The Ice Balloon: S. A. Andrée and the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration Audiobook

" I love reading books like this on vacation. A cancelled connection and a few hours spent in an airport just doesn't seem so bad when you're reading about a trek across the ice in almost complete darkness, dealing with toes falling off due to frostbite, and having to eat the sled-dogs (or worse!) in order to avoid starvation. S.A Andree had the brilliant idea to float a hot air balloon to the (as yet undiscovered) North Pole, thus, in theory, avoiding all that sledging around on ice floes. His journey does not end well. This is a harrowing account of a little remembered figure of Arctic Exploration, highly recommended for all modern day travelers! "

" I loved this book, read it in two days. Harrowing stuff, but well-written and sensitive. "

" The book is fascinating in that it delves deeply into what draws any of us to move toward the unknown, what makes us want or need to explore uncharted territory. Sometimes it's simple vanity, sometimes it's curiosity and intellect, and sometimes it's the need to prove something to oneself. The book uses S. A. Andree's tragic attempt to reach the North Pole in a balloon as a frame, and within that frame packs a number of other narratives related to arctic exploration. What I wanted, in the end, was a better sense of Andree, but ultimately, that would have been impossible - once he and his companions launched, there was little record of them, save for the diaries each of the three kept, and the few photographs they took, which were discovered with their bodies sometime in the 1930's. "

" Yet another story of arctic and Antarctic exploration that didn't work out! The trauma and suffering that the early explorers went thru is almost unbelievable. This is a great story, well written and well documented, lots of great back ground information about contemporary explorations. "

" This book was much more about a bunch of other random arctic explorers than it was about Andree. I understand creating context, but by the time I got to hearing about Andree and the balloon trip, it seemed way too short and underdeveloped. Also the other stories jump around too much and are very disjointed. The only reason this gets 2 stars is because of my weird love for reading about people freezing and starving and stranded on ice. "

" A bit slow to begin with, but once you get to the real story of Andre'e assembles the balloon and puts his adventure into play it becomes a fascination of mind and spirit - a well written tale that keeps the reader on the edge of his seat where you can vicariously ride along (safely). "

" Very interesting time period. I enjoyed all of the stories about these explorers. I really liked the quote about exploring being planned and an adventure when things when awry. Overall though the main narrative was almost secondary to the time and the other explorers. By the time it got to the main balloon tale, the story was a little anticlimatic. "

" Very dry and documentary like but still impressive stories and is very well researched. Shows the strength of the will to survive and be the first at something! "

" Extraordinary. I'm a fan of the polar explorers and these folks rank right up there with Cherry. Mind boggling ill fated adventure. Odd that Andree lacks the recognition he deserves. Great find. "

" This actually included several other accounts of polar exploration besides Andree's hot air balloon attempt, which was fine by me. I cannot get enough of survival stories--ice, jungle, sea, you name it. "

" An interesting story to be told but sadly a very poorly written book. "

" I love anything to do with Arctic exploration. (I keep Shackleton's memoirs on my desk. Writers need to know about Endurance.) This was a fascinating story with complicated characters and a mystery at its heart. "

" LOTS of interesting facts and tales of exploration/adventure in the Arctic. The main story sometimes got bogged down in the author's addition of other explorers and details. Wouldn't recommend it for a cold night's reading! "

" A remarkable story about the determination to reach the North Pole. Although Andree and his balloon is the overarching theme, we are introduced to a variety of explorers and their efforts to explore the arctic. "

" I had lofty hopes for this, as I have read Wilkinson in The New Yorker for many years and have enjoyed his earlier books. But this never really engaged me. It seems to occupy an uncomfortable middle ground between serious history and quirky nonfiction. "

" The thought of venturing over the Arctic in a hot-air balloon is just about the craziest thing I can imagine, but even more compelling was the author's retelling of many of the equally brash assaults on the Pole in the 19th century. Not a textbook historical account, but interesting nonetheless. "

" A well researched book on the Andree Expedition which sought to be the first to the north pole by traveling via balloon. Not only does it tell the story well but give a great overview of the age of polar exploration and the lengths taken and hardships endured by those who ventured forth. "

" It's difficult to get through any book that lacks passion but this one was especially difficult because the subject matter should have made dullness impossible. "

" A great book - easy reading. I enjoyed it very much. "

" This ought to have been a better story but it seems there was actually very little information. Instead Wilkinson turns this into a study of Arctic exploration, cutting back and forth between accounts. This is a common style but it didn't work for me this time. "