Rating: 
Summary: Startling good read
Review: Whew!! That's the first word that comes to my mind. It surfaced in my thoughts numerous times as I was reading this tale. This book is overwhelming. I had always heard tales about Shackleton and this was a most compelling read. I found myself unable to put it down. It just grabs a hold of you and won't let go. Alfred Lansing did a superb job of storytelling here. It is one of the most amazing tales of human courage and endurance ever written. This is a fabulous story. Sir Ernest Shackleton truly displayed extraordinary mettle in spite failing to achieve the initial objective. His leadership is undeniable. He held a crew together to endure the harshest climate on the planet. That the entire crew survived the venture is testament to the power of the human spirit. The will to survive can attain soaring heights as this tale suggests. Lansing attempts to get into the nature of the different men but he allows their diaries to dictate the writing. This is great because supposition by authors of nonfiction can be fatuous. Drawing excerpts from the diaries of the men is a way to draw upon the incredible human drama and psychology that must have unfolded in this venture. The obstacles encountered by the crew are staggering. The wind, the dampness, the bitter cold and the long months of darkness in the winter seem like more than any man should be able to stand. They slept in wet sleeping bags in sub-freezing temperature; ate unappetizing foods; and still managed to keep their hopes alive. These were not accommodations up to Hyatt standards. One wonders how many people today would be tough enough to triumph over these hardships. The pain, ennui and discomfort must have been staggering. I found myself just shaking my head with awe at numerous passages in the book. These are men who went to Hell and came back alive. That is remarkable in and of itself. This book is a classic account of one of man's most remarkable journeys. Read it and discover for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible but true
Review: In 1915, Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance and left on his attempt to cross Antartica, a feat that had not yet been accomplished. Somewhere in the Weddell Sea, Endurance was caught in the ice. The floes of ice kept the Endurance for nearly a year, during which time, Shackleton kept his men together and alive. Finally, Endurance was crushed by the ice, and the real adventure began. Shackleton and his men, using the lifeboats from the Endurance traveled to Elephant Island. From there, Shackleton and 5 crew members embarked on an 850 mile open sea voyage in one of the lifeboats to bring back a rescue party for the remaining 22 men. The voyage is considered one of the most remarkable voyages in seafaring history.This is a good book. I really enjoyed reading it. It doesn't flounder about with long-winded descriptions of everyday life, but you get a real sense of what these men went through. This was definitely a more rugged era! Mr. Lansing brings this entire adventure to life and once the final voyage begins in the book, it was extremely hard to put it down!
Rating:
Summary: ulitmate worst case scenario handbook
Review: Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, it would. Thoroughly enjoyed every bit of the book and strongly recommend it to others. Learned an amazing amount about arctic exploration in an easy to read and follow format. Awesome.
Rating:
Summary: Remarkably well written and quite unforgettable
Review: On the basis of Amazon reviewers, I got a copy of this book from my university's library. After reading it, I've ordered a personal copy. Lansing's a marvelous writer. His prose is elegant, powerfully and wonderfully descriptive, and he knows how to hold the reader as captive as Shackleton's crew on the ice flow. The Amazon reviewers who mildly complained about the book becoming somewhat bogged down about two-thirds through are right--but in no way does that compromise the essence and thrill of this adventure story. I read it wanting to know more about Shackleton's leadship philosophy and strategies, but what I came away with was an unbridled appreciation of the composition and virtues of his crew: how they managed to get along, their infinite patience, and their quiet courage in what must have been--despite all the description--an utterly unimagineable ordeal. It is exceedingly odd and wonderfully paradoxical that Shackleton totally failed in his objective to cross the South Pole--he never got close. But he had this extraordinary adventure. I don't see how a person can be unaffected after reading this book. Readers who really get into this book should also get a copy of Shackleton's own account, which I think is entitled "South." The reason is that that book is full of black and white photographs of the adventure which add immensely (and that's putting it mildly) to Lansing's prose. The photos show a world of startling beauty and grandeur, and they provide new meaning to being "up against the elements." Last, one has to be grateful to Amazon.com for enabling readers to review books. I would have never stumbled upon Endurance without the readers' reviews section.
