Customer Reviews

South: A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's tough to criticize a book written by the man himself and say that other books are somehow better, despite the fact that these writers did not participate in the journey. But unfortunately, that is the case. If you're a real Shackleton fan, you'll want to read this book only as background after taking on works by Caroline Alexander or Alfred Lansing.

In comparison, 'South' has the following shortcomings:

1. The writing style is impenetrable & stilted. It has not aged well in the 80+ years since it was put down on paper.

2. The misuse of Frank Hurley's photographs is annoying - they're out-of-focus, oddly chosen and misplaced in sequence in the book. See Alexander's book for a revelation of the power and majesty of Hurley's work.

3. You only get Shackleton's point of view here. Lansing and Alexander pull together the journals of many particpants and you get a real flavor of the men that comprise the crew. Here, you get only Sir Ernest, dispensing some kind words about each member, last name only, no background info. The other books tell you quite a bit about flawed characters like McNish and Lees.

Shackleton's diary and his first hand account of the Endurance journey are the basis of this work. While the other published works on this incredible voyage are also excellent, this book differs in that Shackleton many times speaks of certain subjects (food provisions,ice conditions,weather,etc) in whole, without regard to the story's timeline. This allows the reader to understand the thoughts and reasons behind the actions which were taken. However, I found it does take two readings to fully climb inside Shackleton's head, and this "whole subject" approach can be a little difficult to follow. This non-linear timeline and the fact that the pictures do not correspond to the text are the only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five. As a captain of small ships myself, I take heart in the abilities and courage of those aboard the ill-fated vessel. My problems on my own vessel seem much more manageable, after reading this account, as will anyone's, on land or sea. I did not find the comment of "our faces as black as nig...." to be racist, but a discription of facial color darkened by frostbite and countless days of cooking in enclosed areas. Even if you have other books on this same journey, BUY THIS BOOK.

Who needs fiction when you can read this account of Sir Shackleton's incredible journey! This is better than the best fiction! Please remember, the "author" is a sea captain/explorer/adventurer, not a professional writer; don't expect "character developments" and "storyline"! What you get is a straight-forward adventure, a variety of obstacles, courage, and comraderie under the harshest of conditions which today are virtually unimaginable. All this is even better if you prop a good quality atlas in front of you so you can follow along. I would suggest you read "Endurance" by Alfred Lansing first...it will surely prime your appetite for learning more of the in-depth details of the expedition. You should also remember that this took place in the early 1900's; attitudes and vernacular have changed greatly since then and we should not/cannot go back and change certain words that today are rightfully acknowledged as offensive and inappropriate. The use of the N-word makes me wince as much any decent person but it does not diminish the accomplishment of Sir Shackleton in my eyes. Ignorance and racism can and should be separated.

When I'm having a bad day at work, I snap myself back into reality by reminding myself of the trials overcome by this crew and I realize that whatever piddly problems I'm dealing with at that moment, it surely beats being wet and frozen on a crumbling ice floe, eating my favorite sled dog!

If you love a good adventure, you will love this book! I'm kind of glad Hollywood hasn't bastardized this story yet!

This a story of a "failed" cross continental expedition and its aftermath. It gives a continuous account of the unbelievable experiences of Ernest Shacleton and his crew of 27 men from the time their ship, the Endurance, is frozen in pack ice until their final escape some 20 months later. This unbelieveable feat was accomplished without a single loss of life!

The character and leadership abilities of Ernest Shackleton are impressive and facinating as he and his crew are pitted against forces of nature beyond the experience of most mortals.

I found much inspiration for dealing with life's everday experiences and challenges from reading this account. I have also read Frank Worsley's account of the "open boat" escape and a biography of Sir Ernest Shackleton. I will continue to expand this list of readings as I am able to find more accounts on the subject.

The lure of the Antartic and the study of these extrodinary adventures grips me as no other topic has for a long time.

this story is not a novel, its not about character development and its not fiction...its about how a man finds himself and his comrades in a desperate position...stuck on an ice floe...thousands of miles from the nearest human habitation and deathly temperatures of -30f...no ship...all his sledging dogs dying...very little food and vastly under-equipped...and how he managed to get these men off the floe and to safety without a single loss of life...and when shackleton watched his ship crushed and sink below the ice...he faced this task without outward emotion and gave all the men hope.. my great grandfather was on this journey...he was the carpenter 'chipps' McNeish..so this book hit a chord especially with me..

