Takes your breath away

A truly great book. Read it and be awestruck by what the men of Captain Scott's last expedition did in the days before modern technology and communications. This outstanding account was written some ten years later by the youngest participant, clearly still guiltridden for not finding the party returning from the Pole. What those men went through was so extraordinary that it almost beggars belief. Apsley Cherry-Garrard's account is beautifully written (apparently with some help from his neighbour George Bernard Shaw) and though in the early stages you think he goes into too much detail, it all builds up to a tapestry of triumph and disaster. The personal details are so telling - Apsley Cherry-Garrard should never have gone (he was shortsighted, young and unskilled) and often he could not wear his glasses because of the cold but still plugged on without a complaint. I was totally transported and gripped, and the last days of the polar team ( from Scott's diaries) are so moving. The narration by Robert Whitfield.is superb - he inhabits the world and the people, bringing out the social differences between officers and men with great skill and subtlety. Do not miss this book!.

7 people found this helpful

Wonderful

I had heard that this was a masterpiece of travel writing and it was right. This was one of the most moving pieces I've had the fortune to listen to. Simply wonderful. The endurance shown by these men is an inspiration. When I have difficult times I simply look back to them and realise how much worse men have been through.

7 people found this helpful

a book i didn't want but so glad i listened

Aspley Cherry-Garrard is such a decent human being and he writes so frankly and openly that despite my having absolutely no interest (shame on me!) in the subject and listening under duress and obligation for my book club I found i thoroughly loved this book. Yes it was difficult to plough on at times -- the endless recounting of the details of the storms at sea were definitely a bit much for me -- but it was such a rewarding listen. I learned so much. It opened my mind to a whole new appreciation of a time, place and frame of mind that certainly wasn't on the make for the easy option!

5 people found this helpful

Superb in every sense

This audio book is one of the I have ever heard. I read the text version some years ago and this narrator has been perfectly cast.
The story is almost unbelievable and it is difficult to imagine anyone who enjoys non fiction adventures finding this anything but extraordinary.

4 people found this helpful

Great book, but..

Great book, Cherry did well in collecting information from others as well as his own diaries to present the full start to finish journey and adventure.

Story is a bit slow to start with and lacks a downloadable PDF file with support maps! (Google is your friend here)

From the reader side everything is great BUT! the references! I dont think they work well in audio books as well as in text books. Story becomes more choppy and fragmented with them being read out. But thats my two pence.

Would recommend!

2 people found this helpful

Great Brits

A shining example of sheer stiff upper lippedness by early 20th century explorers. Very exacting in its detail on explaining the logistics of the voyage, to the detriment of a very interesting story sometimes, but more than makes up for it with the explanation of the hardships these men were willing to endure.

2 people found this helpful

This is why Britain has the prefix 'Great'

Beautifully read in a voice from the early 1900's that gives their bravery and nonchalance of hardships more impact. Falling down crevasses or taking a morphine-cocaine 'pep me up' is all told in a mater of fact kind of way, Just another day at the office in the Antarctic. The freezing temperatures -70 in some cases without the modern synthetic and light protection offered today was endured with little complaint. A tail of real men, striving for the honour of their country and the progress of science. So powerfully read, captivating and informative. Listen to this, then look around your modern world with new eyes.

1 person found this helpful

Men of another time

Contrary to what is often believed, Scott's expedition to Antarctica was as much as a scientific expedition as it was an attempt to reach the South Pole. And there were many men involved in the trip that did not make the fatal attempt on the South Pole. Furthermore, scientific work continued after it became clear that Scott and his select band had perished on the return leg of their journey, having been beaten to the Pole by rival Norwegian explorers who had taken a different route and were more accustomed to cold weather exploration than the British.

It seems wrong to say that this expedition is inspiring to a modern day reader. But it is none the less, in the sense of the fortitude and courage of the men who undertook the trip. And its all the more inspiring for the way in which it is recounted with typical English reserve and modesty, further enhanced by the subtle reading of Simon Vance. Throughout the book, there are quoted passages from the diaries of the explorers. So one gets a very accurate and vivid picture of what they were experiencing and thinking.

As I recall, the title of the book actually refers not to the attempt on the pole, but a subsidiary 6 week expedition to collect Emperor Penguin eggs which was undertaken in the Antarctic winter, so it was permanently dark and travelling was so hard that, despite pulling their sleds for 12 hours a day, it took them 3 weeks to cover just 60 miles. And on one occasion their tent blew away in a fierce hurricane. Without it they knew they would surely perish themselves. But they scrabbled around in the dark, in a wild gale and in the freezing cold. And in an outstanding piece of luck they stumbled across it, a mile or two distant from their camp and so were saved.

1 person found this helpful

An Epic Adventure

Thoroughly enjoyed by my husband who devoured it over a few days. A true story well narrated and informative.

1 person found this helpful

Very detailed expedition account from that era...

Any additional comments?

I realise this account was written by an expedition member, and as such it is in the style and language of that time, but I found it much too hard work - some of the lengthy descriptions are just too much - it's not a good sign when you find yourself fast forwarding all the time, is it ? However, if what you want is a scientific report of events, you're in luck.Some of the words used are lost to us now, so you will either have to ignore them, or look them up !
Should maybe have been abridged to about half this length in my view.
The story is fantastic of course, and has almost no equal, but this is not the best telling of it.

1 person found this helpful