Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 69
 Incredible account... so vivid October 10, 2009
R. Christensen (Big Timber, MT USA)
I was introduced to this book by Alvah's nephew, who is a friend of mine. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. This account of polar exploration not only describes the technical challenge, but Alvah Simon's beautiful prose conveys more--the deep, dark, personal cold he felt isolated for months alone in the arctic, with only the cat, Halifax, to keep him company. I found this book to be an incredible tale of humanity- and by reading Alvah's understanding of solitude I was better able to understand it for myself. Additionally, he accounts his interaction with the native inuit tribes, which also sheds a unique and deeply personal light on these cultures that are very different from our own.
(The touching humor and descriptions of the "polar bear detector", aka Halifax the Cat, are indescribable! Read this book!)
This book was impossible to put down, and while well-known in sailing circles I believe it is one of the finest novels I have read. I recommend very highly...5/5 stars!
 interior landscapes and the arctic September 13, 2009
Sky Myers (Washington, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I enjoyed this book thoroughly, as a sailor (some of his problem solving is brilliant), as a writer( he can be poetic in his descriptions of both the arctic and his interior landscapes) and as a seeker (he cannot explain why, but he just must do it). I read the other reviews in which the author is portrayed as an egomaniac and Ceasar-like in his self absorption. But I think Simon gave us a strong hint in his sub-title "A spiritual Odyssey in the Arctic," that this was not going to be simply an adventure of a physical and geographical type, so I felt fully warned that it would be a deeply introspective piece of writing. Those who do not want to read about a spiritual journey and mainly want the adventure aspect, will likely not enjoy the book as much. Spending months alone in the dark polar night in which even leaving his small boat was risking his life, was bound to cause him to self-reflect. Yes, Simon may be an egomaniac, but no more than other adventurers, extreme sport enthusiasts, or those seeking to break records. Simon, however, recognizes that his ego is out of control, and this is where he is different from many others who embark on these crazy life-threatening missions. Something in him longs to be humbled, hence he puts himself through extreme tests one after another, actually courting disaster. And yes, I found myself asking "Why? Why risk your life and your wife's for this crazy vague idea of a 'real' adventure?" But then asking this only ensured that I would read on to find out.
Students of mysticism will recognize that the drive to go into isolation and to face one's deepest fears is often what is necessary to come to grips with one's true nature. This is what Simon sought, and I suspect, ultimately found. Like many others who have gone to the edge of themselves, Simon does not emerge with a message per se, but rather with deeper gratitude and appreciation for the environment, native peoples, the fragility of Arctic wildlife, and even his own family.
 I wanted to like it... September 13, 2009
SPIRIT SNIPER (USA)
This would have been a decent adventure book, but I found the premise to be absurd. Why go up to the Arctic in the dead of winter, at the very worst time of year, and put yourself and others at risk in a clearly egotistical and irresponsible quasi-spiritual quest. This would have been different had he heeded the numerous warnings given by authorities and other folks who are actually familiar with the dangers of travel and survival in the Arctic circle. Instead, the author gets himself and his boat trapped in the winter ice, and is barely able to hang on for survival through many months of subzero temperatures and tempestuous weather. The guy is insane. He clearly has issues with needing to prove himself in dangerous circumstances, and has the gall to assert his own deranged psychology on those who have a far clearer picture of the reality of the situation he was walking into. Far from an inspiring travel story, this is insipid literature trying to assert spiritual oneness with frostbite and polar bear attacks. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you enjoy impulsiveness and lack of sound judgment.
 "Adventurer" is another word for "Egomaniac" January 22, 2009
Hunkpapa (Madison, WI)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
My daughter got me this book for Christmas, because her science teacher had recommended it and because she knows of my interest in Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica. Well, Alvah Simon is no Ernest Shackleton. Although I enjoyed the book whenever it focused on the environment or the fascinating lives of the native Inuk people, those moments were all too brief, as Alvah Simon is most comfortable talking about himself and his needs. He proudly describes himself as "an adventurer," but in reality he is a raging egomaniac with an extreme case of Narcissistic Peronality Disorder. The world exists only for him to conquer, apparently, and in his obsessive drive to experience an Arctic winter he doesn't care who he inconveniences or concerns or puts out. Other people are merely extensions of his own bloated ego, including and especially his wife, who inexplicably tolerates his down-to-the-bone dishonesty, deep-seated rage, incapacity for self-reflection and complete disregard for her safety or well-being. Has the lovely Diana never noticed his habit of agreeing with her cautious approach to their journey, only to reveal once they are past the point of no return that he is only going to do things HIS way, and has always intended to do so? The book is astonishing, not for the grandeur of the arctic adventure, but for the portrait of a spoiled man-child who will go to any lengths to get what he wants.
Dense but worthy.... December 29, 2008
M. Levin (Baltimore, MD)
I took my time reading this arctic journey. It is a well-written saga - factual and spritual. I was a little taken back with the bear account towards the end and I have trouble believing its authenticity. Simon's machismo was also a tiring at times. Nevertheless, my hats off to this adventurous couple and their ability to reach their goals!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 69
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