Rating: 
Summary: A Nonstop Read
Review: "Worst Journey" allows you to walk with a portion of Scott's exploration efforts in Antarctica. I introduce this very thick book to others by reading a portion of the last paragraph aloud:". . . And I tell you, if you have the desire for knowledge and the power to give it physical expression, go out and explore.... If you march your Winter Journeys you will have your reward, so long as all you want is a penguin's egg." This is in reference to the scientific "missing link" hypothesis of the 1910s and is directly applicable to our too-busy lives today. The book is hard to set down. After reading, portions positively haunt and contribute to day time thoughts and challenges. I frequently pull the book and reread chapters to recapture the sights, sounds, dedicated effort and "sense of place." The book "carries" with you. Read the paperback and follow-up with Wheeler's (2003) "Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrad."
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of its topic and its era
Review: Although this book is something like 550 pages long, it maintained its grip on me for the three weeks it took me to explore it fully. Cherry-Garrard was a young wealthy Englishman with a longing to test his mettle, who joined the famously doomed Scott expedition to the South Pole. Despite a complete lack of experience, he proved to be both a stalwart explorer and an excellent writer. Imagine this: three men pulling their own sleds hundreds of miles across broken ice, living for weeks in temperatures as low as -77 F. Then, a blizzard. Then, there tent blows away and they are left in this blizzard with no shelter for more than a day. How will they ever make it back to the home base? This particular episode, Cherry's "Winter Journey", is only a detour on the main narrative about the journal to the Pole. Not only does he convey the "what" - the breathtaking and death-defying details of his experiences, he conveys the "why" - what it meant to him to be there, and why he went. If you have read elsewhere that the expedition proved to England that its men were still capable of great things, you may have scoffed at this as the last longings of a dying Empire. But when Cherry-Garrard writes it, it is with utmost sincerity, and you believe him.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of its topic and its era
Review: Although this book is something like 550 pages long, it maintained its grip on me for the three weeks it took me to explore it fully. Cherry-Garrard was a young wealthy Englishman with a longing to test his mettle, who joined the famously doomed Scott expedition to the South Pole. Despite a complete lack of experience, he proved to be both a stalwart explorer and an excellent writer. Imagine this: three men pulling their own sleds hundreds of miles across broken ice, living for weeks in temperatures as low as -77 F. Then, a blizzard. Then, there tent blows away and they are left in this blizzard with no shelter for more than a day. How will they ever make it back to the home base? This particular episode, Cherry's "Winter Journey", is only a detour on the main narrative about the journal to the Pole. Not only does he convey the "what" - the breathtaking and death-defying details of his experiences, he conveys the "why" - what it meant to him to be there, and why he went. If you have read elsewhere that the expedition proved to England that its men were still capable of great things, you may have scoffed at this as the last longings of a dying Empire. But when Cherry-Garrard writes it, it is with utmost sincerity, and you believe him.
Rating:
Summary: Historic account on Scott's last expedition
Review: Apsley Cherry-Garrard, the author of this book, was the youngest member of the british expedition, lead by Robert Scott, that would try to reach the geographical South Pole for the first time, in the summer of 1911/1912. Cherry-Garrard wrote "The worst journey in the world" after the first world war, ten years after he returned from Antarctica, so he took his time to write a book based on reason and not based on the recent emotions he lived while on the frozen continent. We have to remember that this book is almost 100 years old, so the text sometimes reads like something from Jules Verne... only it's true. His experience in loco aside, Garrard uses many passages from the crew's personal diaries (everybody had a diary going on) to better illustrate what happened on the expedition. The book starts very slow, with more than a hundred pages of logistics, arrangements and such. What makes this part interesting is Garrard's personal views of other members of the expedition. But thes first 100 pages will prove difficult for the reader who only wants to know what happened to Scott and his four partners in the South Pole Expedition. "Worst journey" really comes to life in Chapter 5, when the author starts to describe and explain all the expeditions and processes that would make possible Scott's going all the way south. I, for one, didn't think the whole thing was so complex. The final chapters, when Garrard narrates what really happened to Scott's party, and how the rescue team discovered their tent only 11 miles from salvation, are touching, and kept me reading way after bedtime. Of course, as most of others reviewers stated, Cherry-Garrard's style is dry and his narration is partial, after all he personaly knew the people he was writing about, and he writes about things that really happened (that's why he says only a few words about Amundsen's expedition). "The worst journey in the world" is mandatory reading for everybody interested about South Pole exploration, no doubt about that. It's interesting to notice that, while Amundsen was the first to reach the pole, Scott, because of his tragedy, is more known to the general public. I would also recommend Roland Huntford's "Last place on Earth", a very good analysis of the differences between Scott's expedition and Amundsen's - Amundsen reached the pole 34 days before Scott and return alive and well Grade 9.0/10
Rating:
Summary: They felt like friends when I was done.
