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Rating: 
Summary: Exciting and scholarly, but read Cherry-Garrard's book, too!
Review: Apsley Cherry-Garrard appears to have been an almost stereotypic member of the British landed gentry of the Edwardian era-affable, proud, wealthy and somewhat aimless-until he talked his way onto Robert Scott's ill-fated Antarctic expedition. After two years suffering in Antarctica, Cherry returned to his estate in broken health facing an essentially undistinguished future managing his wealth. But he did not disappear, as you might expect-instead he turned out the memoir "The Worst Journey in the World," often acclaimed as the greatest adventure memoir of all time. Ironically, Cherry's life might at first have seemed an almost featureless existence, punctuated two remarkable events-a life-threatening adventure and a best-selling book. But author Sara Wheeler does a remarkable job bringing her subject to life both as a sympathetic individual and as a kind of symbol of his era. The quality of her scholarship is really excellent - she has left no paper relating to Cherry unturned, and documents her sources in an unobtrusive but comprehensive set of notes after the text, leaving the powerful narrative flow of the main text uninterrupted. It's a very exciting book; I would have offered 5 stars but the narrative does frankly slow down a lot after "Worst Journey" gets published; and in any case I think time might be equally well spent on Cherry's own book.
Rating: 
Summary: Masterful Presentation of Enormously Complex Material
Review: Apsley Cherry-Garrard's "Worst Journey in the World" remains a polar classic, still in print 80 years after it first appeared. If you're like me, you can't help but wonder what happened to "Cherry" after it was published. Wheeler's biography not only tells you, it also tells you of his life before he went south with Captain Scott. Cherry was a complex man who struggled with his personal demons for most of his life. Wheeler presents his story with compassion and objectivity, and my only objection is that she is not nearly hard enough on Captain Scott. Scott and his companions did not die because of Cherry's failure to rescue them; they died because of Scott's bungling. If you're interested in the history of Antarctic exploration, "Cherry" is a must-read. However, be prepared for the fact that some of it is a bit less than cheerful.
Rating:
Summary: Masterful Presentation of Enormously Complex Material
Review: Apsley Cherry-Garrard's "Worst Journey in the World" remains a polar classic, still in print 80 years after it first appeared. If you're like me, you can't help but wonder what happened to "Cherry" after it was published. Wheeler's biography not only tells you, it also tells you of his life before he went south with Captain Scott. Cherry was a complex man who struggled with his personal demons for most of his life. Wheeler presents his story with compassion and objectivity, and my only objection is that she is not nearly hard enough on Captain Scott. Scott and his companions did not die because of Cherry's failure to rescue them; they died because of Scott's bungling. If you're interested in the history of Antarctic exploration, "Cherry" is a must-read. However, be prepared for the fact that some of it is a bit less than cheerful.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the wait
Review: I had heard some time ago that Wheeler was working on a biography of 'Cherry'. I was particularly interested because her 'Terra Incognita' is one of my favorite books about Antarctica. She is an excellent writer and did a good job there of inter-weaving her own experiences with some history of exploration in the area.
Once again, I'm impressed with her writing ability. And, she does an excellent job giving us some insight into this conflicted, interesting man. I found the section on the publicity following their return to New Zealand fascinating. I knew that Cherry-Garrard castigated himself, for the rest of his life, about not having gone against orders by proceeding farther than One Ton Depot to look for the returning party. But, I had no idea how negative some of the comments/publicity were at that time. Those accounts gave me a better insight into how difficult it would have been not to be self-critical--even for someone who did not have those tendencies--as Cherry-Garrard certainly did.
Wheeler also includes comments from others' diaries that I had not heard before. It is impossible to sort out everything now, so long after actual events, but there is a lot of 'grist' for the mill here. The accounts about Teddy Evans are interesting--more negative than I expected.
I respect Wheeler's abilities as a researcher but I do keep in mind that no account can be entirely accurate now, looking back through the lens of time. And, on a wonderful trip to the Peninsula a few years ago, I heard an 'expert' sniff that Wheeler was not entirely up to snuff in terms of accuracy. This comment doesn't make me extremely doubtful about her findings, however, since she certainly convinces me when I take the 'whole' of her books.
If you're interested in Antarctic exploration, Scott's last trip, or a piercing account of a gentleman of his time, get the book--you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Deepens the Antarctic Tales, Told Well
Review: Sara Wheeler in Cherry (A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard) has provided a wonderful service to those avid, hungry readers of Antarctic adventures. The author has filled in the life of one of the important personalities from the herioc age of arctic exploration in such a way as to deepen the understanding of the men how took this challenge, particularly both before and after the adventure of their lives. Cherry, of course, wrote the classic and indispensible, The Worst Journey in the World, the finest book written by an actual explorer himselfself. He is the perfect subject and his life makes for an exciting and interesting read. Sara Wheeler has written a wonderful book that touches on many important events in the life of the early twentienth century and the passing (sadly for Cherry) of the Victorian Age. It is an enjoyable book that equals or surpasses many of the books in the past couple of decades looking solely at the Antartic adventure. Read it. Enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Deepens the Antarctic Tales, Told Well
Review: Sara Wheeler in Cherry (A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard) has provided a wonderful service to those avid, hungry readers of Antarctic adventures. The author has filled in the life of one of the important personalities from the herioc age of arctic exploration in such a way as to deepen the understanding of the men how took this challenge, particularly both before and after the adventure of their lives. Cherry, of course, wrote the classic and indispensible, The Worst Journey in the World, the finest book written by an actual explorer himselfself. He is the perfect subject and his life makes for an exciting and interesting read. Sara Wheeler has written a wonderful book that touches on many important events in the life of the early twentienth century and the passing (sadly for Cherry) of the Victorian Age. It is an enjoyable book that equals or surpasses many of the books in the past couple of decades looking solely at the Antartic adventure. Read it. Enjoy it.
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