Publisher Description
National Book Award-winner Andrea Barrett deftly blends fact and fiction to create this magnificent epic of Victorian polar exploration. An amazing wealth of period detail, heart-racing action, and engaging characters enable you to fully experience the 19th-century's romance with the mystery of the Arctic. In hope of making his reputation, scholar-naturalist Erasmus Darwin Wells embarks on a perilous expedition to the North Pole. Through his eyes, you witness the terrible beauty of the Arctic, with its looming icebergs, endless winters and exotic "Eskimaux." As the Narwhal's voyage threatens to metamorphose into one man's maniacal quest, Erasmus' worst fears of failure seem to be realized. Andrea Barrett, whose own romance with the Arctic began at an early age, is celebrated for her scientific protagonists and impeccably researched fiction. George Guidall's inspired performance of this stunning novel invites you to take your own soul-enhancing voyage to the last wild, unexplored regions.
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“No sooner do we bemoan the dearth of ambitious American women novelists
of ideas than Andrea Barrett delivers this grand, intelligent,
wide-ranging work. With elegance and economy, she’s pulled off a
seemingly impossible feat: critiquing the complacent authority of the
nineteenth century novel in a book that’s just as much fun to read as an
old-fashioned Victorian opus.”
—
Salon, “Our Favorite Books of 1998"
About Andrea Barrett
Andrea Barrett is the author of nine previous works of fiction, including the National Book Award–winning Ship Fever and Pulitzer Prize finalist Servants of the Map. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an NEA Fellowship, as well as a finalist for the Story Prize and a recipient of the Rea Award for the Short Story.
About the Narrators
George Guidall, winner of more than eighty AudioFile Earphones Awards, has won three of the prestigious Audie Award for Excellence in Audiobook Narration. In 2014 the Audio Publishers Association presented him with the Special Achievement Award for lifetime achievement/ During his thirty-year recording career he has recorded over 1,700 audiobooks, won multiple awards, been a mentor to many narrators, and shown by example the potential of fine storytelling. His forty-year acting career includes starring roles on Broadway, an Obie Award for best performance off Broadway, and frequent television appearances.
George Guidall, winner of more than eighty AudioFile Earphones Awards, has won three of the prestigious Audie Award for Excellence in Audiobook Narration. In 2014 the Audio Publishers Association presented him with the Special Achievement Award for lifetime achievement/ During his thirty-year recording career he has recorded over 1,700 audiobooks, won multiple awards, been a mentor to many narrators, and shown by example the potential of fine storytelling. His forty-year acting career includes starring roles on Broadway, an Obie Award for best performance off Broadway, and frequent television appearances.