Review: As an American I don't even recall being taught anything at all about Scott and his men when I was in school.
I saw a article in a Life magazine special that got me curious and did a web search and discovered Cherry's excellent book.
Its my favorite adventure book of all time and the men were a different breed than most today. Bowers in particular sounded amazing, I think I'd rather have a conversation with him than Scott if I had the ability to go back in time and meet only one.
Sure there was the occasional dry spell but considering the age of the book I thought it was remarkably contemporary sounding.
Most amazing of all to me though was the fact that after reading the book at least 3 months ago I still think about it at least every other day!
Not only that it seems like Cherry, Scott, Bowers, Wilson and Evans were old friends of mine that in my opinion is a true testament to Cherry's writing. I wish it had more pictures but I guess you can't have everything. P.S. I can't help but looking at modern things and modern problems and thinking what would Bowers think of that or Cherry, I'm sure they'd be depressed at the overall state of morals around the world and Englands decline would suprise them but in particular I wonder what they would think of modern clothing and stuff like GPS.
Rating:
Summary: he makes us understand
Review: Either the Antarctic draws explorers of uncommon literary ability, or something in that desolate, terrible beauty draws out eloquence from those who go there. Apsley Cherry-Garrard stands primus inter pares among south polar chroniclers. With the hindsight of ten years, and with liberal use of letters and diaries written by his companions on the Terra Nova expedition, he gives us a clear insight into the splendor and horror, the tedium and exhilaration of life in Antarctica. He talks about everything; most eloquently, perhaps, of his companions and their life in the snug little hut at the base of Mount Erebus. But his narrative gleams with wonderful portraits of fractious ponies and rambunctious dogs; of killer whales and of penguins notable for "devouring curiosity and a pigheaded disregard for their own safety". He tells of the "worst journey": a harrowing, immiserating and near-fatal trek through the Antarctic night in quest of ... a penguin egg. He describes a barren landscape of snow and ice which somehow vibrates with color and awes all who see it. And he makes us understand why they go back.
Rating:
Summary: It's my Benchmark
Review: I read this book two years ago, and have read a lot of true adventure books since then. I can honestly say that I have compared all others to "Journey" - it has become my benchmark! The level of human suffering combined with positive life affirming attitudes in this book is overwhelming! It's difficult to apprehend the challenges these men faced, and for such long periods of time. Their feats are nothing short of miracles. To top it off, "Cherry" recounts the story with superb style and grace. In todays world of "keep it simple", "dumb it down", and "shorter is better", it's refreshing to read an author who lets the language flow and uses it with a beauty of it's own. Granted, it was "normal" language at the time that it was written, but even among his peers, he excelled at the written word. That's why "this" book is a better choice that other books on the same topic. You get this one from Cherry's own diary and words, not a modern author looking at it from the outside in. In spite of the illustrations included in the edition that I read, it would be helpful to consult other maps of the area. There were times when it took some digging to figure out exactly where the authors were (geographically) and the terrain difficulties that they discussed. Once you figure it out, though, there is usally another "WOW" moment attached to it. If there is anything wrong with this book, it would be that it needs better maps in a variety of scales for frames of reference, and MORE PICTURES! There are times when your imagination just won't do justice to reality. Seeing it in a photo would be fantastic. There are many other sources for those photos... check them out while reading this book. All in all, a GREAT adventure book. If you are interested in true life adventure which tests the limits of the human soul, spirit, and physical abilities, this book is an absolute MUST read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Worse Time Than An Emperor Penguin
Review: In the first paragraph of Apsley Cherry-Garrard's introduction to this book, he starts his tale of Antarctic travails with the droll line, "I do not believe anybody on Earth has a worse time than an Emperor penguin." This displays his very modest and understated tale of what was really the worst journey in the world. This book deserves its reputation as an adventure classic, as Cherry-Garrard outlines the disastrous expedition for the South Pole by Captain R.F. Scott in 1913, in which the author was a young expedition member. This book certainly has its share of great adventure narratives and tales of hardship as experienced by the early explorers, including many falls into crevasses, continuous deadly weather, and near-madness brought on by the midnight sun or snowblindness. There are some unexpectedly interesting tales from before the actual expedition as well, as the author describes the voyage by ship to Antarctica with the trouble of having ponies and sled dogs on board, while the ship got trapped in pack ice for weeks. This book can be a tough read however, because Cherry-Garrard was a rather tedious writer. Note that the book was written in 1922 and styles were different back then, while the author admits that he meant to create a field guide for future explorers and not armchair adventurers, like most of us are today. However, this doesn't alleviate some of the writing difficulties. About a third of the time the author's style is very conversational and light-hearted, especially when he is praising his teammates in the expedition and describing their personal interactions. Otherwise though, the book often gets stuck in extremely verbose technical explanations of provisions and logistics. An example is an episode early in the book when the author, a few colleagues, and their horses were trapped on shore ice that was breaking up, and they had to jump the horses and themselves from floe to floe, over stretches of frigid water, all the while being observed ominously by a troop of killer whales. The author describes this harrowing episode with such clinical, detached understatement that all the obvious horror and heroism are ironed out. This problem is alleviated in the later stages of the book, as Cherry-Garrard describes the tragic death of Captain Scott and other team members in the doomed return trip from the South Pole. Plus, the final chapter is very moving as the author philosophizes on the loss of his comrades and the ethics of such dangerous exploration, with an eloquent sense of survivor's guilt. So while some portions become a tedious technical manual rather than a tale of heroism and exploration, this classic book is still a very worthy read for adventure fans.
