The Voyage of the Narwhal

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and haunting
Review: Although this starts out a little slow, the story is
fascinating. I found Barrett's style and imagery wonderful.
For example, Erasmus, a naturalist, loses his toes and
then compares walking on his shortened feet to the sensation
of walking like a deer on hooves.

The characters are described so well that they really
come alive. The science and geography are wonderfully
researched, and the story is so well told! Weeks later
I still find myself thinking about passages from this
book. The book is full of beautiful, insightful paragraphs
and a story self-discovery (from people of various cultures)
that I really enjoyed.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but not a success
Review: The subject matter of The Voyage of the Narwhal is exceedingly interesting, and Ms. Barrett's meticulous research comes through beautifully during the descriptions of the Arctic wilderness and the historical expeditions that either came before or were going on concurrent with the fictional one of the Narwhal. But unfortunately, the subject cannot overcome the almost amateurish character exposition and the uneven dialogue. Barrett is never comfortable letting a character's actions speak for themselves, instead rushing to bludgeon the reader with thesis statement sentences at the end of nearly every exchange. It's depressing. Also, the last fifty or so pages of the book are something of a train wreck, as the conclusion of the action is a motley assortment of different and equally unsatisfying plotlines contorting together to form an ending.

Rating:
Summary: Good story, but...
Review: The Voyage is a 19th century story told with a 20th century sensibility and style. Written a hundred years ago, the hero would have been Voorhees, the explorer stranded in the arctic and returned a public hero. Instead, today's hero is the Naturalist Erasmus who sees Voorhees for a vain and arrogant fool but is uncomfortable in his own skin, who simmers inside about morality buts commits no action until the tide has turned, who resents the falseness of the world but will take no step to remedy it. Ned and Alexandra were the real heros (in either century!) but they are not the center. Written a hundred years ago, the story would have been a rich, swashbuckling yarn, but in today's style, it is lean and understated and ultimately disappointing. I so much wanted to walk away wow! It seems so many writers would rather we admire their artful minimalism than participate as equals in their real feelings!

Rating:
Summary: I'm still shivering
Review: This novel is unbeliveably good. The main character is Erasmus Wells, chosen by the Captain of the ship, his close friend Zeke Voorhees, as the naturalist for an expedition to Greenland to uncover the fate of Sir John Franklin's ill-fated trek to the North. During the voyage, Zeke's desire for fame drives him to lead his men on a suicidal mission, and tests the limits of his and Erasmus' friendship. Barrett creates a wonderful adventure novel out of this story, but she does so much more. She raises serious questions about the morality of exploration and colonization -- topics usually skipped over in most adventure books. Where most books create heroes out of these men, Barrett creates characters who are morally suspect, at best.

Rating:
Summary: Chilling in More Ways than One
Review: I chose the book because it features a 19th-century arctic sea adventure and its toll on a small crew who have to face its challenges. I was not disappointed. Amidst ship life with its own chain-of-command protocols and other policies/procedures, the crew's battle with the arctic elements was starkly portrayed and interesting. And even more interesting were the relationships, betrayals, and loves along the way. I was really drawn into this narrative. The characters face physical and emotional challenges that make you wonder how you would have fared.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to Put Down (as a book and as a critic!)
Review: If you've never read anything about arctic exploration in the 19th century, this book could be for you. "Voyage of the Narwhal" is a bona fide page turner that demands to be read in as few readings as possible; there never seems to be a convenient place to put the book aside 'until later.' I was always looking forward to the next page.

I knew little and had read even less about this fascinating era of exploration. This book has inspired me to search for more. I disagree with the criticisms of "weak characterizations:" I found the characters very intriguing. I learned to despise Zeke; side with Erasmus; and empathize with Alexa. The subordinate characters came across very well, also.

From a pure entertainment standpoint, I judge the success of a book based on whether or not I could visualize it on the big screen, and, if I could, would I enjoy it. Barrett painted a beautiful film with this book complete with breath-taking action and real live characters that I could see and feel.

Bravo

Rating:
Summary: Narwhal Revue
Review: Larry- This is the third time I've written this, hopefully this time it will work. Anyway, I thought the book was too plot driven and had little if any characterization about any minor character. Furthermore, it seemed to be a overly researched book. By that I mean that creativity was lost due to the adherence to facts. And, for being a plotty book, it was too long. The main story should end when they return from the voyage. The remainder from the book from that point on is dull and drag. The best part about the book was its neat cover.

Rating:
Summary: Quite a journey...
Review: This is the only one of Andrea Barrett's books that I've read, but upon finishing it, I'm itching to read more. "The Voyage of the Narwhal" totally enthralled me. It gives an in-depth look at what Arctic exploration was like in the 1850s. Ms. Barrett has clearly done her research; I admit that I'm no historian, but as far as I could tell, all of the background information was accurate (the main characters, of course, being fictional). Tales of the exploration of new and strange landscapes, if done well, will suck you in and make it extremely difficult for you to put the book down. This book fills that description admirably.

However, it's so much more than an adventure novel. In addition to its pure historical accuracy, the book also dwells on the general attitudes of that time period towards science. The main character, Erasmus Darwin Wells, is the naturalist on board the Narwhal, back during the time when every ship had a naturalist to collect and preserve whatever flora and fauna they encountered.

The book takes place not long after Charles Darwin's stint as a naturalist on board the Beagle, during which time he formulated his ideas on evolution and natural selection. It is clear from the discussions that Erasmus has with his colleagues that Darwin's ideas have not been totally accepted, and reading about these varying viewpoints, unsure about the truth of Darwin's theory, fascinated me. The attitudes of the day towards other races of humans were split into factions; some believed that each race is its own separate species (hence the practice of slavery and prejudice was easily justified, as the "lower" races weren't as "highly evolved" as the white race), others believed in the equality of all humankind. These attitudes are revealed in the various crew members when the Narwhal encounters several tribes of Esquimaux on her journey.

All of these factors make for a fantastic book - and I haven't yet said anything about the characters. They are all very real and complex, and the different layers of their personalities are revealed as the Narwhal moves farther into uncharted territory and the niceties of civilization are slowly stripped away. Furthermore, there is just as much development of the women left behind on the mainland, waiting for their men to return to them. Their stories show the frustration and powerlessness that were felt by women in the days when they had little or no control over their lives, and were denied any sort of public recognition for their work.

If all of Barrett's books are as good as this one, I'm in for a treat, because I'm planning on buying some of them as soon as possible!

Rating:
Summary: A Very Enthralling Novel
Review: "The Voyage of the Narwhal" was a novel I just couldn't put down. While the action scenes were few and far between, the novel really carried you along. It had a very unique flow to it, one that I haven't been able to find in quite some time. Barrett's description of the characters and the way their minds work really draws the reader in. I became attached to the characters and found myself reading faster and faster so I could find out what happened to them in the pages to come. This is an excellent novel!! If you only read one book this year, make it "The Voyage of the Narwhal"!

Rating:
Summary: Horrible Boring Read
Review: I was forced to read this book the summer after 9th grade, perhaps you think I am some book hating teen, not true. I love to read but this book was painful to read. It read More like a text book than an adventure novel.