Rating: 
Summary: The Endurance
Review: A facinating story of triumph. Caroline Alexander has done a wonderful job of taking the reader back to the romatic era of global exploration. I was amazed at the struggles that Shackleton and his crew faced. The details that are included in this non-fiction story coupled with the stunning photographs highlight the daily adventures of the crew, and bring the reader along for the ride. This retelling of the Antarctic journey of The Endurance is an encouragement to press on through hard times. Excellent book.
Rating: 
Summary: Survival in the Antarctic.
Review: A good little read, especially for those who think they have it difficult. I had not known of Shackelton's amazing voyage until I read this book. Alexander certainly has done the research to draw on the what happened when the Endurance got stuck in the ice and Sir Ernest's boat journey to South Georgia island. It is amazing to find how Shackelton led his men to their salvation dispite all the difficulties they faced with survival in the Arctic.
This book is amply supplied with photographs from the journey with suitable explanations. As stated previously, Alexander has done a great job detailing the history of the trip, along with short biographies of the key players in the expedition. The photos (all black and white) are simply great to look through. A good read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent large format photos and introduction to Sir Ernest
Review: A great book to get if you have never read any others of this amazing adventure. The book is worth getting and provides all the basic information on the journey. But let me add a note about seeing the author at National Geographic Explorers Hall some years ago. I read that the author would be giving a lecture. Not knowing much at all about Shackelton, I marked my schedule and planned to attend. I figured I might be one of a handful of people there like most history book lectures in DC. When I showed up, the line to pick up tickets was going out the door. Worse, it was sold out. Hundreds and hundreds of seats sold out to see the author of this book. I was gracefully given an extra ticket from someone who saw my distress and happily discovered a lifelong historical passion. Perhaps a bit of that "Old Provdy" was at play as the ramifications of this adventure go far beyond 28 men in a boat. I had the fortune to touch the James Caird at the travelling exhibit and there is a magic in the oak that defies explanation. If you want to discover a world of providence, human endurance, unreasonable chance and amazing survival, let this be the first step. As the author of this book said at her lecture, she was once walking in Manhattan with a Shackleton book tucked under her arm when a man approached her on the sidewalk after seeing the book. Wide eyed and smiling, he looked at her and said a single word that meant, he too, was part of the faternity of the moved - "Shackelton!" he said, and walked on. It said all there was to say.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Pass this one up!
Review: A REAL story told REALLY well.
I listened to it on tape. One of my top five favorite books of all time. I would not have found it if my librarian hadn't suggested it. Couldn't put it down - If you are a man (or woman) in search of true adventure from days gone by then this is the book for you. This insanely difficult journey reveals the true character and spirit of these men in their effort just to stay alive. It feels like you are almost there with them, but glad that you aren't.
A true vision quest.
Buy it-
Read it -
Then give it to a friend - It's that GOOD!
Rating:
Summary: Don't Pass this one up!
Review: A REAL story told REALLY well.
I listened to it on tape. One of my top five favorite books of all time. I would not have found it if my librarian hadn't suggested it. Couldn't put it down - If you are a man (or woman) in search of true adventure from days gone by then this is the book for you. This insanely difficult journey reveals the true character and spirit of these men in their effort just to stay alive. It feels like you are almost there with them, but glad that you aren't.
A true vision quest.
Buy it-
Read it -
Then give it to a friend - It's that GOOD!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding, with a concise, dramatic style+ fabulous photos
Review: As a serious Endurance student I say bravo! Ms. Alexander has brought a fresh perspective to one of the greatest survival stories of all time. The previously unpublished Hurley photographs are fabulous. She also took the time to give far more detailed explantions behind the photos than would most writers. The details from the time the Endurance sank through the arrival of the James Caird at South Georgia are vivid, putting to use the very personal feelings and perspectives from the crew members. She also does an excellent job in "fleshing out" the men's personalities, along with their quirks and rivalries. She uses quotes from some of the "less important" members as other writers have not. I found the short excerpts of the men's lives after the journey until their deaths absolutely fascinating. This part, along with the previous descriptions and photos added to my feeling that these were real men and not just some caricatures from an anecdotal story left over from someone's fading memory. This book will eventually replace Lansing's Endurance as the most popular source of this great story.
Rating:
Summary: The Endurance: A test of faith
Review: At the beginning of the first world war, Ernest Shackleton led a party of 28 men into the Antarctic to attempt setting a new record: crossing Antarctica on foot. Their wooden but sturdy ship, the Endurance, was trapped in pack ice during the journey, and despite fervent efforts by the crew to chip away at it to freedom, escape became impossible. The crew lived comfortably inside the Endurance until building pressure from the pack ice proved too much for the ship to withstand, and the Endurance broke up. The crew was left on the barren and frigid surface of Antarctica, no one in the world knowing where they were. This began the men's herculean attempt at survival, part of which included rowing 800 miles on the open sea to the nearest whaling station. Recording the events that took place for the 20 months during which they were stranded, Hurley, the ship's photographer went to great lengths to accurately depict the crew's experience. The survival of his film was truly a miracle--he retrieved it from a section of the Endurance that had been submerged underwater. It contributes extensively to this book.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping, interesting, well written
Review: Great book! I don't normally read non-fiction books, so this book is outside of the norm for me. I highly recommend it for anyone. It is so well written, that you feel like you're on the journey with them. Extremely interesting! A great read. It made me cry when they were rescued.
Rating:
Summary: Ever felt like you faced insurmountable odds?
Review: I've read a lot of stuff in the past on Sir Ernest Shackleton's courageous ordeal in the Antarctic and have seen the PBS show a couple of times so I was a bit skeptical of being able to find any new material on this South Pole explorer. I was inspired by the feature in this month's National Geographic magazine which provided a glimpse of the book. Caroline Alexander does a superb job of putting human faces to each of the expedition members. The easy reading narrative is seamless and compelling enough to keep turning the pages even though you already know the outcome. The previously unreleased photos from expedition photographer Frank Hurley are reason enough to own this book. It's also a great introduction for your friends who might not be familiar with the story. It is rich enough to be a coffee table book and invites casual browsers to open and read. It makes a great gift book for Christmas. It's an inspirational story is one that I love to tell.
Rating:
Summary: one of the all time great adventures
Review: I've read probably 20 survival type books this past year of which this is one of the very best. Alexander skillfully weaves together diaries, interviews and the great Hurley photographs into an incredible narrative of the Shackleton voyage. The descriptions become more and more incredible, increasing exponentially along with the level of suffering and deprivation. The most incredible part of the voyage is the last stretch: 800 miles over open ocean trying to hit the tiny St. Georgia whaling station in hurricane like conditions. The reader can feel the wet, the cold and the hunger with every turn of the page (perhaps even smell the blubber boiling over the fire). Of course we also learn a lot about leadership -- to me the most moving part of the story was Shackleton's agony over the delayed rescue of the group left behind on Elephant Island. His companions noted that he aged more during these few months than during the rest of the grueling expedition. This book, along with its wonderful photographs is a must read for adventure fans.
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