Antarctic Navigation

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Summary: Powerfully written story of forces driving one woman's life.
Review: By telling the story of Morgan Lamont's lifelong fascinationwith Antarctica, Elizabeth Arthur involves the reader in apowerfully crafted story which explores the complex effects time and space have on human existence and human relationships. Arthur's treatment of history, science, and geography as living, driving forces interacting with a host of vividly drawn characters make the book impossible to put down -- no small compliment for this massive novel. A thoroughly engaging and exhilarating book!

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Summary: Breathing Antarctica
Review: Colonialism, war, ecology, science,history, feminism, human relationships - Sounds like several novels, and, on some levels Antarctic Navigation is. Somehow Arthur manages to tie all of the above subjects together into a fascinating, adventurous, educational work of fiction. Aside from a few contrived additives to the plot to make everything work, Arthur does a wonderful job in this highly descriptive and literary narrative of drawing you into an adventure which is used as a metaphor for life itself.I found myself limiting the number of pages I would read per day toward the end of the novel, because I didn't want it to end.

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Summary: Not for the literal minded
Review: For those of us who have read most of the 1st person accounts of Antarctic Exploration, this story leaves a lot to be desired. The characters seemed incredibly pigeon-holed and uninteresting. The story tended to wander, and I found myself skipping whole chapters and finding I hadn't missed anything. Antarctica is too full of reality that's worth reading (and writing) about for this kind of fiction. Give me Sara Wheeler's Terra Incognita any day.

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Summary: Laughable!!
Review: I am not by nature a negative person, but I have pretty much nothing good to say about this book. I only continued to read it because once I start a book I cannot stop until I am actually finished. The plot and characters are predictable. The writing is horrible! The references to the original expeditions are an embarassment! If you want a "new-agey" brain candy book, buy it. If you want anything of substance, forget it!

Rating:
Summary: Laughable!!
Review: I am not by nature a negative person, but I have pretty much nothing good to say about this book. I only continued to read it because once I start a book I cannot stop until I am actually finished. The plot and characters are predictable. The writing is horrible! The references to the original expeditions are an embarassment! If you want a "new-agey" brain candy book, buy it. If you want anything of substance, forget it!

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Summary: Fascinating, moving, thoroughly engrossing.
Review: I love books about adventurous women. "Morgan" immediately becomes real to the reader, and Ms. Arthur has an incredible writing style that makes you feel, see, hear, smell, and experience everything she describes. It's the kind of book you "live" while you're reading & can't put down!

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Summary: Overall, an excellent book
Review: I thought the main character in the book was very well developed. Although I found myself rooting for her to complete her journey successfully, she is not an entirely sympathetic character

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Summary: READ LE GUIN INSTEAD
Review: If you want to read about an all-female expedition to Antarctica, read Ursula LeGuin's short story, "Sur" -- it's amazing, and much better than this. I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth Arthur's first novel, "Beyond the Mountain" (about a woman climber), so I tried to read this -- but found it too dense and boring, especially compared to her lyrical "Beyond the Moutnain." Again -- Read LeGuin's story instead.

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Summary: opened a new world of interest in "worst place on earth"
Review: It has now been several years since I read this remarkable book. Every now and again a book reaches out to you from its place in the store. Each time you wander your favorite bookstore, your eyes and hands go to that certain book, and if you are lucky, you give in to an inexplicable urge to buy and read that magical volume. Antarctic Navigation was such a book for me. I could not put the book down from the moment I began to read it, and it has opened a new world to me. Arthur's compelling story, her wonderful characters, and her beautiful voice are unforgettable. I look forward to revisiting the book. But beyond that, I discovered a near mystical attraction to the Antarctic and have continued reading what I can about that mysterious place. Maybe its the busy, urban life that I lead that leaves me with a longing to experience, even vicariously, the grand solitude of the Antarctic, but whatever the explanation, I expect the interest to be lifelong.

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Summary: Totally engrossing
Review: Just browsing the bookstore shelves I picked up this book. I had no previous interest in antartica and had never heard of the author. After reading about 10 pages I knew I had to buy this book. Elizabeth Arthur is a wonderful writer. Morgan, is almost like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, making friends along the way, who will help her realize her lifelong dream. I throughly enjoyed this book and I am now going to read everything else by this wonderful author.