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Summary: Adventure of unreal proprotion
Review: Showing the dedication of the human spirit coupled with the will to survive, these men of high adventure lived a saga rivaled by few others. I highly endorse this book.
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Summary: Outstanding!
Review: The quality of the photographs and the production in general is first rate. No new information but very well put together. A first class book that is a real bargin!
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Summary: Excellent -- clear and personal
Review: Caroline Alexander does a wonderful job of tying together so many of the threads from the Shackleton Expedition. I had read some of the diaries and had seen the PBS special with Hurley's photos, but Caroline Alexander brought the whole situation to life. The Expedition was always heroic, she makes it real!
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Summary: Excellent character study and photo essay.
Review: The majesty of the Polar region and hazzard to the Crew and ship are expertly etched on the pages of this book. The Author astutely weaves Hurley's photos with the lives of the Endurance Crew. Her observation into the Crews personalities and lives before, during and after the expidation is must reading for any person wanting to take on the mantle of leadership.This book motivates the reader to seek more about Shackleton and Hurley
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Summary: Wonderful, but there is more...
Review: I have thumbed through a friend's copy of this title and was truly touched. I have made Shackelton a bit of a hobby, and this will be a fine addition to my library. I noticed that no one of the previous reviews mentioned the opening of the showing of Hurley's photographs at the Museum of Natural History in New York city. If you are a lover of photography, and Shackelton and his Endurance crew in particular, it is not to be missed. I will be there.
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Summary: Humbling and inspiring
Review: This book appealed to me on several levels. I've long been drawn to tales of survival and have lately been enjoying Man vs Nature adventure stories with the publication of "Into Thin Air," but nothing prepared me for the humbling experience of reading "The Endurance" and studying the amazing photographs taken by one of the expedition members. It has been two days since I've put the book down, and I'm still chilled to the bone and can't seem to get the briny, saltwater taste out of my mouth. I couldn't have lasted 6 hours in the conditions these men had to endure for many, many months. To spend every waking and sleeping moment wet and cold and to eat nothing but seal and penguin are daunting enough; to make the 800-mile journey across open seas in winter in a lifeboat is incomprehensible. It's also hard to imagine the effect of total isolation from all outside contact for so long. Not only did these men not know that the Great War was still raging in May 1916, but no one else on the planet had any notion of where they were or even if they were still alive. I have to wonder if anyone in this day and age has the character, fortitude, or resilience to endure what all 28 men experienced. I also have to credit Shackleton's abilities as a leader for their survival. How differently the story would have turned out had Robert F. Scott been the commander!The photographs were stunning both from an artistic standpoint and for their historical value, and it's amazing that they, too, survived the ordeal. (The fact that Shackleton and Hurley felt the photographs were worth salvaging at a time when the men had to keep their possessions and provisions to a minimum speaks to Shackleton's prevailing optimism.) I would love to have an enlargement of the haunting night photo of the icebound, frost-covered Endurance. "The Endurance" is a well-written tribute to these men. The afterword, describing what became of each of them after their rescue, completed the story.
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Summary: THE GREAT TOM CREAN
Review: Congratualations to Caroline Alexander for another excellent book on the Antarctic and thanks to her for sending me a complimentary copy of Endurance. My Grandfather the great West Kerry giant Thomas Crean was a member of Scotts two expeditons and Shackletons Trans-Antarctic expedition, two photos of Tom are reproduced in the book and kind words are said about him. Yes he was a man of iron but also very sensitive and a great friend. He is known in the village of his birth as TOM THE POLE, a fine tribute to a gentle giant. I encourage all to read this excellent account of one of the great rescue adventures of this century. Best regards, Gerard O'Brien Los Angeles Ca.
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Summary: The story and Expedition pictures put you right there
Review: I loved the book. The story along with the great pictures by Herley puts you right in the middle of the action.
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Summary: An atomic bomb could not have diverted me from reading this
Review: I really, truly hate the cold and am not especially adventurous, and my idea of less than perfect conditions is when the hotel is not five-star. However, I find myself inexplicably drawn into these amazing adventures (A First Rate Tragedy, Scott's Journals, etc). so when I saw this book I was instantly seduced. The photographs are beautiful and terrifying when you realize that the crew was watching their ship literally disappear before their eyes and leave them floating on the antarctic ice without so much as a telegraph. The photos of the dogs and of course, Mrs. Chippy's photo, were heartbreaking because you just knew they were, one way or the other, not going to make it, and they had become far more than companions -- they were the creatures that kept the men human -- and free from despair. The prose and story line are so compelling, and Caroline Alexander tells the tale in a way that is so personal and matter-of-fact that it totally draws you in, and you literally can't put the book down until you know everyone is safe. Along with her prose, the juxtaposition of Hurley's photos (no to mention the fact that these photos still exist!) makes the entire experience remarkable. This, like may other stories of early Antarctic adventure, makes the Everest expedition and Ms.Pittman's expresso maker seem like a scout hike (tho i am sure it wasn't). We could sure use some leaders of the Shackleton strip these days! And yes, Ms. Alexander, the cat made me buy this book and I kept flipping back to look at the picture while I was reading the story. Hooray for a terrific retelling of a literally unbelievable tale.
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Summary: Enduring the Endurance
Review: In this era when we lack for heroes, here comes Caroline Alexander to remind us that, once upon a time, men were fearless, adventuresome, and courageous. Such a man was Sir Ernest Shackleton. His story has become the stuff of legend and has been retold several times during the past generation, but Ms. Alexander's narration of this magnificent misadventure, interspersed with the haunting photographs of Frank Hurley, will likely become the indispensable volume on the ill-fated Endurance expedition of 1914-16.
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