Customer Reviews

South: The Endurance Expedition (Penguin Classics)

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My case of Shackleton Fever finally ended with this book -- the story of the doomed antarctic expedition as seen through the eyes of Shackleton himself. He emerges from these pages as an intelligent man who is modest about his achievements -- but not so modest as to blunt the excitement of his story. This book also gives many additional details of his attempts to rescue his men, and the often-overlooked story of the not-so-lucky supply expedition that awaited him on the far side of the antarctic ice pack. Perhaps the only fault of the book is that its careful narrative strips some of the mystery away from Shackleton's almost superhuman story. After reading 4 books on the subject, I find I still prefer Lancing's original version (see my review). But true Shackleton buffs won't rest easy until they have seen the original silent movie of the same name, including remarkable cinematography by Frank Hurley -- now available on videotape as a mesmerizing 90 minute movie from the dawn of motion pictures.

--Auralgo

Yes. There is much talk about weather and seals...this is following the journal of the captain of an expedition. These were not insignificant events to a stranded crew. This is not written for the modern reader who doesnt care for the detail. It is a true to life account and it is the detail which makes it so engaging. At the same time, he does not go day by day. It is told as a story with snippets of diary. One overwhelming obstacle after another with descriptions of amazing beauty in such an unfamiliar world.

It is tough to get through this book. Only the first half is about Shakleton's expedition. The rest amounts to a log of the Aurora crew that Shakleton relays second-hand.

The Endurance expedition, itself, is quite a piece of history, but the book does a poor job of showing this. The writing is dry. Killing dogs, penguins and seals is a regular thing. Location and weather are reported on almost every page. He does give a good sense of the cold, however and the food supplies.