Rating: 
Summary: A Keeper!
Review: I read a lot of non-fiction survival books, but none moved me like Endurance. I was amused and amazed from the first page to the last. This book is a keeper! I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been great, but falls flat.
Review: I really hate to give this book such a low rating, because it could have been so good. I agree with others, however, who described it as "super boring" and complain about endless pages describing latitude and longitude positions (like we care!) or the thousands of words devoted entirely to recording the subtle changes in wind direction, air temperature, movement of the ice floe, etc... I would much rather have known what these sailors were thinking and feeling. We get almost none of that. No character development. I couldn't tell one sailor from another, except that their names were different. The basic account of the voyage is interesting, but too bad only one word in fifty was necessary to tell the tale. This is the kind of book that can cure insommnia. May be valuable to historians, but not to anyone just looking for an engaging story. If you want to read a really great account of adventure at sea, try Hyderdahl's Kon-Tiki!
Rating: 
Summary: amazing tale of survival
Review: i recall a radio interview with andrea barrett from a while back... it went something like "other explorers may make you famous- shackelton will get you home".told in a very victorian matter-of-fact way, with a slight self effacing humor, shackelton was no great author. but he and his men were part of the intelligent, sensitive generation of young men destroyed during the great war. they'd even offered to give up their mission and serve in the impending conflict, but churchill told them to go ahead with their efforts. mixed with the minutae of coordinates, temperatures and depth soundings are beautifully poetic descriptions of an almost unreal landscape, of hallucinatory optical illusions, midnight football games, penguins, seals, and an obsession with all things ice. ultimately ice does claim the endurance, and shackelton admits he'd anticipated it for months but been powerless. the most heartbreaking part of the book is the men's feelings about having to shoot their beloved pets and sled dogs (some of who end up as food). shackelton must have been a truly amazing man- to keep his crew sane and alive through years of the most inhospitable and dispiriting conditions, to travel vast distances by land and sea with the most pitiful of provisions, and finally to write of it with such modesty and grace is truly a great accomplishment of a more daring time.
Rating:
Summary: Quite a tale of human survival
Review: I want to dispell a couple of myths that seem to be pervading a handful of the reviews for this book. First, this book is NOT a cure for insomnia. This book is unbelievable exciting, and if it puts you to sleep so quickly, then your attention span has obviousley been severely warped by television or some other dumbing-agent. Secondly, the language, though written 80+ years ago, is not that challenging. I'm no linguist, but I didn't notice a difference between Shakleton's phrasing and word choice and the writing of today's writers. The fact that it was written so long ago does not make it boring. I think his book has aged quite well. Was it the MOST exciting book I've ever read? Of course not! (That award likely goes to Helter Skelter) But Shakleton was not aiming to create an edge of the seat thriller (although he did come close!). He was only trying to, as acurately as possible, tell his heroic tale of survival in as much detail as he could provide. The book's only shortcoming: I wish it included a much more detailed set of maps with which I could follow Shakleton's moves. I was constantly referring to the basic map at the beginning of my book only to be dissapointed by its lack of detail. There were countless references to islands that were not marked on the map in my book.
Rating:
Summary: Quite a tale of human survival
Review: I want to dispell a couple of myths that seem to be pervading a handful of the reviews for this book. First, this book is NOT a cure for insomnia. This book is unbelievable exciting, and if it puts you to sleep so quickly, then your attention span has obviousley been severely warped by television or some other dumbing-agent. Secondly, the language, though written 80+ years ago, is not that challenging. I'm no linguist, but I didn't notice a difference between Shakleton's phrasing and word choice and the writing of today's writers. The fact that it was written so long ago does not make it boring. I think his book has aged quite well. Was it the MOST exciting book I've ever read? Of course not! (That award likely goes to Helter Skelter) But Shakleton was not aiming to create an edge of the seat thriller (although he did come close!). He was only trying to, as acurately as possible, tell his heroic tale of survival in as much detail as he could provide. The book's only shortcoming: I wish it included a much more detailed set of maps with which I could follow Shakleton's moves. I was constantly referring to the basic map at the beginning of my book only to be dissapointed by its lack of detail. There were countless references to islands that were not marked on the map in my book.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic tale that is poorly written
Review: I was very eager to read this book because of the wonderful survival story, but from the beginning pages I was hopelessly lost in the tedius, and often boring details of this journal-like writing. * too much detail of latitude and longitude - without a map you have no idea what's going on * too many "technical' terms used - the author assumes the reader knows all about boats, the sea, etc. * dates were given, but sometimes they were not chronological - what's happening when? * poor character development It's obvious Shackleton is not a writer, and too bad, because his story is really intriguing.
Rating:
Summary: The most amazing book - and very inspiring
Review: I will recommend this book to all adventure and outdoorlovers. It is an eye opener to the amazing powers a human being has,i.e. will power. Nothing, I repeat, nothing in this world is more inspiring than a brilliant display of human endurance and will power, and Shackleton certainly takes one of the top spots in that.
Rating:
Summary: An Incredible Adventure
Review: If you've read about and were fascinated with Ernest Shackleton and his band of Anarctic explorers, it's a real treat to see the adventure through his eyes. What an incedible story of attitude, character, perseverance and fortitude! Shackleton tells the story so matter-of-factly that you can sometimes forget that he and his men were experiencing one of the harshest climates on earth with little more than their own inventiveness to keep them alive. That all 28 men survived this ordeal with "reindeer skin" sleeping bags and "sledging rations" is amazing. No Gortex, Polartec, Hollowfil, freeze-dried food or GPS. Shackleton's writing style is not the most engaging, but the story itself is so amazing that it kept me turning pages. Getting 28 men through an experience like this is a testimony to the power of his leadership, although he takes little credit himself. Read this in front of a crackling fire!
Rating:
Summary: The greatest adventure story of the 20th Century.
Review: In matter-of-fact terms, that are not great literature, Shackelton describes his ill-fated trip in 1914 to the Antarctic. Instead of leading his party across the continent, he mounted a rescue operation for them when they were marooned on an unihabited island after the expedition's ship was trapped in ice and eventually crushed. Shakelton's trip from Elephant Island to the whaling station on South Georgia Island in a 22 foot boat through the roughest seas on the planet and by foot over an uncharted mountain range covered with glaciers, is an unparalleled tale of leadership, courage, human endurance, sustained Providence, and good fortune.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate Determination
Review: It's tough to criticize a book written by the man himself and say that other books are somehow better, despite the fact that these writers did not participate in the journey. But unfortunately, that is the case. If you're a real Shackleton fan, you'll want to read this book only as background after taking on works by Caroline Alexander or Alfred Lansing. In comparison, 'South' has the following shortcomings: 1. The writing style is impenetrable & stilted. It has not aged well in the 80+ years since it was put down on paper. 2. The misuse of Frank Hurley's photographs is annoying - they're out-of-focus, oddly chosen and misplaced in sequence in the book. See Alexander's book for a revelation of the power and majesty of Hurley's work. 3. You only get Shackleton's point of view here. Lansing and Alexander pull together the journals of many particpants and you get a real flavor of the men that comprise the crew. Here, you get only Sir Ernest, dispensing some kind words about each member, last name only, no background info. The other books tell you quite a bit about flawed characters like McNish and Lees.
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