Crossing Niagara: The Death-Defying Tightrope Adventures of the Great Blondin by Matt Tavares (review)

Nineteenth-century French tightrope walker Jean François Gravelet, known (in a tribute to his golden hair and reputation) as the Great Blondin, found in America a challenge worthy of his renown—Niagara Falls. Problems in securing sites and permissions dictated that his crossing point be downstream from the Falls themselves, but the one hundred and sixty foot drop to the Niagara River would nonetheless provide plenty of thrills for spectators and, as Tavares points out, plenty of lucre for gamblers. Not only did the Great Blondin wow the crowd with a successful international walk, but he threw in a bonus feature, dropping a rope down to Maid of the Mist directly below him, hauling up a bottle (contents unidentified in the book, though in reality it was wine), and toasting his fans. Tavares’ narration emphasizes the Great Blondin’s showmanship as well as his daring, particularly as he carried his manager on his back on one crossing, as the main section of rope sagged under the added weight and a supporting guy wire snapped. Given the theme of agility and flamboyance, the rendering of figures are disappointingly stiff and stodgy, but there is compensation in the varied and dizzying angles at which the performer’s antics are captured, as well as double foldout spread of multiple stunts. Though there’s a frustrating lack of source notes, an author’s note and a selected bibliography are included.