creature she seeks。
From the author of Nothing to Declare ， a new travel narrative examining healing， redemption， and what it means to be a solo woman on the road。
Mary Morris has long been a master memoirist。。。and has even more to teach us about the lengths to which we must go to reach our deepest selves。 I loved this book。
-Dani Shapiro， author of Inheritance
In the tradition of Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Eat， Pray， Love by Elizabeth Gilbert， Mary Morris turns a personal catastrophe into a rich， multilayered memoir full of personal growth， family history， and thrilling travel。
In February 2008 a casual afternoon of ice skating derailed the trip of a lifetime。 Mary Morris was on the verge of a well-earned sabbatical， but instead she endured three months in a wheelchair， two surgeries， and extensive rehabilitation。 On Easter Sunday， when she was supposed to be in Morocco， Morris was instead lying on the sofa reading Death in Venice， casting her eyes over these words again and again: He would go on a journey。 Not far。 Not all the way to the tigers。 Disaster shifted to possibility and Morris made a decision。 When she was well enough to walk again （and her doctor wasn't sure she ever would）， she would go all the way to the tigers。
So begins a three-year odyssey that takes Morris to India in search of the world's most elusive apex predator。 Her first lesson: don't look for a tiger because you won't find it--you look for signs of a tiger。 And all unseen tigers， hiding in the bush， are referred to as she。 Morris connects deeply with these magnificent and highly endangered animals， and her weeks on tiger safari also afford a new understanding of herself。
Written in over a hundred short chapters， All the Way to the Tigers offers an elegiac， wry， and wise look at a woman on the road and the glorious， elusive creature she seeks。
Reviews
Mary Beth
，
At first， the nonlinear narrative of Tigers is exasperating， but Morris handles it well， with frequent fascinating digressions on the exotic big cat。 As the rhythm and rhyme of it starts to make sense， the beauty of the memoir comes through， with thoughtful insights on travel and solitude， healing and pain， and the allure and power—both physical and symbolic—of the tiger。2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge40c。 Your favorite prompt from the 2017 Popsugar Reading Challenge。14。 A book involving travel。
Karen
，
Wonderful book。 Journey to India and journey within herself。 Beautifully written memoir。 And I learned a lot about tigers。 Will read more of her work
Ernie
，
I don't often read memoirs but I enjoyed this one。 Using many short chapters the author jumps back and forth and you get to know the person as well as learning something about tigers and India as she details her trip to India to see a tiger。 I don't often read memoirs but I enjoyed this one。 Using many short chapters the author jumps back and forth and you get to know the person as well as learning something about tigers and India as she details her trip to India to see a tiger。 。。。more
Karin Mika
，
The book was interesting because it was about a college writing professor who contemplates things that have happened in her life while she travels to India to see tigers in the wild。 The book said a lot of things that I could identify with （related to family baggage and deficient self-confidence）， but the narrative seemed very disjointed。 The book wasn't really about "finding oneself，" nor was it about the significance of tigers （or the conservation of tigers）。 It wasn't really a travel book eit The book was interesting because it was about a college writing professor who contemplates things that have happened in her life while she travels to India to see tigers in the wild。 The book said a lot of things that I could identify with （related to family baggage and deficient self-confidence）， but the narrative seemed very disjointed。 The book wasn't really about "finding oneself，" nor was it about the significance of tigers （or the conservation of tigers）。 It wasn't really a travel book either。 It was a whole bunch of things kind of mashed together where the main trauma of the author's life isn't so much the baggage of her upbringing， but breaking her ankle in such a way that she has an injury that she will not fully recuperate from。Although the author said a lot of things I thought I would be relating to， she tended to gravitate toward obstacles in her life that demonstrated immense privilege and， I hesitate to say it， "white suburban women issues。" She is traumatized by being unable to travel after breaking her ankle （even though her husband devotedly takes care of her and the family is even able to hire a dog walker）。 She goes to India on her own and has sufficient funds to go to remote places to find tigers， but then laments things like a lack of hot water， and the jeep ride itself。 She even pays bribes to pay the "best guide" and really doesn't give that a second thought。 The entire time， she focuses on how sick she is without taking the opportunity to do something about it until the very end of her trip。 （I'm not even sure why that was in the book。）It's not that the author was an awful person。 She was not。 It's just that she mostly thought she was writing about her own mission of self-actualization and knowledge， but what many will notice is that her emphasis on "self" is what one might expect from a privileged white suburban author。 