Rating: 
Summary: Facinating Adventure Story
Review: This is a great adventure story, full of surprises and wonder. I enjoyed looking around the Arctic through Alvah's eyes and trying to imagine the beauty of such a breathtaking landscape. I could hardly put the book down...
Rating:
Summary: "Great adventure book"
Review: A great book that you wont be able to put down. It is very well written and it makes you feel as if your sharing in this great adventure. To the Simons if you read this: Thanks for a great read.
Rating:
Summary: great writing--a thrilling read
Review: I would recommend this book to anyone. Not only is the story unbelievable, but the writing is WONDERFUL! I don't usually like these kinds of adventure stories (I didn't even finish INTO THIN AIR if you can believe that) but Alvah Simon's writing ability made the difference for me. Even though I personally couldn't relate to his desire to journey to the arctic, I found myself so caught up in the story that it no longer mattered. Alvah, his wife Diana, and his adorable cat Halifax are so intriguing that I was truly sorry to see this book end. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An Extraordinary Story of Courage and Determiniation
Review: This is a gripping story of a glorious outward and inward adventure that will be an inspiration to anyone who reads it. Alvah, Diane and Halifax are my new heroic teachers. While hailed as an extraordinary "adventure" tale and surely to become part of the source reading for future Arctic explorers and sailors, this great read is a drama of Spirit, human (and feline) courage and dignity rarely demonstrated. Theirs is a true story of Grace and an affirmation: "seek and ye shall find."
Rating:
Summary: An experience wonderfully told and relevant for our times-
Review: This work is really under estimated due to lack of publicity. It really belongs in league with Lopez, Krakauer and P. Freuchen. It is a well prepared journey to the Arctic really well written and documented with the plus of the internal psychological dealing with the dark ... the cold as well as the natural and historical insight into this adventure. I am really grateful to the authors for this magnificent presentation for the fine details, of the logistics of preparation as well as presenting a current 90's attitude for love of the land and respect for our planet.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling journey to a remote landscape.
Review: This book grabbed me with powerful sensory details and wouldn't let me put it down. Each adventure of Alvah, Diana and Halifax revealed something of the common journey we each share, whether in the arctic wilderness or in an urban highrise. I love the interactions between the Simons and the Inuit people, and the other living creatures who inhabit this ice-chilled realm. The author clearly has explored some of the wildest places on Earth, and makes a plea to preserve our natural habitats. A must-read for anyone who longs for adventure on the high seas, minus the storms and sea-sickness.
Rating: 
Summary: Misleading
Review: Don't be mislead like I was, this is not a new book! It's the exact same book as "North to the Night: A Year in the Artic", only it's in paperback. Otherwise, an outstanding read. I'm really disappointed, I was looking forward to reading more about Simon's spiritual experience which the new title implies. Sorry Amazon.com but I'll be sending this back since I already have a copy of "North to the Night: A Year in the Artic".
Rating: 
Summary: A Selfish Man
Review: I was struck again and again by the stupidity of this man's actions. He seemed to have a death wish and narrowly escaped with his life. No big deal if he made this trip alone, but he didn't. Time and time again, he put his wife's live in jeopardy to fulfill his own juvenile ambitions. A compelling book, yes, but rarely have I seen such a selfish, arrogant individual who nonetheless holds himself up as a good liberal with deep insights into the human psyche. Please! Simon struck me as someone with the common sense of 15-year old boy drunk on whiskey with his parent's car keys.
Rating: 
Summary: bogus adventure
Review: The author fills a boat to the gills with store - bought food and fuel and then freezes himself into the arctic ice for the winter because he thinks this "genuine" (my quotes) experience will put him in touch with the Inuit culture. It's difficult to admire or root for this guy because so much of what he does seems foolish and self indulgent, rather than daring. Somewhat painful to read.
Rating:
Summary: Determined or Selfish?
Review: As I read this book, I was not sure what I thought of Alvah Simon. Was he a great adventurer or was he simply a man so obsessed with fulfilling his dream that his wife and family were of secondary importance? I admired his respect for nature and for native cultures. I was deeply troubled by the fact that he was (by choice) not at his wife's side as she faced what was probably one of the greatest tragedies of her life. She probably felt just as alone as he did. I think the true hero of this story is Simon's wife, Diana. Through all of her husband's questionable decisions and antics, she stood by him and never lost faith.
| 
