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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a great read. The characters are all interesting and flawed, but not so much that you hate reading about them. The language is lovely and really sweeps you in. The author makes a nice use of occasionally using other people's journal entries or news paper articles to give you a deeper sense of what some of the other characters are thinking, since it is basically third person of one particular character, which is a nice touch. I had fun reading this on vacation.
This book is many things- romance novel, historical fiction, action/adventure... and succeeds on all levels. I found myself totally caught up in rooting for the protagonist in spite of his relative meekness, timidity, and lack of gusto. He keeps getting wronged, keeps failing to stick up for himself, and yet somehow that makes the ending even more compelling. The arctic exploration parts, especially narratives of the Inuit/explorer interactions and the "arctic fever" of ordinary Americans during this period, are really interesting.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is the best book that I have ever abandoned (before I abandoned Moby Dick and The Idiot--this was probably hyperbole on my part). Major reading slump. I need to come back to this fresh when time permits. Very memorable characters that have stuck with me. How are they? What happened to them? Ran out of library renewals. . .
---updated Feb. 2014
Thanks to those who liked this review. I cannot figure out why as it was the ramblings of a madman in the throes of a book drought. Still, appreciated.
I have had the good fortune of going back to several books that I stopped mid-book, due to my fault and not the books. I have found brilliant audiobook versions of Moby Dick, The Voyage of the Narwhal, The Idiot, and a few others that have redeemed me. I was happy that I could restart with these characters, remind myself of their essences, and then continue on the journey they had. My only complaint would be that the character Zeke has a bit too much "badguy" painted all over him. It is just too easy to despise him. Almost everyone is flawed, but I begin to hate Zeke after not very long and could soon find few redeeming qualities. I also must be very dense because I did not see everything that was coming as so many have claimed. There are a lot of incidents and minor twists that I certainly did not predict. Perhaps that is my failing. Regardless, Barrett is a fine writer and this was an enjoyable read/listen. I give bonus points to books that can recapture my interest after several attempts (again my failing) and long periods of time (began in 2010). The Voyage of the Narwhal succeeded completely in that regard.
---updated Feb. 2014
Thanks to those who liked this review. I cannot figure out why as it was the ramblings of a madman in the throes of a book drought. Still, appreciated.
I have had the good fortune of going back to several books that I stopped mid-book, due to my fault and not the books. I have found brilliant audiobook versions of Moby Dick, The Voyage of the Narwhal, The Idiot, and a few others that have redeemed me. I was happy that I could restart with these characters, remind myself of their essences, and then continue on the journey they had. My only complaint would be that the character Zeke has a bit too much "badguy" painted all over him. It is just too easy to despise him. Almost everyone is flawed, but I begin to hate Zeke after not very long and could soon find few redeeming qualities. I also must be very dense because I did not see everything that was coming as so many have claimed. There are a lot of incidents and minor twists that I certainly did not predict. Perhaps that is my failing. Regardless, Barrett is a fine writer and this was an enjoyable read/listen. I give bonus points to books that can recapture my interest after several attempts (again my failing) and long periods of time (began in 2010). The Voyage of the Narwhal succeeded completely in that regard.
This book is many things- romance novel, historical fiction, action/adventure... and succeeds on all levels. I found myself totally caught up in rooting for the protagonist in spite of his relative meekness, timidity, and lack of gusto. He keeps getting wronged, keeps failing to stick up for himself, and yet somehow that makes the ending even more compelling. The arctic exploration parts, especially narratives of the Inuit/explorer interactions and the "arctic fever" of ordinary Americans during this period, are really interesting.
I picked this one up from the shelf of books recommended by the staff of my local library.
Excellent book, well-researched and well-written. Amazing setting of arctic exploration in the early 1850's. Enough detail to put me through the journey without dragging, even in the spans of time when the expedition was ice-bound. The characters were developed during the exploration and carried the plot after the return from the frozen north. The ending was perhaps a little abrupt, but otherwise a fantastic book. I'm going to read more by this author.
Excellent book, well-researched and well-written. Amazing setting of arctic exploration in the early 1850's. Enough detail to put me through the journey without dragging, even in the spans of time when the expedition was ice-bound. The characters were developed during the exploration and carried the plot after the return from the frozen north. The ending was perhaps a little abrupt, but otherwise a fantastic book. I'm going to read more by this author.
Overall 4.75
I will come back to this.. but overall I am really enjoying this book. I love it when authors provide lots of historical context with quotations and images/diagrams. I am also a HUGE fan of Thoreau, and love that one of the men on this expedition actually knew him. It makes Thoreau so much more real to me. Besides that little trinket, I think that so far the prose is beautiful, and does a wonderful job approximating the dialogue. There are some pieces of dialogue that I've been unsure about - the semantics and syntax used might be too modern. But I'd have to do more research into 1850's American English to find that out. I am an absolute sucker for any story about polar expedition, and this one fits the bill (so far). The best thing is that I had this book in paperback - it was gifted to me a couple years ago and I've had it on my shelf since, waiting for winter.
Added after finishing the book: wow, what a great novel. What was historical and what was invented flowed seamlessly together for a great tale. I especially love how the author explores (no pun intended) what happens after an expediting... The deceit, the fallout, the differing stories and race to get one's own perspective and research out there.
I will come back to this.. but overall I am really enjoying this book. I love it when authors provide lots of historical context with quotations and images/diagrams. I am also a HUGE fan of Thoreau, and love that one of the men on this expedition actually knew him. It makes Thoreau so much more real to me. Besides that little trinket, I think that so far the prose is beautiful, and does a wonderful job approximating the dialogue. There are some pieces of dialogue that I've been unsure about - the semantics and syntax used might be too modern. But I'd have to do more research into 1850's American English to find that out. I am an absolute sucker for any story about polar expedition, and this one fits the bill (so far). The best thing is that I had this book in paperback - it was gifted to me a couple years ago and I've had it on my shelf since, waiting for winter.
Added after finishing the book: wow, what a great novel. What was historical and what was invented flowed seamlessly together for a great tale. I especially love how the author explores (no pun intended) what happens after an expediting... The deceit, the fallout, the differing stories and race to get one's own perspective and research out there.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Boy, I don't know how to rate this one.
At first, I loved it. Then about a chapter into it, I realized this book is
neither history or historical fiction. I suddenly became very irritated with
it. I vowed to plug on.
I unexpectedly got quite caught up in the story (who will survive? who will
marry?) and followed it to the very end.
This author writes well. She tells a nice story.
But in the end, I didn't really care about the characters (oh, well, he
perished in the ice...)
This book reminds me of the way I felt about The Corrections. The author is
excellent at copying a paint-by-numbers picture onto another piece of paper
and painting in each part the right color. None of the numbers show. But
when you look at the picture, you know somehow that it was taken from
somewhere, that it wasn't drawn from the heart.
Does that make any sense?
I rate Voyage of the Narwhal a 7.
At first, I loved it. Then about a chapter into it, I realized this book is
neither history or historical fiction. I suddenly became very irritated with
it. I vowed to plug on.
I unexpectedly got quite caught up in the story (who will survive? who will
marry?) and followed it to the very end.
This author writes well. She tells a nice story.
But in the end, I didn't really care about the characters (oh, well, he
perished in the ice...)
This book reminds me of the way I felt about The Corrections. The author is
excellent at copying a paint-by-numbers picture onto another piece of paper
and painting in each part the right color. None of the numbers show. But
when you look at the picture, you know somehow that it was taken from
somewhere, that it wasn't drawn from the heart.
Does that make any sense?
I rate Voyage of the Narwhal a 7.