Perhaps that's not who she is at all， but when she was griping about being depressed having to listen to people who visited her when she was unable to leave her house， all I could think about was how lucky she was to have the means to even get surgery to fix her ankle （and not have to worry about her job！） And。。。。 She broke her ankle while ice skating， doing a move she shouldn't have been doing after she had been warned about the quality of the ice and after disregarding her husband's request that they leave because he had to get to work （something she admittedly did often）。 I don't think you get to complain about the repercussions of an injury under those circumstances， especially when you wind up with the best trauma surgeon in the city to do the repair。 I don't think you get to complain about what you find in a foreign country when you specifically chose the circumstances you found yourself in。I thought the book ended strangely too。 The author gave glimpses into her own childhood， which was not a great one。 Her baggage from it was justified。 Nonetheless， the book ended talking about how her mother gave the author the "gift of travel。" It didn't seem to work as an appropriate ending。 。。。more
cam
，
This memoirist is INSUFFERABLE。 I was boggled by how un-self aware she is for the entire book。 At one point the writer literally compares her trauma at having broken her ankle， which ruined her sabbatical， to surviving the Holocaust。 （A friend tried to help her get some perspective， saying that in 5 years she will see this as a growth moment and she wonders if anyone said the same to those in concentration camps。 Completely without irony。） She observes the sad state of an orphan servant in one l This memoirist is INSUFFERABLE。 I was boggled by how un-self aware she is for the entire book。 At one point the writer literally compares her trauma at having broken her ankle， which ruined her sabbatical， to surviving the Holocaust。 （A friend tried to help her get some perspective， saying that in 5 years she will see this as a growth moment and she wonders if anyone said the same to those in concentration camps。 Completely without irony。） She observes the sad state of an orphan servant in one line then in the next complains endlessly about the lack of hot water in her hotel in India。 She is bitter that her mother wasn’t more sympathetic to HER after her 103 year old father died， saying her mother was too obsessed with her own grief over her husband’s death。 At one point， the author mentions a neighbor who works as a mime getting back from Poland and telling her a “rambling monologue” about falling in love at first sight with a fellow busker who doesn’t speak English， and how she’s moving to Poland to be with him， and I wished I could reach into the book and instead read THAT story， which the author dismissed so quickly （another theme: for a memoirist， our author is often very uninterested in others’ stories）。 I hardly ever write negative reviews—if I don’t like a book， i figure it just means that book wasn’t the read for me。 But this book made me so astonished by its privilege and inanity that by the end I was reading only to be sure I could accurately review it snd warn others off。 Although I would honestly love to know what someone could possibly enjoy from this book， it’s not worth even a hate read。 。。。more
Mallee Stanley
，
This was part journey through two Indian reserves to catch sight of a tiger and part memoir about the author's childhood and her accident that broke the bones of her ankle。 All absorbing， but often references to books read， quotes from authors or poets distracted from the stories and I found myself skipping those sections。 This was part journey through two Indian reserves to catch sight of a tiger and part memoir about the author's childhood and her accident that broke the bones of her ankle。 All absorbing， but often references to books read， quotes from authors or poets distracted from the stories and I found myself skipping those sections。 。。。more
Rose
，
I didn't think I would enjoy this book， but it moved me in a very profound way。 This story meanders between the present and the past， as the author remembers and reflects on her past while dealing with the present and making peace with her future。 Certainly I felt quite a bit of jealousy for all her travels， and I couldn't summon the proper amount of sympathy for her broken ankle （since some of the problem could have been avoided）， but I found myself waming to the character as she described her I didn't think I would enjoy this book， but it moved me in a very profound way。 This story meanders between the present and the past， as the author remembers and reflects on her past while dealing with the present and making peace with her future。 Certainly I felt quite a bit of jealousy for all her travels， and I couldn't summon the proper amount of sympathy for her broken ankle （since some of the problem could have been avoided）， but I found myself waming to the character as she described her parents， her husband， and various vinettes of her life。 I am not a tiger， nor do I want to be。 I'm probably more of a crow， social and family oriented。 However， I respect her tiger and found truths about my own life that I did not realize I hadn't learned。 This book is very short and is a very quick read。 I do recommend it。 。。。more
AnnMarie
，
Really enjoyed this book！ There were some wonderful quotes in this book about travel that made my heart happy！ I will definitely try another book by Mary Morris。
