Rating: 
Summary: Classic Arctic tale
Review: QUICK REVIEW
This is a strong and well written account of the tragedy of the Karluk and it's men. We see and feel the struggle to cope and survive in the harsh environment of the Arctic. It is a good book, and makes a nice addition to Arctic adventure literature.FULL REVIEW
This is a wonderfully composed telling of the story of the Karluk. It is well written and nicely put together. The author draws from many different sources to give a full account of the story, including diaries and journals of the men, articles, books, newspaper clippings and interviews. The character development is superb - allowing us to really picture each person and their individual personalities. This is so important. The book centers around who these people were so that we can understand their actions and why tragedy befell them. Readers will be amazed at the strength and endurance of some men while being angered by the selfishness and ineptitude of others. The story is made richer by this, but the story is great on it's own. A ship-full of men surviving in terrible arctic conditions in desperate situations. Men struggling to travel to safety over torn-up ice and seemingly impassable ice walls and open leads of water between large ice floes. On top of this - the fight against starvation and disease. The beginning part of the book can seem semi-slow or boring if the reader is looking for adventure right away, but much of it sets up the story and develops characters so we get the full picture if the entire tragedy. Overall, though, it is a great book and will be enjoyed by anyone interested in Arctic adventure (sad though it may sometimes be).
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible Endurance
Review: The above editorial review and product description give a completely adequate synopsis of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this spellbinding true story, engagingly written by Jennifer Niven. The incredible situations this diverse group of personalities attempted to endure is phenomenal. It is a grim, gritty, heroic tale where courage and daring are equally on display with cowardice and treachery. I could not put it down. There are no places where Jennifer allows the story to drag.
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