Edge of Glory: The Inside Story of the Quest for Figure Skating's Olympic Gold Medals

Brennan is well-known for her wonderful writing on figure-skating. I for one like Brennan because she always has great things to say about Michelle Kwan and this book is no exception. I learned so much about some figure skaters from this book, especially on the men's side. It's truthful and very informative and written superbly. It is obviously non-fiction, yet at times it tells like a story, including dialogue between characters. I like that because it was entertaining to read it as if it were a story, but you know that all of it is true. I also enjoyed how Brennan didn't write about one skater, then move onto the next, then next, etc, like a chapter per skater. All the skaters' stories were intertwined so the book wasn't predictable at all. Instead, the chapters were divided by time periods-- before 1998, on the road to 1998, etc... Every die-hard figure skating fan should get their hands on this, esp die-hard Michelle Kwan fans like myself!

This book is a great commentary of the 1997-1998 season, as well as a chronicle of all the events that led up to the season AND the Olympics. It's an easy read, and even though most readers know the outcomes of the events she describes before they read the book, seeing them from the perspective she presents makes you feel as if you're seeing them for the first time. Most specifically, there is a wonderful chapter about Alexei Urmanov which opened my eyes to this skater's life as well as what it is truly like to skate in modern Russia today. The only thing missing is any commentary on the controversy-ridden ice dance competition at the 1998 Olympics -- hopefully we'll see this in Ms. Brennan's next book (which I am looking forward to and am hoping is coming out very soon!)

This is a great book telling stories about the struggles and triumpths of many of my favorite figure skaters.

After reading "Inside Edge" I couldn't wait for Christine Brennan's next book to come out. When it did I snatched it up as soon as the bookstore was open. "Edge of Glory" was even better than "Inside Edge". Christine Brennan chronicles the lives of top figure skaters as they prepare for the most important competition of their amateur careers, the Olympic Games of Nagano Japan. I especially enjoyed the features on Tonia Kwiatkowski and Scott Davis and other skaters who always seem to be in the background. The rivalry between Michelle Kwan vs. Tara Lipinski was the best part of the book. You really get a peek at what really goes on behind the scenes. I admire Michelle Kwan and how she handled herself after losing the gold medal to Tara Lipinski. At the press conference after the ladies competition Michelle was in tears while Tara gloated how it felt like being on the top spot on the podium . Tara went on and on and said that the saddest part of the night was when she had to get off the podium. Michelle's response: "I like you, Tara". If they had gold medals for class acts, Michelle Kwan wins hands down!!!!This book also brings to light the attitudes of the Lipinski family. It features an article where Tara's mom was interviewed and she did nothing but trash Michelle Kwan and her family. How low can people get? Sorry Tara Lipinski fans, but the truth hurts. Tara's mom has a really bad attitude problem and Tara is definitely acting like her mother's daughter.

I liked this better than Inside Edge because it details what it is like in figure skating leading up to the Olympics. In her book the struggles, pressure,and pains are well described. True more attention is given to Michelle Kwan, but I don't feel I came away with any negative feelings toward Tara Lipinski. I think Tara's parents (especially her mother) and agent are portrayed more critically then Tara. Overall, I thought it was an entertaining story of the classic battle of Tara vs Michelle and the rest of skaters in the 1998 Olympic games. A must read for any skating or sport fan!