The Voyage of the Narwhal: A Novel

If you've never read anything about arctic exploration in the 19th century, this book could be for you. "Voyage of the Narwhal" is a bona fide page turner that demands to be read in as few readings as possible; there never seems to be a convenient place to put the book aside 'until later.' I was always looking forward to the next page.I knew little and had read even less about this fascinating era of exploration. This book has inspired me to search for more. I disagree with the criticisms of "weak characterizations:" I found the characters very intriguing. I learned to despise Zeke; side with Erasmus; and empathize with Alexa. The subordinate characters came across very well, also.From a pure entertainment standpoint, I judge the success of a book based on whether or not I could visualize it on the big screen, and, if I could, would I enjoy it. Barrett painted a beautiful film with this book complete with breath-taking action and real live characters that I could see and feel.Bravo

I found this book in Amazon's "Authors Recommendations." I had been looking through the classics, and purchased this with _The Old Man and the Sea_, and _Catch-22_.The book was not a particularly enthralling read. The writing is in simple, rigidly-structured sentences. Very reminiscent, in fact, of Bram Stoker's _Dracula_. The author makes mention in her notes at the end of the book that the myriad "diary entries" and "letters" and "journal entries" are a historical point; that much history was recorded in such items. However, because of the extensive use of these tools, the book takes on a tangled third-person viewpoint which, while not particularly confusing, dilutes the book. Many characters are developed, their plights learned, and their struggles fleshed out, but only as much as the rest of the characters and the book suffers for it.Additionally, the book is reviewed and portrayed as an adventure saga. In that regard, it is over within the first 250 pages. The book simply drags on... and on... and on.I think this would be an appropriate high school sophomore text, but is clearly not a book for a sophisticated reader looking for stimulating entertainment.Perhaps the abridged audiobook would be more fulfilling. I gave the book three stars because two was simply too harsh a rating.

After reading Andrea Barrett's "Servants of the Map" and "Ship Fever" I was excited to read one of her full-length novels. As usual, Barrett weaves science and history into the lives of truly flushed-out characters in a way that is neither pretentious or cumbersome.I won't explain the plot of the novel as it is in the description and others have already outlined it far better than I could. But I will address one of the complaints I've noticed in other reviews: Many people said that the "action" ends sooner than expected and that the last hundred or so pages of the book are lacking. I, personally, didn't have this issue. While it's true that the story extends beyond the voyage itself, I found the end of the book as compelling as the beginning and middle parts. In fact, I think for the main characters' storylines to come to a satisfying end, the last hundred pages (after the journey's conclusion) were necessary.

This book was well researched and included excerpts from original letters from many men and women of that time.The author represented a woman's view of her life while her husband was at sea. She also gives a good account of life on ship - the hardships and what happens when the captain makes poor decisions. A really good read andwell written.

An engaging book from the start in one of my favorite genres, historical fiction. Excellent job of placing the main story in the context of history. I felt the presence of the arctic as I read it as if I were there. One minor criticism was the absence of a map or two, but then I did have Google Earth to consult. I'm looking forward to reading more of the author's work.

If I could give it 4.5 stars, I would. It just gets a little slow in places, so it didn't always hold my attention. That being said, the character development is wonderful, and it ends with a satisfying twist.

if you like historically accurate novels, this is for you. andrea barrett writes about a fictional arctic explortion gone bad - the egos and the suffering and brings to life the arctic landscape brilliantly. she weaves into the novel discussions of the arguments about evolution, the current medical bag of tricks and the last third of the novel has a lot to do about woman's place in society then.the characters are very credible and much is given about the several real arctic explorations.

mmmmmmm, although I liked the characters, found it difficult to remember who was who and to keep up with everything. Have yet to finish reading it.

A brilliant book, which epitomises so many problems, not least the overarching Victorian belief in the 'rightness' of their way of life, and inability to see the world from others' perspectives.

Andrea Barrett's interest in and knowledge of 19th century science invests this story of Arctic adventure with an underpinning of he best of non-fiction with human stories of touching truth.

loved ship fever and this is a great companion volume, andrea barrett is a polished literary performer in both texts