Liz marx
，
Liked reading more about her recovery from her shattered ankle and her parents then I did about India。 Amazed that she continued on her journey when she was so sick。 This book made me never want to go to India。
Sara
，
One of the most thoughtful evocative books I've ever read。 One of the most thoughtful evocative books I've ever read。 。。。more
Carol Wakefield
，
A trip to India to see a tiger， is accompanied by stories of the authors life。 Fine travel writing。 My favorite genre done well。
Liz Dougherty
，
5✨ I enjoyed every page 📖 A travel memoir as much about a quest to see a tiger， as the journey within。
Leslie Zemeckis
，
Such a good memoir about Mary’s search for tigers in India -She travels alone - she’s sick with bronchitis amd the tigers are elusive
Andrea H。 Driscoll
，
I loved the writing but found it to be a narrative of many incredibly bad decisions， especially those she made on her trip。 She was old enough to know better than to leave for India of all places when she was already sick。 Did she really think she would get better there？ And always cold—why not buy more clothes？ Clearly she had plenty of money。 And don’t get me started on the elephant walk。Such irresponsibility from someone who claims to care about these animals。 I will try another of her works I loved the writing but found it to be a narrative of many incredibly bad decisions， especially those she made on her trip。 She was old enough to know better than to leave for India of all places when she was already sick。 Did she really think she would get better there？ And always cold—why not buy more clothes？ Clearly she had plenty of money。 And don’t get me started on the elephant walk。Such irresponsibility from someone who claims to care about these animals。 I will try another of her works and hope they are less childish。 The writing makes me want to try again。 。。。more
Featherbooks
，
Much to recommend。 I have not read this author since Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone but I enjoyed her tale of a tiger safari in India as much as that long-ago book。 The hundred short chapters made for an accommodating reading experience as she wove together repercussions from a life-altering ice skating accident， her Chicago youth and meeting her husband， and this recent trip to India along with literary allusions， quotes and wonderful tidbits on tigers。 Much to recommend。 I have not read this author since Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone but I enjoyed her tale of a tiger safari in India as much as that long-ago book。 The hundred short chapters made for an accommodating reading experience as she wove together repercussions from a life-altering ice skating accident， her Chicago youth and meeting her husband， and this recent trip to India along with literary allusions， quotes and wonderful tidbits on tigers。 。。。more
Becky
，
I was delightfully surprised by Mary Morris and her memoir All the Way to the Tigers。 I have no idea where I even heard about this book， but I had requested in on the Libby App and enjoyed reading it for awhile each evening this past week。 It is a combination travel adventure， memoir， facts about tigers， and reflections on lessons we learn in life。 Having just listened to White Fragility and Nomadland， I found this to be a comforting escape。 Recommend to all who love the lure of travel。
Maggie Shanley
，
"Just a few minutes more，" this book started with the plaintive cry of children everywhere， then in the turn of a blade， an accident occurs and author Mary Morris breaks her ankle。 I felt her pain， I too broke my ankle when turning resulting in two plates and nine screws。 I too worried that I would never walk right again and only wear orthopedic shoes。 But time moves on and determination can pull you through most things， for Mary it took her on a trip to see tigers。 I love travel books and explo "Just a few minutes more，" this book started with the plaintive cry of children everywhere， then in the turn of a blade， an accident occurs and author Mary Morris breaks her ankle。 I felt her pain， I too broke my ankle when turning resulting in two plates and nine screws。 I too worried that I would never walk right again and only wear orthopedic shoes。 But time moves on and determination can pull you through most things， for Mary it took her on a trip to see tigers。 I love travel books and explorations of new places， I also like memoirs and personal development stories， this book had both so win win。 It was also filled with beautiful quotes about tigers and some interesting facts。 My favorite one was "It's clearly easier to get the snake out of the sack than it is to shove it back" （loc 1152）。 The only reason this book was not rated higher was that I wasn't sure of all of her facts （ will we really start killing each other with baseball bats if we do not eat for two days？ loc 309） and I wasn't that compelled by the stuff about her childhood and parents。 。。。more
Ginny
，
I read this book in one sitting。 It’s a mix of travel adventures， memoir and information about tigers（ that part was a surprise- I thought the title was a metaphor！）。 I loved Gateway To The Moon， but this book doesn’t reflect her life as a writer， so I was a bit disappointed。 I also didn’t get her fascination for tigers， but okay， I still enjoyed this easy read。
Elyse Walters
，
