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fates_fables_golem's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
3.75
I adored the first part of this, it was everything I wanted. The second half (after the main story was concluded) wasn’t as interesting to me. Really interesting further information at the back of the book too.
tony_t's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
"South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917" by Ernest Shackleton is, for me, the ultimate story of exploration generally and polar exploration specifically. I first read an abridged version of Alfred Lansing's "Shackleton's Valiant Voyage" while I was in junior high school. I also read "Endurance" by Caroline Alexander. Needless to say I am fascinated by this expedition which, while technically an absolute failure, was none-the-less one of the most impressive tales of survival, perseverance and leadership. Highly recommended.
tmah23's review against another edition
Shackleton’s matter-of-fact writing style detracts from an amazing story. The Endurance expedition ends with >80 pages to go, at which point I lost interest.
nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition
I have some regret that I don’t intend to continue reading this because so many of the reviews are five stars, citing the unbelievable story, as well as Shackleton’s surprisingly effective writing. However, as I listened to the narration that I got as an educator ALC from libro.fm, I’m just not actually that engaged or interested in Arctic exploration. I am sure that the story is fascinating, but I think I’d rather listen to an hour long podcast and read the wWikipedia article than listen to the 15 hours of Shackleton’s first-person account.
r_omulus's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Fridtjof Nansen nods: i forgot to keep track 😭
emclougher's review against another edition
4.0
To be honest, I only picked this book up because the Canadian Armed Forces insists on quoting it every time they give the yearly briefing on Ethics, Values, and Leadership. I expected it to be dry and factual, but I was delighted to find that Ernest Shackleton is actually very funny. While there were some passages that were dry scientific observations of position and weather and drift, the book mainly focused on the human relationships on the journey, and brought a warmth and humour to the Antarctic that made it a thoroughly enjoyable read.
rossborkett's review against another edition
4.0
What an incredible story!! The ability to survive in such an environment is quite incredible, esp considering this was over 100 years ago now. Written by Shackleton himself you can tell he is an explorer (this won’t win any writing awards) but is fairly accessible and easy to follow. And there are parts that are so incredible you just want to get to the end of the chapter. And it’s free on kindle.