Customer Reviews

Arctic Son/Fulfilling the Dream: Fulfilling the Dream

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I couldn't wait to read this book after having enjoyed Arctic Daughter. The two adventure stories stand alone as exceptional works -- not of literature -- but of true adventure stories. I found Arctic Son to be true to Jean Aspen, the woman and adventurer. It was real in content, description of events, feelings and thoughts, and it allowed me to live out my own dream of building a cabin in Alaska without leaving home. Additionally, Arctic Son proved that even after a family comes along, adventure is still attainable and very rewarding to the soul of all. At the same time, the mental and physical risks and costs of such high adventure are made quite clear. This book was just as good, if not sweeter, than the first book. Also, it isn't necessary to read both books sequentially to understand events or motivation.

I first heard of Jean Aspen when a condensed version of her first book, Arctic Daughter, appeared in a Reader's Digest. I have since acquired, with difficulty, my own copy of that book. I later located Arctic Son in a used bookstore. I felt the point of both books was not to elevate the art of literature, but rather to convey the life-shaping experiences of her years in the arctic, using literature as the medium. I understand Jean and Tom filmed portions of their time in Alaska during the "Arctic Son" period, and I would love to locate a copy of that, if possible. Any help out there???? At any rate, both books are great to curl up with and dream about during a long winter.

Arctic Son is every bit as enjoyable as Arctic Daughter. It was very interesting to discover how different the two trips were. Jean has a genuine talent for putting her experiences and emotions into print, which is a real treat for the reader. Well done, Jean!!!

i read this book years ago when goin through hard times and i got hope and inspiration from it. in my opinion very personally written.i enjoyed it right from the very first page.

I loved Jean Aspen's first book, Arctic Daughter, and have read it several times. So I was eager to read this second book and enjoy this return to the Arctic with her husband Tom and their son Luke. It seemed especially nice that her son would continue the love affair with the Arctic, bringing the family full circle. As a middle aged woman myself, I identified with her worries that she and Tom were too old and soft to succeed.

But my impression throughout the book is that this was HER dream, and her husband and son were just along for the trip. Her son especially was unhappy, lonely, whiny, defiant and argumentative throughout their whole time there. He did backflips of joy when they returned to civilization. Even Tom told her he was ready for her to put her past aside, and that he was tired of living in it.

I rarely felt any affection or closeness between Jean and Tom. She was very concerned when he was sick, but mainly about what she would do if he died. She seems to be a middle aged force of nature, commander of the family, and the font of all knowledge. Even towards the end of the trip, when all three of them had weathered 14 months in the wilderness, it was Jean who looked at the river and commanded "let's go!" as if only her assessment of the river's safety was valid.

I was also somewhat taken aback by Jean's unflattering description of her husband. She describes herself with words like "direct, gray-green eyes", "strong jaw and high cheekbones, full lips and even teeth," "handsome" and even "considered beautiful". Meanwhile she describes Tom as "a bit heavy," asymmetrical face," "nose drifting off to one side," "balding", "unfashionably dressed" and wearing "thick glasses" for his myopic vision.

She also spouted an awful lot of New Age philosophy, especially with Luke, who would have benefited from a firm hand and decisive parenting. I found myself skimming pages to get to the wilderness living, while Jean philosophized about the meaning of life.

But overall, this book is a good read. I loved reading of how they built the cabin, and shot the moose and dried its meat. She's a whiz in the kitchen, turning out great meals with basic staples. She made the long dark winter and extreme cold seem real to her readers.

I gave this book three stars because I didn't care for her personality as much as I liked the adventures and the descriptions of their life in the middle of the Arctic.

I read her first book and found it good. Arctic Son is even better.

She conveys the experience of living in the wilderness well and in enough detail that the reader can understand and appreciate what it is like to live there.

She carries some baggage and goes into too much detail concerning her gremlins, but then that is part of going into the wilderness. I don't have to agree with her or personally accept any of her philosophy.

It takes a huge commitment to go into the wilderness and live for a year or two or three. Certainly not my thing. A week or two is about it, got to get back to my work.

Its worth reading and enjoyable.

Thanks Jean and Tom

Arctic Son keeps the reader "involved" and teaches you about surviving the Arctic North. I learned it is not something I would like to do, with months upon months of frozen everything and darkness. This book helps you to appreciate what you have and the warmth of your own home! It is nice for this authro to write about her adventures in the Arctic and share this true life tale with us, the readers.

I recommend reading this if you are interested in exploring the world around you, especially the wild and frigid Arctic North.

I love reading about Alaska, and I wanted to love this book, but while the story was fascinating, the writing was tepid and the philosophy was a bit adolescent.

There is a passage in which she describes the arctic light and the way it reminded her of classical music: to most of us, this might mean Bartok, Poulenc or Debussy; she thought of George Winston.

It wasn't a travesty, merely a disappointment.