Download The Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage Audiobook

" I found it to be well-written, although certainly not spell-binding. It would've been nice to have a bit more mention of the first actual navigation of the NW Passage by Amundsen. I found the writing to get more interesting once Franklin's final voyage took off. I chose this over Pierre Berton's The Arctic Grail, because it was shorter, but I imagine it would've been a bit more entertaining. Not that this book is dry, just that I didn't find it to be much of a page turner. "

" A fascinating book. . . . This is the story of those who tried to discover the Northwest Passage, a route to take ships from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It is a story of folly. It is also a story of human courage. Many died to discover the elusive passage, based on the confidence of countries like England that it could be done. A story of courage tragically misused in many cases. . . . "

" As a whole, I'd say this was a good book, but it was a bit of a mixed bag. I flew through the parts describing exploration, the actual expeditions, and the larger-than-life individuals involved in these great undertakings. However, these interesting, enlightening portions of the book were broken up by lengthy descriptions of the British political, social, and military climate for each decade of 19th century. Those parts read a little more...slowly. But it ended on a strong note! Overall, it contained a lot of interesting mini-stories that I'm sure I won't forget soon. "

" The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I thought of this a number of times at the beginning of this book about the search for the northwest passage. Particularly amused by Barrow's constant assertion that salt water doesn't freeze! I thought the best parts of this book were about the search for Franklin's last doomed expedition - even Dickens makes an appearance! I generally like my "cold" books to end with survival - alas, not this time. Fascinating all the same. "

" I've read a bit about Arctic exploration in my time, and this book is a great representation of the genre. Brandt manages to portray the history of the search for the Northwest Passage and the subsequent search for Sir John Franklin without bogging down in technicalities or losing momentum. I love these stories not only because they are about Canada (the Arctic is as fascinating a place as you can find in the world), but also because they show so vividly what humanity can endure, and how ridiculously blind "civilized" people can be. I do wish someone would write a book about these explorations from the Inuit perspective, however. It is hard to imagine what they thought of the crazy "Kabloona". "

" Those crazy Brits! Unable to get it through their thick skulls that the NW Passage wasn't a feasible navigation route (at least until global warming) and that just maybe the natives new a thing or two about surviving in the Arctic. The amount of suffering they endured is mind-boggling. This is a fantastic book, I was totally absorbed and couldn't put it down. "

" A thorough telling of the search for a navigable Northwest passage. Sometimes a bit lost in the geography but the maps helped. Also seemed a bit dry at times, but overall well written. It was amazing the stubbornness of the Admiralty in England...."it is there, I just know it, don't confuse me with the facts"...and how quickly expeditions were deemed failures by the men comfortably ensconced in England, while the explorers dealt with fickle and persistent ice, 70 degree below temperatures, and an extremely short season in which to explore. To be just feet away from a roaring fire in a cabin and it is still 16 below! These men were brave to say the least. "

" Loved the detail and nuances of this book. So much suffering, perseverance, bad decision making, and tragedy. And I've figured out which historical figure I'd want to be if given the chance -- Lady Jane! "

" End-to-end thrilling and informative, if you like exploration and freezing to death in the Arctic (which I do). I wish the maps were more easily referenced--I ended up reading with the atlas open on my lap--but now I know my Baffin Island from Melville and Beechey. Highly recommend. "

" Finished this up on vacation. Brandt takes what could have been a very boring history and turns it into something that is both enjoyable and efficient. I had heard parts of this story before but this book really gives me a solid footing on a not very well known search for the northwest passage. "

" another one of those "50 degrees below zero, ate the last of the dogs, hope to be home by Christmas" story's, where do these people get the idea that traveling in the arctic/antarctic is fun... "

" While I did start to feel a little stranded in the Arctic myself a few times, this was a really interesting read about something I knew nothing about. I'm fascinated by the courage of true explorers and this book delivers on being both informative and captivating. "

" This book might have been a little too thorough for me. Took a long time to get to the juicy stuff, but nonetheless, it was very interesting. "

" Great book for armchair adventurers about the British and the artic. Trials, tribulations, dangers, and death are all things I prefer to read about rather than be involved with. Especially when it is cold. "

" This was a really, really good read, and not even "for a pop history." "

" While I did start to feel a little stranded in the Arctic myself a few times, this was a really interesting read about something I knew nothing about. I'm fascinated by the courage of true explorers and this book delivers on being both informative and captivating. "

" End-to-end thrilling and informative, if you like exploration and freezing to death in the Arctic (which I do). I wish the maps were more easily referenced--I ended up reading with the atlas open on my lap--but now I know my Baffin Island from Melville and Beechey. Highly recommend. "

" In fairness to this book, I did not get very far with this book because it read like a history book. The Goodreads review was good! "

" A little slow getting INTO this one, but an engrossing read once well in. "