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milliemary's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
owenglasgow's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
iamnobird's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
denishaskin's review against another edition
4.0
First 9/10ths were five stars, I didn't want to stop reading. The last bit, disappointing and rushed.
bartvanovermeire's review
3.0
A good book but while it already showed some promise, it's not up to the high standard of her later books. The theme (a group of archeologists stuck in Greenland while a pandemic might or might not be raging across the US and Europe) and my mood didn't match that well, either (or maybe they did, too much).
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
Over the last few years I have really enjoyed discovering Sarah moss's writing beginning with the brilliant Tidal zone and then the trilogy beginning with Night waking so I decided to try this one of earliest novels which set in 2009 someone presciently envisages a global pandemic.
the story is of 5 very different individuals who meet for different reasons on an archaeological dig in Greenland. Told from each individual's perspective we learn that as they start to unearth an ancient burial site a global pandemic is spreading rapidly around the world. In the opening chapter Nina's tale is also interspersed with accounts of how the Greenlanders on the site died and as Nina becomes increasingly unnerved by the bodies, by hunger, fear for her loved ones , and paranoia we don't know if she is haunted by real ghosts or is becoming unwell.
The remaining chapters show the camp's slow descent as they becoming increasingly cold and hungry and fear that the scheduled plane to remove them may never arrive.
With all the style points that will form part of her later writing Sarah Moss evokes history and the isolated landscape and an unusual setting of the archaeological dig to create a perfect picture of how character can rapidly disintegrate in tense situations.
the story is of 5 very different individuals who meet for different reasons on an archaeological dig in Greenland. Told from each individual's perspective we learn that as they start to unearth an ancient burial site a global pandemic is spreading rapidly around the world. In the opening chapter Nina's tale is also interspersed with accounts of how the Greenlanders on the site died and as Nina becomes increasingly unnerved by the bodies, by hunger, fear for her loved ones , and paranoia we don't know if she is haunted by real ghosts or is becoming unwell.
The remaining chapters show the camp's slow descent as they becoming increasingly cold and hungry and fear that the scheduled plane to remove them may never arrive.
With all the style points that will form part of her later writing Sarah Moss evokes history and the isolated landscape and an unusual setting of the archaeological dig to create a perfect picture of how character can rapidly disintegrate in tense situations.
chrissireads's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book although I thought it was quite disturbing in points. It isn't something that I would usually read but I found it gripping. It's a fairly short book and well worth reading.
emilybh's review
4.0
'I found a couple of shells, white against the dark stones, and added them to my pile [...] The sky was dark and shiny like the inside of a mussel shell and sea was quiet, waves lapping like little tongues on the beach and the water out past the rocks moving smoothly as fur.'
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I've loved reading Sarah Moss' novels over the past few years, so it was strange when I realised the one I hadn't yet read is her first, about a group of archaeologists on a remote site in Greenland who lose contact with the outside world as a pandemic begins. In Cold Earth I found her writing unsettling, strange and beautiful as always, whilst the present parallels with the wider plot made it hard to put down.
.
I've loved reading Sarah Moss' novels over the past few years, so it was strange when I realised the one I hadn't yet read is her first, about a group of archaeologists on a remote site in Greenland who lose contact with the outside world as a pandemic begins. In Cold Earth I found her writing unsettling, strange and beautiful as always, whilst the present parallels with the wider plot made it hard to put down.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
2.0
This was a very interesting read - about a group of people in Greenland on a "dig." Each chapter is told from one of the group's point of view. This is an enjoyable concept IF you can feel convinced that each excerpt IS a different voice. However, for me personally, they all sounded a bit samey, with the exception of Ruth, who I found the most intriguing character. I left the book feeling like it had so much potential but it could have been better.