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ecclemon's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
mimster's review against another edition
4.0
Good, v well written as everything by him. Nice to see Tam and Duncan thanked in acknowledgments!
ohnoflora's review against another edition
4.0
I spent a lovely sunny Spring afternoon finishing Gavin Francis' lyrical account of Antarctic darkness and light. That bleak but beautiful place seems a world apart from the bustling city but Francis' prose - lucid, engaging, enthusiastic - brought it nearer.
mazza57's review against another edition
4.0
This was a brilliant portrait of a life lived in Antarctica. Gavin Francis takes a job as Doctor at an Antarctic station, although doctoring is the least of his activities. He writes well and his experiences portray the awe, delight and excitement of a young child as the interact with the world. I thought there was a little too much of the history of past antarctic travellers and not enough of his experiences otherwise this would have been a 5 star for sure
liralen's review against another edition
4.0
In late 2002, Francis arrived in Antarctica to take on a job like no other: physician at Halley Research Station. In these remote wilds—with only fourteen winter-over residents and, fortunately for everyone, very little doctoring to do—he sank into the isolation with something like relief.
Lindsay and I picked up medical supplies as they arrived on the depot line and prepared field medical boxes for the staff who would spend the six-week summer out on the ice, ‘deep field’, doing research. She showed me the emergency supplies secreted around base, contingencies in case the main platform burned down. We pulled out and assembled every type of stretcher, splint and machine hidden in the medical-room cupboards. There was a guide to penguin taxidermy and a neurosurgical drill pack. (72)
Like [b:Jerri Nielsen|569972|Ice Bound A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole|Jerri Nielsen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348618084l/569972._SY75_.jpg|2154295], Francis had to be prepared for just about any medical emergency; unlike Nielsen, he had very little official doctoring work to do (see: fourteen winter-over residents), and so he spent much of his time reading, helping out around the base wherever an extra set of hands was useful, and studying penguins.
Almost nothing is known about the rise and fall of different emperor colonies. Only fifty years ago just four emperor rookeries were known. That number has edged up slowly as ever more comprehensive surveys, mostly by air, have cross-hatched the continent. For rookeries to be visible they must be counted in late winter or spring, a time when most of the continental fringe is inaccessible. Groups of penguins are invisible from sea level more than a few kilometers away. By 1993 it was thought that there were perhaps thirty-two emperor colonies worldwide, but this estimate was said to have a significant ‘location bias’ – biased towards locations that could actually be reached. (214)
It's with some ambivalence that Francis describes leaving Antarctica at the end of his tenure there; it seems to have been just about all he ever wanted but also a profoundly isolating (there's that word again) experience.
At times I felt keenly the lack of human history in the Antarctic. There were days when the absence seemed Antarctica’s greatest gift, and days when it rendered the continent wasted and sterile. (219)
I expect Nielsen's book is more widely appealing—certainly it's livelier—but in the right mood, this deep meditation may last with you longer.
Lindsay and I picked up medical supplies as they arrived on the depot line and prepared field medical boxes for the staff who would spend the six-week summer out on the ice, ‘deep field’, doing research. She showed me the emergency supplies secreted around base, contingencies in case the main platform burned down. We pulled out and assembled every type of stretcher, splint and machine hidden in the medical-room cupboards. There was a guide to penguin taxidermy and a neurosurgical drill pack. (72)
Like [b:Jerri Nielsen|569972|Ice Bound A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole|Jerri Nielsen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348618084l/569972._SY75_.jpg|2154295], Francis had to be prepared for just about any medical emergency; unlike Nielsen, he had very little official doctoring work to do (see: fourteen winter-over residents), and so he spent much of his time reading, helping out around the base wherever an extra set of hands was useful, and studying penguins.
Almost nothing is known about the rise and fall of different emperor colonies. Only fifty years ago just four emperor rookeries were known. That number has edged up slowly as ever more comprehensive surveys, mostly by air, have cross-hatched the continent. For rookeries to be visible they must be counted in late winter or spring, a time when most of the continental fringe is inaccessible. Groups of penguins are invisible from sea level more than a few kilometers away. By 1993 it was thought that there were perhaps thirty-two emperor colonies worldwide, but this estimate was said to have a significant ‘location bias’ – biased towards locations that could actually be reached. (214)
It's with some ambivalence that Francis describes leaving Antarctica at the end of his tenure there; it seems to have been just about all he ever wanted but also a profoundly isolating (there's that word again) experience.
