Rating: 
Summary: The ultimate tale of comradeship
Review: It's unacceptable how could we quit being real men in less than a century, and this splendid book is the synthesis of this idea. In times when the biggest adventure is to find room for your car in a shopping center parking lot, Mr. Cherry-Garrard shows how strength, courage, boldness, fortitude, and most of all, comeradeship, can overcome the harshest conditions found in our planet. And, in the end, we get the opportunity to find out what is the greatest lesson brought by the adventure: the essence of the adventure of living is to practice the fraternal love. In the winter jorney, Mr. Garrard had his Revelation, and set the standards for the new men that we all should be - and we're sorry we heaven't learnt in yet.
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
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
Rating:
Summary: The Title Says It All
Review: Robert Falcon Scott's scientific expedition to the South Pole in 1911 was like that famous medical cliché: "the operation was a success, but the patient died." The Polar Party did reach the South Pole, but were 34 days late from being the FIRST party at the pole. The entire Polar Party died in a blizzard returning to home camp. Invaluable scientific, geographic, and biologic data were obtained, but the hideous Winter Journey to collect Emperor penguin embryos at terrible risk turned out to be useless information. They hoped the embryos would show a connection between the evolution of dinosaurs into birds. (It did not.) Cherry Gerrard is a highly likeable, very human teller of the tale. He was the youngest member of the expedition, very much the gentleman and an Englishman to his fingertips. He shows us his human side (he didn't have the usual Englishman's fondness for animals and thought the dogs and ponies were miserable, exasperating beasts). He has a knack of bringing his fellow explorers to life, yet never criticizes at all. He has the highest regard for everyone in the party. He recaps from some of the other members' diaries to great effect. The enthusiastic Bowers writes his mother, "There is so much to see and do here; I just wish I could be three places at once!" Bowers was the best of them, to my way of thinking, and I was appalled when he "volunteered" for the Polar Party (already knowing the fate of same). Cherry Gerrard had enormous artistic appreciation for the austere beauties of Antarctica, but no matter how brilliantly he described them, my enthusiasm was nil for such a bleak landscape. He shows his depressive side in remarking on the "beauty of sleep" in the Antarctic---"sleep where you never need awaken." He was tremendously brave and endured what no man should have to bear. This is the best kind of book for me to read for it sparks my interest to find out more. Cherry Gerrard is so deferential to Captain Scott, some of whose decisions seemed downright odd to me; I am going to read Huntford's "Last Expedition on Earth" that does a critical comparison of Scott and Amundsen. To find out more about the elusive Cherry Gerrard, I shall read Sara Wheeler's "Cherry" plus her "Terra Firma" just because it looks so good. One heroic seaman who should star in his own movie was "Tom Crean: Unsung Hero of the Scott and Shackleton Antarctic Expeditions" by Michael Smith. My only fault to find with "The Worst Journey--" was a lack of pictures. I would have liked to see the type of clothing they wore (it sounded pitifully inadequate). The constantly referred to "sledges" sometimes pulled by ponies, sometimes by men--I would like to see what they looked like so I had a better idea how they operated. Highly recommend this book for all the right reasons: adventure, information and life changing.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer
Rating: 
Summary: Long, But Very Well Written
Review: Simply put this is a great book. The summation chapter at the end of the book was my favorite when the author admits that if all we ever want to be is a nation of shopkeepers than polar exploration seems absurd. Four stars given only because I liked Landsing's Endurance so much.
Rating:
Summary: Number One in My Top Ten
Review: The admiration I hold for this author centers around his courage, his perceptivity, his empathy, his very soul, for only a truly NOBLE individual could endure what he (and the rest of the doomed party) did and then later tell the tale to the world with such singular sincerity and talent. He wrote with an understated humility and wonderment, with great accuracy, drama, power, and universality. He wrote without self-aggrandizement and with an obvious desire to offer a tribute to those who died in such a lonely and desperate manner. Reader -- read this book!
Rating:
Summary: to Strive, to Seek, to Find, and not To Yield
Review: These storied words burned themselves in my memory, even though I read the book years ago. Discard literary "Correctness". This is about physical endurance, courage, and the pure extinct diligence of men past.
Rating: 
Summary: A highly over-rated book.
Review: This is at best a third-rate account of Scott's incompetent expedition. It is basically a compilation of snippets from three different diaries. The author has absolutely no perspective on the gross inadequacies in technology and leadership that needlessly cost several lives, and imperiled many more. This account is also unbelievable long and repetitive, making weeks seem like months, months like years, and years like decades. An infinitely superior treatment is Roland Huntford's "The Last Place on Earth" (originally published as "Amundson and Scott").
Rating:
Summary: The Winter Journey
Review: This is one of the finest books I have ever read. The description of the Winter Journey, which was a mid-winter (in the dark) journey over unknown and terrible terrain, to gather a few Emperor Penguin eggs, must class as both a triumph over adversity and a memorial to the bravery and resilience of early 20th Century Englishmen. Although, with hindsight, the expedition was ill-informed, badly managed and under-equipped, the team-work was obviously magnificent, and nowhere in the whole book, was there any criticism of either the leaders or members of the expedition. To read this book is a pleasure.
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