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A review by goldenluck
Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Andrea Pitzer
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.75
Barents's expedition is a story of ambition, futility, resilience, and being very, very cold. It paved for the way for future imaginations and explorations, which means it itself is a magnificent yet ignorant exploration.
Honestly, I was not entirely impressed with Barents, his skills, or his journey. The other half of his expedition did much better than he because he was so determined to find something that wasn't there. However, the things they endured due to this folly were absolutely skincrawling. Nails frozen to lips, constant bear attacks, body-unraveling scurvy. Even if how they got there was avoidable, the stuff they went through was unbearable.
The writing leaves some to be desired, more a recitation of facts than an imagining of what happened. But this is non-fiction so it's to be expected. Regardless, I was still enthralled once they got stuck in the ice and finished the whole book rather quickly (for my usual speed anyway). If you enjoy stories of old age exploration and the realistic hardship that entails, this is absolutely for you.
Honestly, I was not entirely impressed with Barents, his skills, or his journey. The other half of his expedition did much better than he because he was so determined to find something that wasn't there. However, the things they endured due to this folly were absolutely skincrawling. Nails frozen to lips, constant bear attacks, body-unraveling scurvy. Even if how they got there was avoidable, the stuff they went through was unbearable.
The writing leaves some to be desired, more a recitation of facts than an imagining of what happened. But this is non-fiction so it's to be expected. Regardless, I was still enthralled once they got stuck in the ice and finished the whole book rather quickly (for my usual speed anyway). If you enjoy stories of old age exploration and the realistic hardship that entails, this is absolutely for you.