At times I felt keenly the lack of human history in the Antarctic. There were days when the absence seemed Antarctica’s greatest gift, and days when it rendered the continent wasted and sterile. (219)
I expect Nielsen's book is more widely appealing—certainly it's livelier—but in the right mood, this deep meditation may last with you longer.
austra_pro's review against another edition
5.0
Patiešām lieliska grāmata par gadu Antarktīdā no cilvēka, kas tur nonācis aiz mīlestības pret šo kontinentu un pingvīniem, nevis piedzīvojuma pēc vai vajadzības spiests. Tā cieņa, apbrīna un mīlestība staro cauri visam. Šķiet, ka Gevins ir izlasījis visu iespējamo literatūru par Antarktīdu, un skatās uz paša piedzīvoto arī caur priekšgājēju prizmu, vērtējot, sijājot un pārdomājot. Un tad pilnīgi dzejiski apbrīnojot ikkatru Antarktīdas aspektu.
Ja interesē šis kontinents, šī ir grāmata, ko ir vērts izlasīt.
Ja interesē šis kontinents, šī ir grāmata, ko ir vērts izlasīt.
ines91's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
thenaw's review against another edition
5.0
I went to see Gavin Francis speak at the lovely West Port Book Festival last month. Not only was it an engaging talk, but he handed around an emperor penguin egg (he didn't steal it from its penguin parent, he found it frozen on the ice). I can honestly say that holding a penguin egg is one of my most exciting moments of 2012.
(But then I've always had a soft spot for penguins.)
Anyway, I very much enjoyed Francis's account of his time as a base doctor in Antarctica. It's fascinating to read the details of everyday life, its difficulties and joys, in one of the most remote spots on the planet. Plus: plenty of penguins.
(But then I've always had a soft spot for penguins.)
Anyway, I very much enjoyed Francis's account of his time as a base doctor in Antarctica. It's fascinating to read the details of everyday life, its difficulties and joys, in one of the most remote spots on the planet. Plus: plenty of penguins.
karingforbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
On reread, I agree that he does not use commas or; as often as he should or appropriately. I do think I got more out of it the second time around because I was looking for it. I find the discussion around solitude and mental health in the Antarctic fascinating but there’s still something lacking in this book for me. I don’t know what it is. The writing is fine other than the commas but it’s not a book I would intentionally reread. I picked this up again because I didn’t remember reading it which says volumes.
Biggest complaint is how many times I had to reread sentences because there was a dearth of commas, which would have helped the rhythm. Otherwise, for a book with penguins on the front, it’s not as much about them as I wanted. That said, he’s a good writer, with a way to describe a scene that paints it beautifully. Liked metaphors maybe a little too much but I can forgive that. I did love reading about the history of Antarctica and humans and this man’s experience for one year in a remote place with no way out.
Biggest complaint is how many times I had to reread sentences because there was a dearth of commas, which would have helped the rhythm. Otherwise, for a book with penguins on the front, it’s not as much about them as I wanted. That said, he’s a good writer, with a way to describe a scene that paints it beautifully. Liked metaphors maybe a little too much but I can forgive that. I did love reading about the history of Antarctica and humans and this man’s experience for one year in a remote place with no way out.
quirpele's review
adventurous
slow-paced
1.0
I really enjoyed reading this book but I think that's mostly due to loving Antarctica and not due to any particular skill of the author.
There's a part (p120.) where Francis lists some northern mythologies about the sun and its disappearance over winter (Inuit, Celtic, Norse) and then exclaims "it was extraordinary to witness this and know that it had no mythology here, that the landscape had been invested with no significance. No indigenous human society had tried to explain it or integrate it into their cosmology."
With the amount of reading that Francis has done, it's extraordinary that it was too difficult for him to look into these indigenous mythologies before claiming that they don't exist or explain the sun's movements over the seasons. The Māori, for example, live at about the same latitude as the Celts did, and the sun (and explanations for the different lengths of days) are certainly a part of their mythology.
Overall impression is that the book was offensively Euro-centric, which is pretty impressive for a book about the southern continent.
There's a part (p120.) where Francis lists some northern mythologies about the sun and its disappearance over winter (Inuit, Celtic, Norse) and then exclaims "it was extraordinary to witness this and know that it had no mythology here, that the landscape had been invested with no significance. No indigenous human society had tried to explain it or integrate it into their cosmology."
With the amount of reading that Francis has done, it's extraordinary that it was too difficult for him to look into these indigenous mythologies before claiming that they don't exist or explain the sun's movements over the seasons. The Māori, for example, live at about the same latitude as the Celts did, and the sun (and explanations for the different lengths of days) are certainly a part of their mythology.
Overall impression is that the book was offensively Euro-centric, which is pretty impressive for a book about the southern continent.