Rating: 
Summary: YAWN!
Review: The book is a bore. Written with a pretentious tone about wimpy characters I couldn't sympathize with or care about, Voyage of the Narwhal was an utter disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: Considering the hype, disappointing.
Review: This book has received copious accolades from critical reviews, however, I was disappointed that the writing was so weak. An interesting enough story of a natural historian's recollections of his arctic journey, the story seemed to lose it's emotional charge when the setting returned to Philadelphia. I would have enjoyed more focus on the arctic exploration and interaction with the Esquimaux. I never did bond with the protagonist. Rudy Wiebe's, "Discovery of Strangers" is a much better read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Engrossing
Review: The Voyage of the Narwhal is quite an interesting adventure story, but what sets this book apart is the inner psychological drama which Barrett so masterfully describes. The book is well-worth reading for the exciting and enlightening arctic exploration as well as for the more nuanced explorations of human souls.
Rating: 
Summary: Promising, but ultimately disappointing
Review: After reading a flattering review of this novel, I greatly anticipated the time I would spend with it. And indeed, for the first 200 pages or so, I could not put it down. But ironically, as soon as the plot moves us back to Philadelphia, the "warmth" of the story quickly fades. Andrea Barrett entices, even enchants us with the scholarly and emotional description of the arctic, but quickly loses our interest once the story line returns south. Why? Because throughout the novel the only character that the reader cares about is the arctic landscape itself. The human characters are not adequately developed--one quickly bores with the superficial way in which Barrett tries to interest us with the characters' dilemmas. Thus, once the plot moves away from the arctic, the reader has lost interest. Even Erasmus, who we perhaps know best since much of the novel is from his perspective, leaves us wondering who he really is... The only reason this novel proved a page-turner for me was because I wanted to finish it as soon as possible, just to get it over with.
Rating:
Summary: Melville Barrett is NOT
Review: I read that Barrett is a modern-day Melville - NOT! There is no personal tragedy or inner struggle. No revelation! The novel is superficial and shallow. What about Man against the Elements? The novel has too many loose ends, a weak plot and stagnant charachters. I think I will pick up my copy of "Typee" or "Omoo", or maybe even "Moby Dick" and become absorbed in a true ocean journey.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but superficial
Review: This book is generally well-written and delivers some stirring scenic descriptions. However, the author has not provided characters to match her settings. They are thinly realized cutouts whose feelings and motivations are not developed. Therefore, the reader is not led to care much about what happens to them. The Esquimaux, particularly "Annie" and "Tom", were the best realized characters, perhaps because they were the only ones who seemed to know what they were doing. The author apparently researched her subject well, yet the book evinces a late 20th century, rather than mid-19th century, sensibility and attitude. I read the "Voyage" with a book group. Its strengths and flaws stimulated a lively discussion.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good, Absorbing Read
Review: I enjoyed this book, although I wouldn't put it up there with my "read again" adventure books. The Author has done a great job creating a work of fiction that is believable and engaging. Normally, I enjoy reading "real life" accounts, such as Shackelton's "Endurance." Despite the fact that this story is not based on actual events it holds up as if it could have been. A nice way to contrast this book is to hold it up to a true favorite. Mine is Irving Stone's "The Origin." Barrett's book held my attention as did Stone's, but I will not read it again as I have Stone's, many times.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent writing, gripping atmosphere
Review: This was one of the best modern books I've ever read. I know it's always a matter of taste, but it really surprises me to read other readers' negative reviews. Barrett did an excellent job of revealing the characters, drew me into their conflicts, showed me the Arctic, told me about Victorian naturalists, and kept my interest from beginning to end. If you liked this, read "Vindication" by Frances Sherwood, a fictionalized life of Mary Woolstonecraft. Also, see the movie, "Angels and Insects."
Rating:
Summary: A Journey into the Struggles of Man
Review: To suggest this is an adventure novel would be to suggest that Heart of Darkness was an adventure novel. Rather, it is a remakbable journey into the souls of men and an exploration of the human struggles that draw people together and tear them apart. Barrett's book doesn't waste words hand feeding the reader every detail of the journey, but rather allows us to feel the impact of events by sharing the emotional toll they take on the characters. This refreshing approach flies in the face of modern day Harrison Ford heroes whose struggle against evil is blazed in black and white decisions and death-defying physical feats. Narwhal's characters face impossible choices, their struggles against natural forces are more often lost than won, and for each and every decision, the weight of lives and relationships hangs in the balance. An amazingly real and gripping journey it is, and one that was an absolute joy to read.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting story/literary disappointment
Review: The reviews seemed to promise something extraordinary, the theme was of great interest, but the reading was a disappointment from the beginning to the end. As an adventure story it was only modestly gripping (unlike, perhaps, "Endurance"); as a character study I read all but felt I knew none, their inner lives being only sketchily developed. The book displayed scholarly knowledge, and as a development of time and place it was useful. Altogether though, it was a disappointment.
|