FABULOUS。。。。 Travel/memoir。。。。。by Marry Morris。。。AUDIOBOOK。。。。read by Susan BennettMarry Morris connects deeply with tigers。。。。 with dazzling eye opening-thought provoking descriptions。 She traveled to India alone。 I did too。 There were days she was so shivering freezing with no insulation in her tent whatsoever—days she wondered。。。 what the hell was she doing traveling alone -a white woman —single—among men that eyed her with scary curiosity。One hell of a broken foot/leg。。。。 YIKES。。。。The foot b FABULOUS。。。。 Travel/memoir。。。。。by Marry Morris。。。AUDIOBOOK。。。。read by Susan BennettMarry Morris connects deeply with tigers。。。。 with dazzling eye opening-thought provoking descriptions。 She traveled to India alone。 I did too。 There were days she was so shivering freezing with no insulation in her tent whatsoever—days she wondered。。。 what the hell was she doing traveling alone -a white woman —single—among men that eyed her with scary curiosity。One hell of a broken foot/leg。。。。 YIKES。。。。The foot break， surgery， healing。。。。。was a little triggering to read — I don’t have a bionic foot myself because of a minor break。 However。。。。Morris’s bravery and style are compulsive and profound。It’s harrowing， but thrilling to see nature revealed with such unflinching precision！！！Mary gives us incandescent life experience-whirling fraught momentous stories— a woman who refuses to back down from the mundane & easy—Stubborn， wry， and self-knowing， Mary Morris is drawn inexorably into a crucible that is personal， unpredictable， provocative， precise， elegant， and devastating in its awareness of the human heart。 “To see the tiger in your dreams， represents power in your ability to exert it in various situations”。 This story is ‘enhanced’ as an audiobook。It’s soooooo GOOD！！！I can’t imagine any person who loves a great audiobook-memoir。。。。not being totally enraptured—written in short meditative chapters — back-and-forth between America and India。 Adventurous and courageous！！！ 。。。more
Jeanette （Ms。 Feisty）
，
4。5 starsI'm not going to do a proper review of this book。 Just wanted to share a coupla tidbits from it that I want to remember。 "The Romans used to crucify tigers to discourage others of their species from preying on humankind。""If you shave a tiger bald， its stripes will still appear on its skin。""A study shows that if an American schizophrenic hears voices， they tell him to commit violence。 And if a schizophrenic in India hears voices， they tell him to clean the house。"（I have to assume this 4。5 starsI'm not going to do a proper review of this book。 Just wanted to share a coupla tidbits from it that I want to remember。 "The Romans used to crucify tigers to discourage others of their species from preying on humankind。""If you shave a tiger bald， its stripes will still appear on its skin。""A study shows that if an American schizophrenic hears voices， they tell him to commit violence。 And if a schizophrenic in India hears voices， they tell him to clean the house。"（I have to assume this study was done only on male schizophrenics， eh？） 。。。more
Moonkiszt
，
All the Way to the Tigers by Mary MorrisAbsolutely one of the most enjoyable books I have read this year （2020）！ My mind was sent off in many directions。 。 。 pulling up maps of India， adding Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice to my reading list， googling tigers of all stripes。 And acquainting myself with this author – new to me。I couldn’t put the book down until the end – through the afterword and acknowledgments！ There is humor， wry and witty， and a whimsical aspect to this author’s writing that bec All the Way to the Tigers by Mary MorrisAbsolutely one of the most enjoyable books I have read this year （2020）！ My mind was sent off in many directions。 。 。 pulling up maps of India， adding Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice to my reading list， googling tigers of all stripes。 And acquainting myself with this author – new to me。I couldn’t put the book down until the end – through the afterword and acknowledgments！ There is humor， wry and witty， and a whimsical aspect to this author’s writing that beckons me to each new section。 The short observations that weave the travel tale forward with the backward glances at relevant memories her current travel experiences unearth are charming and universal。 Nothing goes to plan， as ever， and of all the things we have in common it is that – life’s a mess。 Popping the gems out of the mess and compellingly communicating them to others – that is the talent， the gift。 She’s got it。A Sincere Thanks to Mary Morris， Doubleday Books， Nan A。 Talese and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review。 。。。more
Katie
，
Not what I expected。 Thought it would detail her trip to India more， rather than going back and forth in her life。 Short chapters made the time jumps doable。
Rainier
，
At first I wanted to read this book because I live in India and have a "thing" for tigers。 But there was so much more: journeys， mothers， freedom， passion， art， synchronicity。。。 A beautiful book。 At first I wanted to read this book because I live in India and have a "thing" for tigers。 But there was so much more: journeys， mothers， freedom， passion， art， synchronicity。。。 A beautiful book。 。。。more
Evelyn
，
