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amysbrittain's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars for the details of the frigid Arctic wilderness and the dangers and constant uncomfortable inconveniences of traveling through it. Not wholly satisfied by the father-daughter relationship element--but the author (the father) noted that when you're trudging along or paddling furiously or fighting to stay warm enough and fed enough to live, there isn't a lot of time for chatting--but there was some interesting self discovery and growth, as well as bonding through shared hardship, taking in the sometimes harsh surrounding natural beauty, and meeting the challenge of just getting from point A to point B.
For their first trip, they had a big adventure planned, but then the dad's cousin called and instead of the adventure they went to the Alaskan backcountry to build a cabin for this demanding taskmaster and hand-strip logs and sleep in a tent for weeks. Clouds of mosquitoes, using a bucket for a toilet instead of rafting and seeing the majesty of Alaskan vistas. As soon as that plan B was proposed, I was screaming, "NOOOOO!" on their behalf. But when they said yes, I was like, "YOUR MISTAKE, SUCKERS! I'M GOING TO SIT BY MY FIRE IN MY COZY LEGGINGS WITH MY CAT AND MY SNACKS AND READ ABOUT YOUR INTENSE DISCOMFORT." And that is what I did.
For their first trip, they had a big adventure planned, but then the dad's cousin called and instead of the adventure they went to the Alaskan backcountry to build a cabin for this demanding taskmaster and hand-strip logs and sleep in a tent for weeks. Clouds of mosquitoes, using a bucket for a toilet instead of rafting and seeing the majesty of Alaskan vistas. As soon as that plan B was proposed, I was screaming, "NOOOOO!" on their behalf. But when they said yes, I was like, "YOUR MISTAKE, SUCKERS! I'M GOING TO SIT BY MY FIRE IN MY COZY LEGGINGS WITH MY CAT AND MY SNACKS AND READ ABOUT YOUR INTENSE DISCOMFORT." And that is what I did.
cwileygo's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book. Listened to the audiobook... helped me confirm my desire to explore the wild as often as I can with our kids as long as I’m able.
lmfm's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this book. It's a mix of travelogue, a description of a dying way of life in Alaska, and parenting guide for teenagers.
hrhkatherine's review against another edition
4.0
When I picked this book up, I thought that it would be more like the third part than the first two, but I wound up really enjoying it! James is a powerful writer and I enjoyed his insights into his families relationships. I find myself enjoying more and more wilderness focused books that describe the wildness of nature in such a tender way.
bethwalser's review against another edition
4.0
Such a great adventure novel, full of love and hope. The author truly transports you to the Alaskan frontier with him and his daughter to experience the beauty and the challenges they faced on both of their trips there
jenwichita's review against another edition
I found out the daughter went to a private school and Yale.
labtracks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm all for the wildness novels. I'm also all for a good bonding book between parent and child. This was just blah for me. It's a good story so I'm not sure what's missing. Perhaps it's the writing style, I'm not sure, but this just missed the mark for me.
hmonkeyreads's review against another edition
3.0
I've been fascinated by the TV show "The Last Alaskans" about a few folks who live subsistence life out in the Alaskan Wildlife Reserve area above the arctic circle so when I discovered a book that included some of the Last Alaskans on the day I received my Amazon lawsuit credit, I couldn't resist buying it.
If you enjoy Alaska and the outdoors and have a soft spot for wilderness memoir (as I do) you will probably enjoy this book about a middle aged guy and his teenaged daughter that visit Alaska three times (to build a cabin, to hunt in the winter, and to hike & paddle a river) and each time stay for several weeks.
I think I enjoyed this more because I know the area where they were and some of the characters (Heimo & Edna) from the show. By the end of part three, the river trip, I was bored and ready to be finished with the whole thing, but I suspect that's because I don't know much about paddling so much of the description about how to run rapids and line a boat were boring to me. You might love that part!
I was amazed and impressed by the author's daughter and how much she was willing and able to do at such a young age.
If you enjoy Alaska and the outdoors and have a soft spot for wilderness memoir (as I do) you will probably enjoy this book about a middle aged guy and his teenaged daughter that visit Alaska three times (to build a cabin, to hunt in the winter, and to hike & paddle a river) and each time stay for several weeks.
I think I enjoyed this more because I know the area where they were and some of the characters (Heimo & Edna) from the show. By the end of part three, the river trip, I was bored and ready to be finished with the whole thing, but I suspect that's because I don't know much about paddling so much of the description about how to run rapids and line a boat were boring to me. You might love that part!
I was amazed and impressed by the author's daughter and how much she was willing and able to do at such a young age.
debi_g's review against another edition
3.0
As someone who can slip back into the dialect, I enjoyed the occasional Wisconsin speech patterns. I also reveled in learning the term "fernwah," for I so often languish with it.
This book does well to represent the hardships of wilderness while explaining why enduring those difficulties is worthwhile.
I want an update on Aidan's life, but I also respect her privacy.
This book does well to represent the hardships of wilderness while explaining why enduring those difficulties is worthwhile.
I want an update on Aidan's life, but I also respect her privacy.