Rating:
Summary: Fab!
Review: Excellent reading. I am an avid reader (about one book a week) and this certainly ranks near the top of what I've read this year. I was first turned on to the general subject after reading "The Worst Journey in the World," the story of Scott's ill fated South Pole expedition. Although I found that book a little long winded, there was no doubting the passion, courage, and emotions of the setting. I found Lansing's book to be a very easy read mixing just the right amount of detail and back story. Although you do not get a good picture of all 27 survivors, you do get a strong picture of the dozen or so key men. That would be the only fault in this narrative, but I suppose there are other sources to get the whole shabang. I would have like to have seen a "where are they now" sort of afterword, but nonetheless, the story is a solid, adventurous, unbelievable exhibit of man against nature and will against calamity. The story is very easy to follow. It has perhaps one of the greatest opening lines to a book ever "The order to abandon ship was given at 5:00 p.m." It is a real page turner. Highly recommended reading. I don't think I will ever utter the words "I'm freezing" or "I'm starving" again. Also, you must rent/buy the Enurance DVD narrated by Liam Neeson. This is an amazing DVD. Besides the beautiful tale that Lansing has brough to us, the only thing more amazing is to see the actual pictures and movie footage taken by Hurley (one of the survivors). Some of the shots are simply breathtaking. The DVD is the cherry on top.
Rating:
Summary: Warning: You will not be able to put it down.
Review: I agree with many others this must be one of the greatest survival stories ever told. If you have read the The Longest Walk and found it to be a page turner you will not go wrong buying Endurance. And we know for sure that Endurance is all true.
Rating:
Summary: "She was being crushed. Not all at once, but slowly . . ."
Review: Reading the reviews of this book, I expected a thrilling, well-told adventure. It exceeded my expectations and, like many other reviewers, I found that after a certain point in the book I simply couldn't put the book down. It would have been like leaving those brave men alone in the freezing ice and water. The events described in this book are so well known, suffice to say this is the story of Earnest Shackleton's 1914 Arctic expedition, in which Shackleton and his men hoped to cross the continent on foot. They never even made landfall, and their ship was trapped, and then slowly crushed in the ice. Thus begins the incredible story. One of the strengths of the book is the elegant, slowly building power of Alfred Lansing's prose. He hits the perfect pitch, not sensational and yet not a dry retelling of facts. His writing is very clean, cuts right to the quick, and is full of perfect details. The book is also full of journal entries from several of the men, and most of these are masterpieces of understatement and courage. I won't even begin to describe the elements and details of the hardships these men faced. I simply don't know how they kept going, kept trying, in the face of such awesome, soul-crushing circumstances. This book, to say the least, is a testament to the survival instinct in men - the surprising deep need the human animal has to simply stay alive, no matter what. And, of course, the book is a testament to the men of the Endurance. The author puts it best in the book's dedication: "In appreciation for whatever it is that makes men accomplish the impossible."
Rating:
Summary: ICY Adventure
Review: this book is about how you SHOULD live!
Gof for it!
Rating:
Summary: Basically I would sacrifice my own child to reread this book
Review: Ummmm...to say this book rocked would be an understatement. To say that this book is worth the blood of an smallish harmless animal, well then we'd be in ballpark. If Ernie Shackleton were alive...I'd be his lover, his follower, his servant, maybe even his concubine. I mean this dude was nuts (in a good way), conquering the Antartic is a feat that only demostrates this man's sexual potential, and the power of this great leader's pelvic thrust. But don't take my word for it. Buy the dang book (and then go ahead and read it). If it doesn't change your life (in a good...homo-erotic kind of way) well take two advil and re-read it. You can thank me later.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Book
Review: I saw a documentary on the Shackleton Voyage on PBS and decided to read the book. It was without a doubt one of the best books I've ever read. It comprehensively tells the story of the Endurance in such a way that my attention was riveted from the first page until the last. I would recommend this book to anyone.
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