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kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
4.0
Ann Turner’s Out of the Ice uses the point of view of environmentalist Laura Alvarado to reveal both the wonder and the threats within this amazing landscape: Newtown Review of Books
tonyriver's review against another edition
4.0
Great read. I really enjoyed Turners second novel. The characters are solid and interesting, the scenery stunning and the story keeps the reader truly engaged and wondering. Antarctica is one of the heroes of the story with evocative descriptions of the landscape and fauna.
Laura, the protagonist who tells the story, is interesting and intelligent. Support crew are also strong with just a little edge of wondering who are the goodies and not!
I was also fascinated to have a significant insight by the end of the book into the details of whaling settlements, long abandoned, that form a core to the story.
The writing is good and I feel a significant increase in skill and confidence from the author debut novel The lost swimmer.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Net Galley for a chance to read an early copy.
Laura, the protagonist who tells the story, is interesting and intelligent. Support crew are also strong with just a little edge of wondering who are the goodies and not!
I was also fascinated to have a significant insight by the end of the book into the details of whaling settlements, long abandoned, that form a core to the story.
The writing is good and I feel a significant increase in skill and confidence from the author debut novel The lost swimmer.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Net Galley for a chance to read an early copy.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. An eerie thriller set in Antarctica. Only that drove me into the story and I was very intrigued by it. It was a decent thriller but wasn't as nail bitingly exciting I had hoped but it was a good book to relax with in the end of the day
bianca89279's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
This was a bit of a mixed bag.
To be honest, I was reluctant to read this novel, because I couldn't imagine being that entertained by a story set in the Antarctica, but it came highly recommended by some GR friends, so I decided to request it on NetGalley.
Luckily, Out of the Ice was much more interesting than I expected it to be.
I've learned a fair bit about the research stations and their operations. Also, I've learnt some things about the fauna. That was all absorbing. Ann Turner's views on the environment and the destruction caused by humans are apparent. That won her some brownie points. Brownie points were given for bringing to light the misogynism and double standards prevalent in the academic world. Why would the smart men be any different to the not-so-smart men, right?
The writing is kind of uneven, swaying from beautiful descriptive language to information dumping. At times, I found the first person narration grating and, occasionally, a bit mechanical, which I guess matched the academic brain of our marine biologist narrator, Laura Alvarado.
Also, there are some far-fetched scenarios and too convenient coincidences that I couldn't quite come to grips with. I would get into more details, but that would give away too much, and I don't want to spoil it for you.
The last third of the novel picks up the pace a great deal, and lots of things happen, in my view, a bit too many. Laura Alvaro seems to not get much sleep throughout the novel, while in Antartica or when jetting around the world, from Antartica to the USA, then to Italy and back to Antartica.
The ending is a bit too tidy and too happy-ever-after-ish, which I'm sure many will find very fulfilling. My cynical brain was a reluctant buyer.
Nevertheless, I'm glad I read it, as it was engaging enough, I just wish I had been able to suspend my disbelief a little bit more than I did.
3.5 stars
I've received this novel via Netgalley. Many thanks to the publishers, Simon & Schuster, who were so kind to allow me to read and review this novel.
Cover: 5 stars
This was a bit of a mixed bag.
To be honest, I was reluctant to read this novel, because I couldn't imagine being that entertained by a story set in the Antarctica, but it came highly recommended by some GR friends, so I decided to request it on NetGalley.
Luckily, Out of the Ice was much more interesting than I expected it to be.
I've learned a fair bit about the research stations and their operations. Also, I've learnt some things about the fauna. That was all absorbing. Ann Turner's views on the environment and the destruction caused by humans are apparent. That won her some brownie points. Brownie points were given for bringing to light the misogynism and double standards prevalent in the academic world. Why would the smart men be any different to the not-so-smart men, right?
The writing is kind of uneven, swaying from beautiful descriptive language to information dumping. At times, I found the first person narration grating and, occasionally, a bit mechanical, which I guess matched the academic brain of our marine biologist narrator, Laura Alvarado.
Also, there are some far-fetched scenarios and too convenient coincidences that I couldn't quite come to grips with. I would get into more details, but that would give away too much, and I don't want to spoil it for you.
The last third of the novel picks up the pace a great deal, and lots of things happen, in my view, a bit too many. Laura Alvaro seems to not get much sleep throughout the novel, while in Antartica or when jetting around the world, from Antartica to the USA, then to Italy and back to Antartica.
The ending is a bit too tidy and too happy-ever-after-ish, which I'm sure many will find very fulfilling. My cynical brain was a reluctant buyer.
Nevertheless, I'm glad I read it, as it was engaging enough, I just wish I had been able to suspend my disbelief a little bit more than I did.
3.5 stars
I've received this novel via Netgalley. Many thanks to the publishers, Simon & Schuster, who were so kind to allow me to read and review this novel.
