Heroes and Lovers: An Antarctic Obsession [Paperback]

Lucy Kavaler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 2000

A powerful novel of passion, duplicity and mystery moves from the golden age of polar exploration (1915) to the present. The vibrant heroine leads an all-women's expedition racing her lover, a famed explorer, to the South Pole. Thrilling tales of danger and an ill-starred love affair are played out against a backdrop of turn-of-the-century feminism.In modern times, a ruthless television host threatens a scandalous exposé as he seeks to unravel the mystery of what really happened at the Pole.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Turn-of-the-century suffragettes and polar explorers collide with modern-day tabloid TV in Kavaler's second novel (after The Secret Lives of the Edmonts), a suspenseful tale of love, valor and adventure. Ensconced in her family's NYC mansion, 27-year-old Beatrix Tremaine guards the heroic past of her great-grandfather Byron Tremaine, who, in 1915, supposedly led the first successful expedition to the Antarctic. When Steven Avery, the host of a TV expose show, approaches Beatrix about including her great-grandfather in a program about sham expeditions, Beatrix calls on her older, married lover (himself a retired explorer and descendent of Byron's best friend) to disprove Avery's suspicions. A parallel narrative set in 1900s London centers on Viola Lambert, a brilliant young suffragette who (unbeknownst to history) was Byron Tremaine's lover, the true source of his archeological findings and the key to a dark secret that could tarnish the Tremaine legend. By comparison, gullible Beatrix's battle to protect Byron's memory, while she ardently denies her attraction to Avery, lacks vitality. While Kavaler's narrative never rises above formulaic romance, the historical tale it encapsulates proves rousing. Miniseries rights to Laurel Entertainments.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Beatrix Tremaine, devoted to the memory of her great-grandfather, Byron Tremaine, a world-famous Arctic and Antarctic explorer, finds her faith crumbling as the words of a talk-show host, dedicated to nasty expos{‚}es, engender shivers of doubt about her great-grandparents' supposedly perfect marriage. In searching for the truth about her grandfather, Beatrix runs across evidence of more than infidelity--she uncovers the existence of a South Pole exploration by a group of suffragettes, led by Tremaine's former lover. The all-female group actually reached the pole before Tremaine, and their existence was covered up by the famed explorer, who stole their notes and their place in history. A fascinating tale that moves deftly between past and present, fantasy and reality. Denise Perry Donavin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (December 9, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595008194
• ISBN-13: 978-0595008193
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,696,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Almost a romance novel, but a little better, a little deeper, October 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Heroes and Lovers: 2 (Hardcover)

Although Kavaler's style occasionally seems better suited to a romance novel than this pseudo-feminist adventure story, her accounts of the suffrage movement and polar exploration are gripping. I lost patience quickly with the protagonists' weaknesses for a "certain kind of man" (i.e., a macho jerk) but found the plot twists and period details mesmerizing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heroes and Lovers Fascinates and Mystifies, February 17, 2002

By 

Nancy Maurer, Esq. (Albany, New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heroes and Lovers: An Antarctic Obsession (Paperback)

I simply couldn't put this book down, but stayed up half the night to find out the ending.It has two interrelated plots, one taking place in modern times, the other in the early 20th century.The modern heroine tries to solve the mystery of what really happened on the Antarctic icecap during the golden age of polar exploration. It's as exciting as the Shackleton story. Did Viola Lambert, the feminist heroine, win the race to the South Pole against her lover, Byron Tremaine, the most famous polar explorer of the day? Why was that race and her very existence hidden for all these years? As a lawyer, I do a lot of research, and I admire and respect the author's accuracy and ability to bring another era to vivid life.,

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT, August 11, 2003

By 

eliezer (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heroes and Lovers: An Antarctic Obsession (Paperback)

a beautifully written book, exciting and breathtaking-- the greatest novel i have ever read. A real modern classic.