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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
3 stars for the slow parts to slog through, a solid 4 for the rest.
Highlights for me were the chapters on the polar bear, the narwhal, Ice and Light and A Northern Passage. There is pretty much no aspect of the Arctic or of life that Lopez does not touch on. A thought-provoking read that's very easy to lose yourself in.
Highlights for me were the chapters on the polar bear, the narwhal, Ice and Light and A Northern Passage. There is pretty much no aspect of the Arctic or of life that Lopez does not touch on. A thought-provoking read that's very easy to lose yourself in.
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
Fantastic!!!
I really enjoyed Lopez's writing especially when he focused on the Arctic itself: the land, the animals and the peoples. The last couple chapters focusing on the explorers lacked the same philosophical and poetic voice of the earlier chapters and instead settled on the prosaic and common pragmatism of historical writers that prefer linear as opposed to quantum thinking. In the end however, I will read more from Lopez because those earlier chapters are magical in the prose.
I really enjoyed Lopez's writing especially when he focused on the Arctic itself: the land, the animals and the peoples. The last couple chapters focusing on the explorers lacked the same philosophical and poetic voice of the earlier chapters and instead settled on the prosaic and common pragmatism of historical writers that prefer linear as opposed to quantum thinking. In the end however, I will read more from Lopez because those earlier chapters are magical in the prose.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
The Arctic has captivated people for centuries, it has held the promise of wealth, is a place of unspoilt beauty whilst being one of the toughest places to survive in. It has drawn explorers and writers, adventurers and artists who use the landscape for inspiration. But it is an incredibly harsh environment; it takes no prisoners.
The celestial light on an arctic cusp
This hostile landscape is a place that Lopez has returned to time and time again to discover the people and animals that navigate and migrate across this land of ice. The ecosystem there is finely balanced and part of his story tells us how these closely interlocked systems are so susceptible to external influences, in particular with regards to climate. As well as writing about his journeys, we learn about the discoveries that were made by sailors and explorers over the past four hundred years, many of whom lost their lives as sailed into the freezing oceans. He describes his scientific observations, packing in details about the millions of birds and animals in the region.
Jet-black guillemots streaking over the white ice
I loved the landscape parts of the book, his eye for details on the landscape and the people are really good, and the writing comes across so well you could be there watching the aurora borealis with him. His writing is clear and concise, without being too showy. Whilst I understand it is important to set the context of how we came to know this place, there was a little too much history for a travel and nature book really, and I would have preferred much more on the landscape. It was worth reading, but I have read better though.
The celestial light on an arctic cusp
This hostile landscape is a place that Lopez has returned to time and time again to discover the people and animals that navigate and migrate across this land of ice. The ecosystem there is finely balanced and part of his story tells us how these closely interlocked systems are so susceptible to external influences, in particular with regards to climate. As well as writing about his journeys, we learn about the discoveries that were made by sailors and explorers over the past four hundred years, many of whom lost their lives as sailed into the freezing oceans. He describes his scientific observations, packing in details about the millions of birds and animals in the region.
Jet-black guillemots streaking over the white ice
I loved the landscape parts of the book, his eye for details on the landscape and the people are really good, and the writing comes across so well you could be there watching the aurora borealis with him. His writing is clear and concise, without being too showy. Whilst I understand it is important to set the context of how we came to know this place, there was a little too much history for a travel and nature book really, and I would have preferred much more on the landscape. It was worth reading, but I have read better though.
"Eskimos do not maintain this intimacy with nature without paying a certain price. When I have thought about the ways in which they differ from people in my own culture, I have realized that they are more afraid than we are. On a day-to-day basis, they have more fear. Not of being dumped into cold water from an ‘umiak,’ not a debilitating fear. They are afraid because they accept fully what is violent and tragic in nature. It is a fear tied to their knowledge that sudden, cataclysmic events are as much a part of life, of really living, as are the moments when one pauses to look at something beautiful. A Central Eskimo shaman named Aua, queried by Knud Rasmussen about Eskimo beliefs answered, 'We do not believe. We fear.'"
"Many people claim that the aurora makes a sound, a muffled swish or 'a whistling and crackling noise, like the waving of a large flag on a fresh fale of wind,' as the explorer Samuel Hearne wrote. And some Eskimos say 'the lights' will respond to a gentle whistling and come nearer. They easily evoke feelings of awe and tenderness; the most remarkable effect they seem to have, however, is to draw a viewer emotionally up and out of himself, because they throw the sky into a third dimension, on such a vast scale, in such a beautiful way, that they make the emotion of self-pity impossible."
"Many people claim that the aurora makes a sound, a muffled swish or 'a whistling and crackling noise, like the waving of a large flag on a fresh fale of wind,' as the explorer Samuel Hearne wrote. And some Eskimos say 'the lights' will respond to a gentle whistling and come nearer. They easily evoke feelings of awe and tenderness; the most remarkable effect they seem to have, however, is to draw a viewer emotionally up and out of himself, because they throw the sky into a third dimension, on such a vast scale, in such a beautiful way, that they make the emotion of self-pity impossible."