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horrorhomebodies's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.25
The writing does the story justice, but it can be incredibly hard to follow at parts with all of the people’s names and situations. It’s an incredible piece of history worth the read.
djkramer's review against another edition
3.0
Dual timeline 1942/43 and present. The story of the rescue was interesting--the later recovery not nearly as much.
cornmaven's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting story of several plane crews confronted with the rather unforgiving and punishing Greenland environment. It is at once a survival story and a document of how success very often depends on sheer luck. Zuckoff moves back and forth between the story of how the disasters (yes, multiple) happened and the modern day tale of trying to recover one of the downed aircraft and its crew.
I listened to this and found Zuckoff's reading to be engrossing and dynamic. There were points when he got a little too carried away with the drama, and it was hard to remember all of the names he had to mention, but overall it was a good "read." As you move through the story you gain a new appreciation for how much some humans can endure; it's pretty amazing. I am pretty sure I would have not have made it.
The modern part of the tale also reflects how many talented, creative, seemingly opposite and rather unique people can work together to achieve a major goal.
I listened to this and found Zuckoff's reading to be engrossing and dynamic. There were points when he got a little too carried away with the drama, and it was hard to remember all of the names he had to mention, but overall it was a good "read." As you move through the story you gain a new appreciation for how much some humans can endure; it's pretty amazing. I am pretty sure I would have not have made it.
The modern part of the tale also reflects how many talented, creative, seemingly opposite and rather unique people can work together to achieve a major goal.
msladyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and War
sevenlefts's review against another edition
3.0
I vaguely remember hearing about this event in a book I read about survival, but I'd kind of forgotten about it. How could I?
Zuckoff entertwines the tale of WWII Coast Guard and Army Air Force personnel crashed and stranded in eastern Greenland with a recent expedition to locate the wreckage and remains. I felt like the modern-day characters, with the exception of a few, were kind of glossed over. I didn't mind too much, though, because the WWII story was so compelling.
The story makes for some heartbreaking reading. I marveled at the ingenuity of men who could cobble together radios out of parts, figure out how to build relatively comfy snow caves, and at a fundamental leve, figure out ways to get along with each other in extreme conditions. The number of planes and personnel involved got a bit overwhelming, as they rescuers became the rescued and military brass tried to figure out how to haul men off the Greenland icecap by dogsled, tractor and planes. It's a bit sad that none of the men who endured this lived to see the results of the modern-day recovery team.
The rescue attempt is compelling as well, once it gets out on the ice. The modern group might not have had the same discipline and stamina as the men from 70 years ago, but they were just as resourceful when everything seemed to be going wrong.
Zuckoff entertwines the tale of WWII Coast Guard and Army Air Force personnel crashed and stranded in eastern Greenland with a recent expedition to locate the wreckage and remains. I felt like the modern-day characters, with the exception of a few, were kind of glossed over. I didn't mind too much, though, because the WWII story was so compelling.
The story makes for some heartbreaking reading. I marveled at the ingenuity of men who could cobble together radios out of parts, figure out how to build relatively comfy snow caves, and at a fundamental leve, figure out ways to get along with each other in extreme conditions. The number of planes and personnel involved got a bit overwhelming, as they rescuers became the rescued and military brass tried to figure out how to haul men off the Greenland icecap by dogsled, tractor and planes. It's a bit sad that none of the men who endured this lived to see the results of the modern-day recovery team.
The rescue attempt is compelling as well, once it gets out on the ice. The modern group might not have had the same discipline and stamina as the men from 70 years ago, but they were just as resourceful when everything seemed to be going wrong.
queenbethie's review against another edition
4.0
A stunning and fascinating exploration of military plane crashes in Greenland during WWII and the men who lived, died, and survived. I had a hard time putting the book down and did a little additional research to answer some questions I had. I recommend this book.
jo_chum's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
4.0
zogg's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75