JB

Amazing tale of adventure and mishap

Revisado: 12-12-23

Exceptionally narrated. I had read a few accounts of polar exploration, but this book ties them all together with the common thread of John Barrow. Also I hadn’t known anything about the excursions into Africa which were as “successful” as the explorations of the polar regions. One has to admire Barrow’s vision. But his preconceived notions, stubbornness, and arbitrary prejudices cost so much misery and so many lives. His pursuit of geography and filling in the empty spaces on the globe sound admirable, but of course this was all to the end of Britain’s empire building and extraction of resources. However, you have to be in awe of what these explorers were able to go through and accomplish - at great cost. You kind of have the feeling you’d like to pick up Barrow and transport him to an ice-bound ship in the Arctic with 1/2 rations and threat of scurvy in the middle of a 24 hour polar night- or a malaria and fever infested Niger delta with hostile native inhabitants all around him. This book does an excellent job of not only describing the events of what happened but the personalities of everyone involved. For all their foibles, their courage and determination is truly awe inspiring. I highly recommend this book! And the narration is superb!

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The most amazing survival story you’ve probably never heard of

Revisado: 12-02-23

I really enjoyed this book. I don’t know how, but it kept my interest the whole time. Mawson’s many accomplishments are truly astounding. We have heard of so many of the great polar explorers and yet somehow Mawson is generally unknown. His tale of survival alone is worth the read. But I was impressed also with the breadth of his scientific work with the several teams he organized. Btw - I looked at a map of Antarctica and I also found a map online of the arc of Mawson’s journey - which both helped. You don’t need them, but it would have been helpful to have had a pdf included of Mawson’s and the other teams’ journeys. If you haven’t heard of Mawson before and are hesitating on this book - go for it! You’ll be happy you did. I highly recommend.

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A great bio of a great man

Revisado: 11-22-23

I had seen a number of classical music courses offered with The Great Courses but hadn’t tried them yet. When this was offered on Audible included in membership I decided to go for it. I was not disappointed. Now Im looking for other Bob Greenberg books and courses to add to my library.
First of all, this is a biography. No music. For analysis of the music there are other courses on audible and The Great Courses.
But Beethoven’s life is enough. Prof Greenberg’s narration has the energy to match his subject- and to keep our interest. I knew just a bit about Beethoven, but this biography really opened my eyes and heart to the events and heartbreak of his life. Greenberg goes into some of the unpleasant aspects of Beethoven’s life - he doesn’t sugarcoat them - but also puts them in the perspective of his abusive history and his personality, and of course, his genius. His passion and intensity are astounding. This is an amazing man so repulsive in so many ways, yet you want to cry and embrace him.
The day after I finished this audio book I heard the Appassionata sonata (#23) on the radio. It was all the more brilliant and stunning after having just listened to Beethoven’s life. I could visualize him with arms flying, breaking piano strings and hammers with his intensity and focus trying to get the instrument to match his vision- what he was hearing in his head.
I’m sure I will never listen to any of Beethoven’s works again in the same way as I did before listening to this course.

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Wonderful stories

Revisado: 11-17-23

I loved this book. I’m so glad to have listened to them in their original unabridged form. So many of them have been manipulated by children’s books and movies. It’s refreshing to hear them as written and much more impactful too. Narrations were excellent and brought the stories to life. As an adult, I found the stories quite meaningful. Highly recommend!

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Amazing woman!

Revisado: 11-17-23

I had seen the title for this book a while ago and got interested in Grandma Gatewood. What an incredible story! So I finally got this audible book. I love the idea that a 67 year old woman would just tell her family she was “going for a walk” and end up thru hiking the AT. In great part, thanks to her, the trail is much safer and better maintained than it was when she did it. My daughter takes as many weekends and vacation weeks as possible to hike various sections of the trail. So I’m especially grateful it’s in better condition and that it’s popular enough that she has occasional contact with people along the way.
The story itself is so inspirational. But it does skip back and forth between the hike and flashbacks to her previous (terrible) life. It takes a little getting used to the constant shifts in the story line. Also, the author takes numerous side trips along the way, like the current political climate and pretty extensive coverage of the 2 hurricanes, the worst of which didn’t seem to affect her hiking that much. While interesting, I think some of that could have been tightened up a bit.
This book is definitely worth the read (or listen). Emma Gatewood is truly one of a kind. A true hero and inspiration. She’s an incredible woman! The book is not only a tribute to her, but a testament to the power of walking. Don’t need fancy equipment or gym memberships- just lace up the sneakers and go!

