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Summary: Outstanding story!
Review: This is probably the best story I have read; I belong to a book club and would not have selected this book on my own, but ended up both loving it and recommending it everywhere. Amazon.com also offers the documentary video that was filmed during the voyage - it shows life on the ship as well as the breakup on the ice. I am also using this book in my management training classes as an excellent example of leadership. Enjoy!
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Summary: Not to be missed
Review: I dont't normally read thrillers, or adventure stories, but this recounting of the Shackleton ruin and recovery in the Antarctic is not to be missed. It manages to be both a heart stopping page turner, and a reasonably legitimate history. This is the book I passed around to my friends and family. Shackleton is a dreamer, publicity seeker and adventurer who planned to explore the Anarctic for less than entirely noble reasons at about the same time WWI was taking over the front pages of the world. Instead, he and his crew have to watch their beautiful ship be crushed by the ice. (The photographs are stunning.) The most dramatic description is a miracle of navigation of a long boat by the stars to get through the coldest and most storm toss'd ocean in the world to try to find a rescue. You'll read it through once fast, nearly as seasick and sore as the crew, and then have to read it through again to see if you really read it right the first time. The crew is a blend of the gentleman explorer of the (last) turn of the century along with the more rough and less educated crew that in combination manage to maintain the discipline and comradeship that is the basis of survival. Lansing gives high marks to Shackleton's leadership, as the crew is forced to abandon generous ships' stores, supplies that become 'luxuries' and even the sled dogs. The later Carolyn Alexander book has more of the fabulous pictures taken the ship's photographer, but the text is comparatively tepid compared to this version of the tale. I could have wished for more detail and rounding out of the personalities of the stranded men (including more 'backstory' and epilogue) but these are small complaints when compared to the tale itself. You will enjoy this book!
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Summary: Endurance and other testaments to human courage
Review: Endurance is one of the most incredible stories of human courare and perseverance on record. For those who enjoyed Endurance you should also read "The Last Antartic Heroes" - It is the story of what happened to Aurora, the boat sent by Shackleton to lay depots on the other side of the Antarctic for Shackletons' trans-continnental crossing which never eventuated. Like the Endurance part of the expedition, the boat was lost, this time with most of their provisions, yet they were bound to try to complete the mission (by laying the depots) so that Shackleton and his men would not starve to death when they came accross the continent. It is a tale of remarkable courage, borne of the men's commitment to Shackleton and unwaivering faith in human endurance in the face of impossible odds. If you loved Endurance, read it. In its own way it's as remarkable as its more famous stablemate.
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Summary: The Ultimate Adventure Book
Review: This book qualifies as one of my all time favorites. Even a book of the most imaginative fiction could not begin to approximate the adventure that these incredibly brave men endured.
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Summary: ENDURANCE: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Review: Excellent book could not put it down. Unreal what these people went through to survive in the Arctic. Read it you won't be disappointed.
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Summary: True test of man's endurance
Review: Superb book. True test of man's ability to survive in the most adverse conditions. Does anyone know if a movie was ever made about this book? Would love to see it.
Rating:
Summary: Enduring Endurance
Review: What an account of courage, the wider perspective, endurance beyond description. You get tired in the reading, forget about actually going through it. The dead reckoning open boat voyage across the Drake passage is breath taking. Where's the movie?- Without hype, I hope.
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Summary: A magnificent book
Review: I bought this book on a whim and had no extensive knowledge of the subject matter. I had heard of Shackleton's expedition but that was about it. The book is so well written that I just could not put it down. I literally cried toward the end of the book when Shackleton and his party realized they had made it to South Georgia Island. The courage, perseverance and good humor of these men was unbelievable in the face of hardship so severe and daunting. This is truly a story for the ages. I was somewhat surprised to find that the book was originally published in the 1950's. I was initially afraid that the prose would be windy and overblown like so many historical narratives written during that era. I must say I was very pleasantly surprised. Lansing's narrative is fresh, vivid and not dated at all. This is truly a remarkable book.
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Summary: Put this one in the shopping cart and proceed to check out.
Review: What are you waiting for? Don't delay any longer. Probably the best and most exciting book I have ever read. Not one dull spot in the whole book. Total engrossment word by word. From what I can tell this book is the most free flowing account of Shakelton's expedition, leaving out no major events from begining to end. This book makes you want to know what happened to each of these men after they all were rescued. It also leaves you wondering what happened to the other support boat that was part of the expedition. So now I'll have to read Shakelton's own book "South".
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: It's been a long time since I came across a book that I couldn't put down. Despite all the more recent books about Shackleton, Alfred Lansing's book is still wonderful. He creates a sort of suspense so you are constantly wondering what will happen next to this band of star-crossed but determined explorers, what harrowing hardship will they overcome next? . I couldn't help musing whether I would behave as bravely in their situation. A great read!
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