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thenaw's review against another edition
5.0
I went to see Gavin Francis speak at the lovely West Port Book Festival last month. Not only was it an engaging talk, but he handed around an emperor penguin egg (he didn't steal it from its penguin parent, he found it frozen on the ice). I can honestly say that holding a penguin egg is one of my most exciting moments of 2012.
(But then I've always had a soft spot for penguins.)
Anyway, I very much enjoyed Francis's account of his time as a base doctor in Antarctica. It's fascinating to read the details of everyday life, its difficulties and joys, in one of the most remote spots on the planet. Plus: plenty of penguins.
(But then I've always had a soft spot for penguins.)
Anyway, I very much enjoyed Francis's account of his time as a base doctor in Antarctica. It's fascinating to read the details of everyday life, its difficulties and joys, in one of the most remote spots on the planet. Plus: plenty of penguins.
karingforbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
On reread, I agree that he does not use commas or; as often as he should or appropriately. I do think I got more out of it the second time around because I was looking for it. I find the discussion around solitude and mental health in the Antarctic fascinating but there’s still something lacking in this book for me. I don’t know what it is. The writing is fine other than the commas but it’s not a book I would intentionally reread. I picked this up again because I didn’t remember reading it which says volumes.
Biggest complaint is how many times I had to reread sentences because there was a dearth of commas, which would have helped the rhythm. Otherwise, for a book with penguins on the front, it’s not as much about them as I wanted. That said, he’s a good writer, with a way to describe a scene that paints it beautifully. Liked metaphors maybe a little too much but I can forgive that. I did love reading about the history of Antarctica and humans and this man’s experience for one year in a remote place with no way out.
Biggest complaint is how many times I had to reread sentences because there was a dearth of commas, which would have helped the rhythm. Otherwise, for a book with penguins on the front, it’s not as much about them as I wanted. That said, he’s a good writer, with a way to describe a scene that paints it beautifully. Liked metaphors maybe a little too much but I can forgive that. I did love reading about the history of Antarctica and humans and this man’s experience for one year in a remote place with no way out.
quirpele's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
1.0
I really enjoyed reading this book but I think that's mostly due to loving Antarctica and not due to any particular skill of the author.
There's a part (p120.) where Francis lists some northern mythologies about the sun and its disappearance over winter (Inuit, Celtic, Norse) and then exclaims "it was extraordinary to witness this and know that it had no mythology here, that the landscape had been invested with no significance. No indigenous human society had tried to explain it or integrate it into their cosmology."
With the amount of reading that Francis has done, it's extraordinary that it was too difficult for him to look into these indigenous mythologies before claiming that they don't exist or explain the sun's movements over the seasons. The Māori, for example, live at about the same latitude as the Celts did, and the sun (and explanations for the different lengths of days) are certainly a part of their mythology.
Overall impression is that the book was offensively Euro-centric, which is pretty impressive for a book about the southern continent.
There's a part (p120.) where Francis lists some northern mythologies about the sun and its disappearance over winter (Inuit, Celtic, Norse) and then exclaims "it was extraordinary to witness this and know that it had no mythology here, that the landscape had been invested with no significance. No indigenous human society had tried to explain it or integrate it into their cosmology."
With the amount of reading that Francis has done, it's extraordinary that it was too difficult for him to look into these indigenous mythologies before claiming that they don't exist or explain the sun's movements over the seasons. The Māori, for example, live at about the same latitude as the Celts did, and the sun (and explanations for the different lengths of days) are certainly a part of their mythology.
Overall impression is that the book was offensively Euro-centric, which is pretty impressive for a book about the southern continent.
aisling_dunn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
clarel's review against another edition
5.0
My review: http://www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/2014/10/28/bookshelf-empire-antarctica/