The Birthday Boys

Rating:
Summary: facinating, if not factual
Review: I would give this book infinite stars when it comes to storytelling, but only one or two when it comes to facts. That aside, this is a great book, humourous, witty, and insightful. This book gives one itimate knowlage of the characters, which is rarely accomplished by other books of this genre. I very much enjoyed the first chapter, narrated by Taff Evans, finding it very well writen and in character. What I liked most about this story was its sense of voice. As the author swiched between characters, the reader recieved an excellent retelling of the facts from one of five very different points of view. Ultimately a very fulfilling read.

Rating:
Summary: amazing hardship and valor in the pre-gortex age
Review: this is a haunting,sad and frightening book about the (mis)adventures of robert f scott and his crew on their attempt to get to the south pole in 1911. it is told through the eyes of four crew members and scott himself, all of whom perished on their way back from the pole. after two years of rigor they found that amundsen, clearly better prepared and with dogs instead of the (lamentable decision, this) ponies that scott had brought, had gotten there first. the men are perfect examples of the sort of late-victorian optimistic adventurers who helped make england the wellspring of 19th/early 20th century adventuring and scientific discovery. sadly, their "for king and country" fortitude could not compensate for the antarctic conditions and the terrible facts and misjudgments of the journey itself. most interesting is that, although a weird literary device -- a tale told through the eyes of those who are in fact not alive to tell the tale --it works on all levels. it is a compelling read and especially in apposition to "into thin air," in all of its high-tech failure. read this, and then tackle scott's own journals, which were found with his body several years after his death a mere 11 miles from safety.

Rating:
Summary: More of the Brilliant Beryl
Review: This woman is one of my favorite writers. I have just finished her "Watson's Apology" and found it wonderful as well. But I always use a caveat with Ms. Bainbridge, as I do with Ian McEwan: she is an acquired taste. "The Birthday Boys" is no exception to the rule.

To begin with, as with many of Ms. Bainbridge's novels, this is based on true events. In this case the ill-fated Robert Falcon Scott expedition to the South Pole in 1912. Scott and four of his crew died on their way back from the Pole itself which had already been reached by the intrepid Roald Amundsen two weeks prior. What Bainbriddge does is invite herself and us into the minds of the five men who died, and each of the interior glimpses and monologues takes place on the event of each one's own birthday, and reviews various aspects of his life including how he is feeling that day. Scott, who died last we must suppose, is saved for last.

It is a bold and marvelous literary concoction of fact, fantasy, and intellectual probing coupled with an almost uncanny peek into the hearts and minds of the men who cannot, of course, be interviewed and what they truly thought can never be truly known. Yet I have accepted these portraits as actual "interviews." Each of the men is given a full literary treatment, a complete characterization. It takes a lot of courage to do what Bainbridge does (she does it in "Watson's Apology" as well): she tells us things she cannot possibly know for sure and leaves it at that. Many people try to do that today, they pretend they are writing history when in fact, they are writing fantasy. Bainbridge doesn't pretend to be doing anything but writing about people and what she thinks or imagines they might have been thinking at any one time. She is the best at this conceit that I have ever read.

I had the advantage of already having read Cherry-Garrard's rather lengthy tomb: The Worst Journey In The World, so I was aware of the characters, of who they really were and what their various jobs were. That may or may not be essential. I will have to let the reader figure that out. They may stand on their own as literary concoctions, fanciful imaginaries floating at the margins of consciousness, or, as in my own case, rock-solid portrayals of real people I had already read about extensively.

She's a bold writer, and, I think, it might require a bold reader to take this on. But it's wonderful if you just go with it and accept what's there.

Four Stars from me is the same as Five Stars. I always save that fifth star for something I have yet to see. So consider this a Big Pick from yours truly.