Ernest Shackleton has always been one of my heroes. The story of the Endurance and how the Shackleton Expedition kept body and soul together and made it safely home after losing its ship in the Weddell Sea ice pack is one of the most heroic episodes in the annals of human adventure. Hollywood could not write a more compelling epic.
I bought the book because I wanted to read a first-hand account of the Expedition, despite being somewhat afraid of its being bogged down in technical details. It was not. Once the scene was set, what the reader gets is a fast-moving, easy-to-read, and very gripping tale of the attention to duty, the guts, and the undying optimism it took to overcome what must have seemed like insurmountable odds. Shackleton's wry sense of humor and his willingness to take calculated risks and make hard decisions undoubtedly helped to inspire his men to work as a team.
You will sit on the edge of your seat as you read of the harrowing voyage in the tiny dinghy across the raging seas as Shackleton and a chosen few set out from Elephant Island in a desperate attempt to reach South Georgia. You will feel the weariness and the agony of his party as they seek to find a way to the other side through what had been considered inaccessible territory. And you will feel the sense of relief and triumph as the party stumbles into the whaling station where it was able to organize a rescue for the comrades left behind on Elephant Island.
That is really the climax of the story. Some readers may find the second portion of the book a bit anticlimactic, and it is, but that does not take away from the main story. The second part merely recounts the trials and tribulations of the other half of the expedition. The story of those men and their ship is interesting in its own right and is included here only because Shackleton, as overall commander of the expedition, included their story in his journal.
Sir Ernest Shackleton's story is an inspiration to me. His heroism shines in a world that produces too few heroes. I highly recommend this book to all who like a good story. Perhaps you will be inspired too.

This book is one of the primary sources for "Endurance" by Alfred Lansing. The latter is a distillation of these writings plus the actual diaries of Sir Ernest.

I read "Endurance" first and so I was primed for this book. One aspect of the voyage that is not encountered in Lansing's work is the fate of the Aurora, the companion ship to the Endurance whose job it was to lay up the depots for Shackleton on his way across the continent once he reached the Pole. This was an ill-fated journey on which three men died (Shackleton himself didn't lose a man). The Aurora was also locked in the ice and drifted all the way to New Zealand leaving a portion of her crew stranded in McMurdo Sound.

It's a great book with tremendous appeal for those of us interested in these fantastic voyages.

EKW

i recall a radio interview with andrea barrett from a while back... it went something like "other explorers may make you famous- shackelton will get you home".

told in a very victorian matter-of-fact way, with a slight self effacing humor, shackelton was no great author. but he and his men were part of the intelligent, sensitive generation of young men destroyed during the great war. they'd even offered to give up their mission and serve in the impending conflict, but churchill told them to go ahead with their efforts.

mixed with the minutae of coordinates, temperatures and depth soundings are beautifully poetic descriptions of an almost unreal landscape, of hallucinatory optical illusions, midnight football games, penguins, seals, and an obsession with all things ice.

ultimately ice does claim the endurance, and shackelton admits he'd anticipated it for months but been powerless.

the most heartbreaking part of the book is the men's feelings about having to shoot their beloved pets and sled dogs (some of who end up as food).

shackelton must have been a truly amazing man- to keep his crew sane and alive through years of the most inhospitable and dispiriting conditions, to travel vast distances by land and sea with the most pitiful of provisions, and finally to write of it with such modesty and grace is truly a great accomplishment of a more daring time.

I will recommend this book to all adventure and outdoor lovers. It is an eye opener to the amazing powers a human being has,i.e. will power. It a fantastic true story of human endurance and will power.

Shackleton's memoir is a treasure - an on-the-spot account of a great adventure. However, the book, for reasons that I cannot explain, lacks a map. From nearly the first page on, the text discusses the journey by presenting direction and distance from key points in the antarctic. Why would the publisher not put in a simple map so the reader does not have to go to another source while reading the book. I suppose one could just read the book as an adventure story and not mind where it is in the world, but why, when a map would add much more to the fun and interest. Since Shackleton refers to the race to the pole, the map could also show Scott's and Amundson's routes. It would not really have taken a great effort to provide it,I would think.