This memoir is much ado about nothing as the author juxtaposes two decisions with serious consequences years apart against one another， and seeks answers from her past to explain her actions。 One was a decision to continue ice skating despite the need to leave to tend to other matters resulting in an accident that caused her to break her ankle。 The second was a trip almost 6 years later to India to see tigers in the wild despite being sick， and to forgo treatment for her illness until she was se This memoir is much ado about nothing as the author juxtaposes two decisions with serious consequences years apart against one another， and seeks answers from her past to explain her actions。 One was a decision to continue ice skating despite the need to leave to tend to other matters resulting in an accident that caused her to break her ankle。 The second was a trip almost 6 years later to India to see tigers in the wild despite being sick， and to forgo treatment for her illness until she was seriously ill at the end of the journey。 The author offers complaints， and glimpses of events from her childhood and adulthood as explanations and reasons for her decisions。 They function as attempts at pop psychological rationales， and philosophical rationalizing， but fail to convince the reader of their veracity amidst the author’s whining， discussion of unrelated life experiences， and inability to draw parallels， or links between the various events and incidents that she describes。 When all is said and done this is an unsatisfying read。 。。。more
Zibby Owens
，
After the author badly broke her ankle， she was holed up for three months in a wheelchair。 During that time， she was depressed and felt trapped and confined。 One day， she decided to go to India on a tiger safari。 This is a travel memoir about the author's three-year journey to understand the highly endangered cats。 She quickly learned her first lesson—do not look for a tiger， look for signs of a tiger。 A big part of the book was about her ankle injury and how she recovered from it before decidin After the author badly broke her ankle， she was holed up for three months in a wheelchair。 During that time， she was depressed and felt trapped and confined。 One day， she decided to go to India on a tiger safari。 This is a travel memoir about the author's three-year journey to understand the highly endangered cats。 She quickly learned her first lesson—do not look for a tiger， look for signs of a tiger。 A big part of the book was about her ankle injury and how she recovered from it before deciding to go to India。 This book is also about how she finds herself at the same time she's looking for adventure and tigers。 I loved how the author included her own photographs in the book and how she connected with tigers in a much deeper way than she expected - they are also beautiful creatures who like to roam free and not be confined by anything。To listen to my interview with the author， go to my podcast at:https://zibbyowens。com/transcript/mar。。。 。。。more
Erin
，
Nothing groundbreaking but beautifully written。 Short。 Definitely want to read her other travel memoirs。
Linda Cousens
，
I loved her book 'Nothing to Declare' and was hoping to like this one just as much。 But somehow， I didn't。 Her memoir has interesting insights into her childhood， but I found a huge section of the book was so repetitive regarding her time spent in India， constantly writing about how cold and sick she was， and not seeing any tigers。 I loved how she used the symbolism of the tiger。 However， all the repetition ruined my expectations of a 5 star novel。 I loved her book 'Nothing to Declare' and was hoping to like this one just as much。 But somehow， I didn't。 Her memoir has interesting insights into her childhood， but I found a huge section of the book was so repetitive regarding her time spent in India， constantly writing about how cold and sick she was， and not seeing any tigers。 I loved how she used the symbolism of the tiger。 However， all the repetition ruined my expectations of a 5 star novel。 。。。more
Lori
，
Interesting and entertaining。 This is the second book I’ve read by a woman who has traveled extensively alone， and both women weren’t acting out of wanderlust or curiosity but to run from childhoods， marriages or themselves。 Half of this book is about Mary’s childhood， the surgery that kept her from the trip she wanted to take and her recovery。 So if you just want a travelogue you’ll be disappointed。 If you enjoy an honest exploration of who she is and why she does what she does this is the book Interesting and entertaining。 This is the second book I’ve read by a woman who has traveled extensively alone， and both women weren’t acting out of wanderlust or curiosity but to run from childhoods， marriages or themselves。 Half of this book is about Mary’s childhood， the surgery that kept her from the trip she wanted to take and her recovery。 So if you just want a travelogue you’ll be disappointed。 If you enjoy an honest exploration of who she is and why she does what she does this is the book for you。 。。。more
Martha
，
Another book I don't quite understand but find fascinating。 A great book to read if you suddenly find yourself isolated and/or with severe bronchitis。。。hmmm。 So many interesting people， including the author of the memoir， and such an interesting conclusion。。。surprising！ And some nice pictures of tigers as well as facts re them。 Another book I don't quite understand but find fascinating。 A great book to read if you suddenly find yourself isolated and/or with severe bronchitis。。。hmmm。 So many interesting people， including the author of the memoir， and such an interesting conclusion。。。surprising！ And some nice pictures of tigers as well as facts re them。 。。。more
Wendy Bauer
，