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Uplifting holiday collection

Revisado: 11-14-23

A nice collection of lovely Christmas stories and poems that are generally not familiar. My favorite was the letter by Mark Twain (Santa Claus!) to his children. The recording would have been much improved by giving the authors and titles in the the chapter list instead of just “chapter 1, chapter 2, etc”. It would allow the listener to keep track of the authors and titles they are listening to and also be a convenient reference for going back to individual stories to listen again. (I also have the Christmas Classics collection which does include that and is very helpful). Overall it’s a good listen to put you in a good Christmas spirit.

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Epic story

Revisado: 10-10-23

The book mainly consists of the diaries of Scott, Amundsen and Bjaaland (Norway’s champion skier) with introduction, epilogue and brief interspersed commentary by the author in between. The diary entries run parallel with each other, so you can see what each team is doing day by day and compare them for yourself. You might think this would be tedious, but I found it fascinating and didn’t want to stop listening til the end. The narrator did a fantastic job. I loved the way he did the accents so you could always tell who was speaking. The writing was indicative of the approach of the 2 teams: the Norwegians were light, to the point and generally good humored. Scott was more pompous and bland, blaming others and the weather for his bad “luck” even from the beginning.
Summer and relatively good weather in Antarctica don’t last very long. I was astounded at how long it took Scott to get his depots set up, eating into the short summer when he should have been on his way. Of course he was dealing with a chaos of dog sleds, ponies and motorized vehicles which proved ineffective. I’m not sure I would blame him for trying. You don’t know til you try something. But the ponies and vehicles were untried and dogs had a proven track record. Learning to handle them and learning how to ski effectively are best done in places other than Antarctica. You don’t walk into an exam room and expect to study when it’s time to take the test. Polar regions don’t give you much margin for error. Scott’s final entries are especially painful to hear. Another thing was, that he kept comparing his progress to that of Shackleton. He was usually behind Shackleton, but I kept thinking that Shackleton hadn’t gotten to the South Pole. I think he would have wanted to be ahead of Shackleton to give himself a better chance.
This book is imperative for anyone interested in polar exploration. I would highly recommend it! Excellent true account and excellent narration.

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Epic adventure

Revisado: 10-05-23

I really liked this book. I didn’t know a whole lot about the Greeley expedition before, so I learned a lot. I really appreciated the PDF also. It makes such a difference to see the photos and maps. Greeley did exactly what he set out to do and followed his instructions. It wasn’t his fault that the relief ships couldn’t get through to him. If he hadn’t followed the final course he chose, no one would have looked for him at the comfortable lodging he left behind. Provisions there would have given out and no one would have found him as the instructions weren’t to look for him there. I would highly recommend this book. It is so well written and narrated - you won’t be sorry!

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Incredible story

Revisado: 10-05-23

This book is so amazing. I don’t often listen to a book twice, but this one deserved to get a second listen. The narrator was excellent. The story was so gripping - I am constantly amazed at the number of men who willingly put themselves at risk for the adventure and glory of polar exploration. I have to admit that more than once I felt a distinct urge to put John Barrow on a ship in the middle of an ice floe locked in for a winter or two. I Googled a map of the northern Canadian archipelago to follow the story better. I listened on my phone and propped up my iPad with the map as I was listening. I then actually bought a copy of the book and listened again. The actual book has some maps that are really helpful. I’m sorry the audio version didn’t include a pdf with all the pictures and maps from the book as that makes all the difference. Also, this book was published before the Erebus and Terror were actually found, so I watched a few videos about that after I read the book too. Overall, this was an amazing tale of adventure, courage, pride and tragedy. I would recommend 100%. Just get yourself a good map to follow along with!

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Truly a polar hero

Revisado: 10-05-23

I didn’t know too much about Amundsen, other than his “race” to the South Pole, so this book was very enlightening. It really provides a nuanced perspective on his life. The actual exploration accomplishments are the most exciting. But I was surprised to find out how much went into his life in between adventures, mostly to raise money, since he privately funded all his expeditions. He is truly a fascinating man! I found the narrator hard to get used to for quite a while into the book. As someone else mentioned, the cadence almost sounded AI. I had just listened to a few other books where I thought the narration was excellent, so this book took some time to get used to. Even with that, however, I would highly recommend this book. I have nothing but admiration for Amundsen and all his accomplishments. His life puts a fitting capstone on the age of heroic expeditions. There are a few true heroes in these adventures. Shackleton and Amundsen are at the apex.

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