The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition

The details from the time the Endurance sank through the arrival of the James Caird at South Georgia are vivid, putting to use the very personal feelings and perspectives from the crew members. She also does an excellent job in "fleshing out" the men's personalities, along with their quirks and rivalries. She uses quotes from some of the "less important" members as other writers have not.

I found the short excerpts of the men's lives after the journey until their deaths absolutely fascinating. This part, along with the previous descriptions and photos added to my feeling that these were real men and not just some caricatures from an anecdotal story left over from someone's fading memory.

This book will eventually replace Lansing's Endurance as the most popular source of this great story.


Ever felt like you faced insurmountable odds?   November 1, 1998
karasdad (Bellevue, WA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I've read a lot of stuff in the past on Sir Ernest Shackleton's courageous ordeal in the Antarctic and have seen the PBS show a couple of times so I was a bit skeptical of being able to find any new material on this South Pole explorer. I was inspired by the feature in this month's National Geographic magazine which provided a glimpse of the book. Caroline Alexander does a superb job of putting human faces to each of the expedition members. The easy reading narrative is seamless and compelling enough to keep turning the pages even though you already know the outcome. The previously unreleased photos from expedition photographer Frank Hurley are reason enough to own this book. It's also a great introduction for your friends who might not be familiar with the story. It is rich enough to be a coffee table book and invites casual browsers to open and read. It makes a great gift book for Christmas. It's an inspirational story is one that I love to tell.