Rating:
Summary: The best adventure book
Review: National Geographic named "The Worst Journey in the World" the best adventure book of all time. I won't disagree -- although perhaps this book is more about mis-adventures than adventures.
The author was the youngest member of Robert Falcon Scott's 1910-1913 expedition to Antarctica. He became one of Scott's most valued colleagues, but fortunately for himself and literature he was not selected as one of the four members of the expedition to accompany Scott to the South Pole. None of those five survived.
In 600 pages, Cherry-Garrard describes the hazards and hardships of living and working in Antarctica. However, although one admires the courage and persistence of the members of Scott's expedition, it is clear from the beginning of the book that the expedition was an amateur affair. The Norwegian Amundson beat Scott to the South Pole and returned safely with a minimum of fuss and bother by giving a maximum of attention to technology (Innuit dogs and clothing and Scandinavian skis) and planning. Much of the hardship described so vividly by Cherry Garrard was self-inflicted -- even though the journeys were truly the "worst in the world." Cherry Garrard's account of a expedition in the dark of an Antarctic winter with temperatures down to a whomping minus 77 F is an example of bull-headed hardiness and an affirmation of the old cliche that adventures are a sign of incompetence. (Read Jack London's story "To Build a Fire" about the dangers of going out in temperatures lower than minus 50 degrees.)
As a reading experience "The Worst Journey in the World" is as good as you will find anywhere -- but it's not a perfect book. Annotation and explanatory notes would make some things clearer to the reader. Photographs and better maps would also help. You may be inspired to seek out other books about Polar exploration which, like mountain climbing and fly fishing, seems to attract people who can write.
Smallchief
Rating: 
Summary: Stubborn Reading
Review: Perhaps the worst journey in the world is to sit and read every word of this book. Okay, I just made a horrible joke, but in all honesty I get the feeling that 200 pages could have been chopped off of this book. I have no problem reading "thick" books, as I read this one in 4 sittings. I now question whether I'm better off for having done so. Honestly, if I could go back in time, I probably wouldn't read it knowing what I know now, however I do feel better off having read it. (I know, total oxymoron) There are some brilliant passages and descriptions buried here and there. When the author is in form, it truly is captivating reading. I can feel how cold these people were. I can see the horrible conditions they live under and when he speaks of weather conditions getting better because it was ONLY -30 instead of -70, you really can empathize with the madness. The problem is there is so much prose around these poignant moments that by the time you reach them you are still in speed reading mode. I had to go back and re-read some of the better moments of the book because it didn't hit me at the first pass that this was "the good part." For instance, the whole jumping from ice berg to ice berg with Killer whales licking their chops is compelling stuff, but it is handled so lightly. The different ways to cook a biscuit got better press. Same with the journey that is in fact his "worst journey in the world" to retrieve Emperor penguin eggs. He spent 90% on the set up, but then when it got to the conflict and climax (losing the tent, hurricane winds, running out of oil) this was quickly glanced over and summarized in a few pages. Not only the page count, but the wording is tough going. Is it just me, or was everyone's journal and diary entries more stylized than the next. It was like this guy was on an expedition with Shakespeare, Tennyson and Milton. And I don't understand the technique to spend pages setting up an event and then using a journal entry or two to restate (sometimes almost to the word) what was just written. I really, really wanted to like this book. I do to a certain extent and call me crazy, but I'll go back and re-read it, now knowing where to find those choice moments. However, I cannot recommend this to a new reader. Simply put, your time is better spent elsewhere. This is a hell of a story however, and it is mostly for that reason it gets 3 stars. I would probably give it 3.5 stars in all honesty. If you are truly fascinated in this genre or this particular subject, I suppose you should add it to your wish list as you do get the "whole story." The problem is, sometimes the whole story isn't worth telling in its entireity. p.s. 90 Degrees South is a must purchase DVD to accompany this book. Get most of the visuals with this fabulous film shot by one of the crew members
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