Reviewer Jessica Roberts is a book reviewer for a local newspaper and has reviewed for a national women's magazine too. She has had various articles published in magazines and has now completed her novel. Jessica currently lives in West Yorkshire and enjoys walking in the dales and woodlands as part of her hobby as well as, of course, reviewing books. To read more of Jessica's reviews CLICK HERE
Author: George James Grinnell
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 978-1-55643-882-0
Author: George James Grinnell
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 978-1-55643-882-0
George James Grinnell, the author of Death on the Barrens: A True Story of Courage and Tragedy in the Canadian Arctic was one of the five men to join Art Moffatt in 1955 and canoe across the Barren Grounds of northern Canada. It was upon his return from the wilderness that Grinnell received his bachelor’s degree and eventually obtained a Ph.D in the history of science from the University of California, Berkeley. He draws on his experiences of that trip and his skills to write this compelling book.
I really didn’t feel much of a connection to this book until the story developed. We are reminded that there are two angles in which to view Death on the Barrens.
The first is the practical view; we see how these men were naïve and impractical to believe they could embark on such a voyage and all would be fine. Grinnell had illusions of an heroic adventure, but as we discover, this is not the case.
If you choose the other extreme point of view, then you learn to take a much deeper look at these individuals and their ill-fated trip across the Barrens.
However, the real interest in a story like this one, is the author’s version of events. He is, after all the, man who lived to tell the tale of canoeing through Barren lands, the wilderness and surviving ravaging hunger.
Frequently, we are reminded of Grinnell’s admiration of fellow adventurer Art. Art was quite a mature sort of man, remembers Grinnell, and described as the leader of the group. He was the one who rationed the sugar between all six of them. Grinnell grew to admire Art in the harshness of that land. He was a guardian angel in the most hellish of times.
Readers are given this chance to take a glimpse into the
voyage that went so horribly wrong. In these pages, you will
learn how time and a doomed escapade into the Barrens can
change a man. There were constant fights brought on usually because
of a food shortage. There were always accusations whenever one of the
men took more food than the rest. Food was a much
discussed topic during the men’s time on their journey.
However, we learn how marvelous and wonderful nature can be and
how it can also be your worst enemy at the same time.
The included illustrations are atmospheric and are an added asset to this book. The author’s descriptions and recollections help to bring this powerful novel to life which is full of lessons to teach its readers.
A very powerful and intelligently written memoir about the 1955 canoeing expedition which took the life of one man and changed the souls of the others.