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markhoh's review
5.0
“And then there is still another journey, or pilgrimage, North; this makes for nothing else but just the North; because there are birch trees and forests there, because grass grows there, and plenty of blessed water is sparkling there; because there is a silvery coolness there, and dewy mist, and altogether a beauty that is more tender and more severe than any other…”
What is it about the Arctic North that captivates both modern day and ancient exploration? Gavin Francis captures the intrigue, the history, the myth and saga of the European Arctic in ‘True North: Travels in Arctic Europe’ as he takes us on a voyage of epic proportions from the Shetland Islands to the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard and across Lapland. This is actually not just a travel anthology, it is a history book, geographic study, narrative, reflection, anthropological and socio-cultural commentary. It is a journey to the far flung regions of the extreme north, the habitation of the Hyporboreans, the search for Thule.
For me, ‘True North’ was an opportunity to dig deep into the part of the globe that I love so much and am truly quite enamoured with. The book reinforced so many things about some parts of the Arctic that I have read, gave me lots of new information to follow up and introduced me to some places that are now firmly on my To Be Visited list.
I was actually a bit sad when the book finished because I felt like I had shared an epic journey with Francis. I will definitely reread many parts of this one again.
Naturally 5 stars from me!
What is it about the Arctic North that captivates both modern day and ancient exploration? Gavin Francis captures the intrigue, the history, the myth and saga of the European Arctic in ‘True North: Travels in Arctic Europe’ as he takes us on a voyage of epic proportions from the Shetland Islands to the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard and across Lapland. This is actually not just a travel anthology, it is a history book, geographic study, narrative, reflection, anthropological and socio-cultural commentary. It is a journey to the far flung regions of the extreme north, the habitation of the Hyporboreans, the search for Thule.
For me, ‘True North’ was an opportunity to dig deep into the part of the globe that I love so much and am truly quite enamoured with. The book reinforced so many things about some parts of the Arctic that I have read, gave me lots of new information to follow up and introduced me to some places that are now firmly on my To Be Visited list.
I was actually a bit sad when the book finished because I felt like I had shared an epic journey with Francis. I will definitely reread many parts of this one again.
Naturally 5 stars from me!
imogenn's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Good travel writing, not great. This book is peppered with human/personal anecdotes, tales from mythology and well-researched historical accounts detailing arctic explorations of the past. There are some intelligent insights into life in the North, particularly with regard to the challenges posed by tourism and climate change, for example. I was slightly disappointed to find that the entire trip was undertaken during the summer/early autumn, but I suppose camping in Svalbard in January would have posed a whole other set of challenges...
(Bonus points for beautiful cover.)
Good travel writing, not great. This book is peppered with human/personal anecdotes, tales from mythology and well-researched historical accounts detailing arctic explorations of the past. There are some intelligent insights into life in the North, particularly with regard to the challenges posed by tourism and climate change, for example. I was slightly disappointed to find that the entire trip was undertaken during the summer/early autumn, but I suppose camping in Svalbard in January would have posed a whole other set of challenges...
(Bonus points for beautiful cover.)
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