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Four against the Arctic: Shipwrecked for Six Years at the Top of the World Audiobook
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(3.05) - 110 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In 1743, a Russian ship was blown off course and trapped in ice off the coast of Svalbard (Spitzbergen), a barren Arctic island. Four sailors went ashore with only two days' supplies, and only twenty pounds of flour for food. Upon return they found the ship had vanished, apparently crushed and sunk by the ice. Blessed with courage and ingenuity, the men survived more than six years of unimaginable hardship—including polar bear attacks—until another ship blown off course rescued them.
An expert on the literature of adventure, David Roberts was incredulous when he first heard the story. His near-obsessive quest to find the true story culminated with his own journey to the same desolate island. Here, Roberts shares the remarkable story that he discovered, a meditation on the genius of survival against impossible odds.
Riveting and haunting, Four against the Arctic chronicles an incredible true story.
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"Fascinating. Amazing to see what people can endure and how "government" lets them down. Also interesting that this story is not as well known as that of the Donner Party. "
— Barbara (5 out of 5 stars)
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“An inspirational survival story.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“The tale at the heart of this recording is one of the greatest feats of wilderness survival in history…Robertson Dean’s reading [is] well paced and keeps the narrative moving.”
— AudioFile -
“The book is an astonishing story, an almost unbelievable feat of survival.”
— Booklist -
“Dogged research and hard travel to distant places make for a gem in the literature of survival under dire conditions.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Four against the Arctic Listener Reviews
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" Author is full of himself "
— Tim, 12/8/2013 -
" Too long for its essence. The writer spent way too much time describing himself and his research than the "four against the arctic". The audio book is more than 10 hours long. Fortunately it is an audio book, so the time was not totally wasted, I still got my dishes washed. "
— Tao, 11/28/2013 -
" After reading this book I ate some oranges. Scurvy...OUCH! "
— Ellis, 1/13/2013 -
" Interesting story but it was hard to finish and kind if anticlimactic. "
— Amy, 8/27/2012 -
" Amazing story, but written a little slow. "
— Gabrielle, 7/25/2012 -
" It took a long time getting to the part I was interested in, which was about the men stranded in the arctic. Therefore, the book didn't turn out to be what I expected. Also, I guess I have a small vocabulary because there were way too many big words I didn't know or understand the meaning of. "
— Cindy, 10/9/2011 -
" Be warned, it doesn't resolve. The author puts as much research into learning about this obscure survival tale, even going so far as to visit the island where it was supposed to have occurred. But there is no definite detail or factual knowledge imparted regarding the supposed survival experience. "
— Tim, 3/31/2011 -
" I spend a good portion of my life telling this story...and I have done quite a bit of research regarding this event. He had some interesting sources, some of them not reliable. I think hindsight in any and all tragedies is 20/20. "
— Heather, 4/19/2010 -
" Strangely fascinating, I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read about Mormons. I'm not sure if I really know anyone who does, but . . . . "
— Colette, 3/10/2010 -
" Really Interesting. I had not idea about this part of American History. faith is faith. "
— Amy, 7/22/2009 -
" Facinating! I learned a lot about the Mormons, both good and bad. I liked how the author got the last laugh in the editorial chapter. "
— Marieke, 4/14/2009
About David Roberts
David Roberts (1943–2021) was the author of thirty books on mountaineering, exploration, and anthropology. His books won the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature and the Grand Prize at the Banff Mountain Book Competition.
About Robertson Dean
Robertson Dean has played leading roles on and off Broadway and at dozens of regional theaters throughout the country. He has a BA from Tufts University and an MFA from Yale. His audiobook narration has garnered ten AudioFile Earphones Awards. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he works in film and television in addition to narrating.