Cover: 5 stars
charf47's review against another edition
4.0
An exciting mystery in a fascinatingly beautiful setting.
vulpeculex's review against another edition
3.5
this was a fun read. i really enjoyed the setting as it’s one i’ve never read about before and the mystery was very intriguing
jaclynday's review
4.0
Creepy, fun, and full of red herrings. Since it’s set in Antarctica, it’s the ideal late summer thriller. The characters are always cold. It rubs off.
see_sadie_read's review
2.0
Spoiler alert
Let me say early on that my low rating is a reflection of the fact that I did not like the book, not necessarily that it's a poorly written book. I suppose you could say that it's a subjective, rather than objecting rating.
The issue was largely that, despite the stunning descriptions of nature, the book didn't hold my attention. I was bored a lot of the time and I found Laura's thoughts repetitive. Then, with about 100 pages to go, I set the book aside and read three other ones before forcing myself back to finish it. The problem was that in addition to the things I listed above, it became obvious that the hinted mystery was going to be a pedophilia ring and I both didn't want to face reading it and felt horribly disappointed that Turner chose such an over-used, tritely salacious climax. All in all, I'm just glad to be finished with it.
Let me say early on that my low rating is a reflection of the fact that I did not like the book, not necessarily that it's a poorly written book. I suppose you could say that it's a subjective, rather than objecting rating.
The issue was largely that, despite the stunning descriptions of nature, the book didn't hold my attention. I was bored a lot of the time and I found Laura's thoughts repetitive. Then, with about 100 pages to go, I set the book aside and read three other ones before forcing myself back to finish it. The problem was that in addition to the things I listed above, it became obvious that the hinted mystery was going to be a pedophilia ring and I both didn't want to face reading it and felt horribly disappointed that Turner chose such an over-used, tritely salacious climax. All in all, I'm just glad to be finished with it.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘There was no normal in Antarctica.’
Laura Alvarado is an environmental scientist working in Antarctica. She is sent to an outpost on a remote Antarctic island to report on an abandoned Norwegian whaling station, as part of an environmental impact assessment. But nothing is as it seems in this place. From the beginning,
Laura finds she is treated as an outsider. And when she travels to the whaling station, the wildlife behaves strangely. There are signs of recent human interference around the whaling station, yet no one is supposed to have been there. What is going on?
Laura and a colleague become separated while on a diving expedition. Laura enters an ice cave, and is sure that she sees a boy, crying for help. Reunited with her colleague, they can find no sign of any other human. But Laura doesn’t give up easily.
‘Someone’s tampered with my property. In a zone where no one’s meant to be, in a place where I’m not allowed.’
Laura’s search for information takes her from Antarctica to Nantucket, and then to Europe. The abandoned whaling station has its own history. Finding out about that history will enable Laura to face some issues of her own as well as to find out just what is going on.
I enjoyed this novel, as I enjoyed Ms Turner’s first novel. Her descriptions of Antarctica and of the abandoned whaling station had me hooked early. The history of the whaling station kept me reading. Like Laura, I was keen to find answers. But, and without introducing spoilers, there were a couple of aspects of the story that didn’t really work well for me. By this stage, though, the story had so much momentum that I couldn’t have put it down. I love Ms Turner’s writing, the way in which she creates the atmosphere, the space in which to tell a story.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Laura Alvarado is an environmental scientist working in Antarctica. She is sent to an outpost on a remote Antarctic island to report on an abandoned Norwegian whaling station, as part of an environmental impact assessment. But nothing is as it seems in this place. From the beginning,
Laura finds she is treated as an outsider. And when she travels to the whaling station, the wildlife behaves strangely. There are signs of recent human interference around the whaling station, yet no one is supposed to have been there. What is going on?
Laura and a colleague become separated while on a diving expedition. Laura enters an ice cave, and is sure that she sees a boy, crying for help. Reunited with her colleague, they can find no sign of any other human. But Laura doesn’t give up easily.
‘Someone’s tampered with my property. In a zone where no one’s meant to be, in a place where I’m not allowed.’
Laura’s search for information takes her from Antarctica to Nantucket, and then to Europe. The abandoned whaling station has its own history. Finding out about that history will enable Laura to face some issues of her own as well as to find out just what is going on.
I enjoyed this novel, as I enjoyed Ms Turner’s first novel. Her descriptions of Antarctica and of the abandoned whaling station had me hooked early. The history of the whaling station kept me reading. Like Laura, I was keen to find answers. But, and without introducing spoilers, there were a couple of aspects of the story that didn’t really work well for me. By this stage, though, the story had so much momentum that I couldn’t have put it down. I love Ms Turner’s writing, the way in which she creates the atmosphere, the space in which to tell a story.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
lamusadelils's review
3.0
Buenísima atmósfera, exacerbada por la locación y el flujo acelerado de la historia. Pero ya me conocen, detesto el romance innecesario y en este caso además mal desarrollado porque prácticamente fue más misterio adivinar con cual de los personajes iba a terminar nuestra protagonista que descifrar las pistas de lo que estaba pasando.