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    The Voyage of the Narwhal
    The Voyage of the Narwhal
    The Voyage of the Narwhal
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Voyage of the Narwhal

    Written by Andrea Barrett

    Narrated by George Guidall and George Barrett

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJul 27, 2012
    ISBN9781470325084
    The Voyage of the Narwhal

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    Reviews for The Voyage of the Narwhal

    4.5/5

    12 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This book definitely sparked an interest in the "Northwest Passage" and the Franklin Expedition. For months I had lots of these sytle of books on inter library loan, trying to find out more of the history. Nothing satisfied my curiosity as much as this novel did, and yet it left so much unanswered. It took awhile for me to get into the writing style. I would love to own it and re-read it one day.
    • 5/5
      adventurous tale of explorers and their travels gone awry by an egocentric captain. Very engrossing. Lots of good detail and emotion without the endless babling of other historians.
    • 5/5
      The Voyage of the Narwhal is the fictional story of the Narwhal and its expedition to rescue the Franklin expedition. The story starts in May of 1855 through August of 1858.We also learn about Lavinia and Alexandra, the sister and friend left behind the Narwhal in Philadelphia. This story explores people's dreams and desires as well as the restrictions of class, the battle with obsessions, and the clash of different cultures. I like how this story ends on a haunting note that almost makes the whole book. There is also a bit of a love story underneath all the adventure and difficulties encountered. This story is a keeper and gets the big thumbs up.
    • 5/5
      I loved reading this author’s short fiction about scientists in Ship Fever, when I found this online for little money I bought it. This novel is about a fictional naturalist with the great name Erasmus Darwin Wells going on an exploring ship to the Arctic a few years after Franklin disappeared. He travels with a boyhood friend, Zeke, with more ambition than sense. The trip, from the first seems doomed. They meet Inuit with trinkets from Franklin’s ship, just miss Kane (another Arctic explorer) by days, and have to winter in the Arctic. With the crew ready to mutiny Zeke goes off by himself, forcing Erasmus to get them home. The ship is iced in, they can’t get the specimens he’s been collecting and Zeke allowed Erasmus’ good friend the doctor to die. But Erasmus does get them home. This is great book, a novel of ideas, about what science and discovery is all about.
    • 5/5
      I discovered Andrea Barrett via this thoroughly researched narrative about 19th-century Arctic exploration, and she's now one of the authors whose work I snap up as soon as it appears in hardback. Her talent is in combining science with literature in a fascinating and accessible way. Here she manages to combine 19th-century concerns (emancipation of slaves, theories of evolution, an obsession with the Arctic) with more modern ones -- the role of women (who have to stay at home and wait), personal growth, cultural imperialism, and how 'truth' is relative. She reminds me of George Eliot in the way that she takes a generous view even of the least admirable characters. Early in the novel, her main character, Erasmus Wells, a repressed and unsuccessful 40-something naturalist, writes:"If I drew that scene I'd show everything happening at once ... But when I describe it in words one thing follows another and everything's shaped by my single pair of eyes, my single voice. I wish I could show it as if through a fan of eyes. Widening out from my single perspective to several viewpoints, then many, so the whole picture might appear and not just my version of it."This is how the novel is written -- it doesn't always work (notably in the case of trying to put across the experience of an Eskimo woman transplanted to Philadelphia). But it does give you a sense of the many different versions of reality, and it is beautifully written.
    • 5/5
      I chose to read this book because I have always been fascinated with polar exploration & doomed expeditions. I thought that this was what this book was about. And in a minor way, it is. But truthfully, it goes way beyond this expectation and way beyond this particular story line.In 1855, all the news is about the missing Franklin expedition, gone to seek the north pole in the age of discovery. From Philadelphia, Zeke Voorhees is mounting an expedition to either find Franklin or find some evidence that Franklin is dead. Among the crew is Zeke's soon to be brother in law, Erasmus Darwin Wells. Erasmus is a naturalist; not a famous one by any stretch. This voyage would be a chance for Erasmus to make something of himself; he had earlier served on a Pacific/Antarctic expedition with a captain who tormented the crew & then stole the work Erasmus had done. Erasmus felt that there was nothing he could have done at the time to stop any of it. Erasmus has also been charged by his sister Lavinia to take care of Zeke no matter what happens and bring him back to her to marry so that she can find happiness in being his wife. This is a promise that Erasmus takes very seriously; as it turns out, much to his detriment.Up in the Arctic waters, the expedition finds evidence of Franklin & of his death; thus everyone assumes that it is now time to go home & everyone is glad to be leaving. But out of nowhere, Zeke realizes that he has not left a mark by which to be remembered; so he orders the captain & crew to sail farther north, so that he can go well beyond the areas previously explored & find fame for himself. Everyone objects but since he is the leader of the expedition & all are paid by him, the crew is forced to follow his orders. Unfortunately, where he decides to stop the ship is just where the ice is the most impenatrable after the season starts; they are stuck there and must winter there. Tragedy ensues; at the point at which the crew wants to leave and the opportunity begins to present itself, Zeke refuses to let the expedition end; he asks for volunteers to go with him to seek help from the Eskimos that wander the Arctic in that area. No one will go with him. He tells them when he will be back; he doesn't return and the crew has to leave without him. On arriving home, Erasmus is filled with guilt & is shamed by everyone who believes he left Zeke to die, since Zeke had put him in charge if anything happened.This is also a story about one man's ambition and its cost... I won't go into details but suffice it to say that decisions are made that affect each and every man not only aboard ship, but others too once the voyage is over. It also deals with one man's need to redeem himself, regardless of the consequences.I can easily highly recommend this novel. It was incredible. Some readers may not like the tone of this novel...at no time do we "cozy up" to the characters, but I believe the author does this on purpose. So if you're looking for warm fuzzies, don't bother with this book. Otherwise, take your time and enjoy it.
    • 5/5
      Re-reading this after watching a nature programme about the poles - the images of the beautiful, fierce ice made me want to pick it up again. It's a wonderful book - full of complex people and ideas, but so easy to read. I've spent a lot of the last two days stuck on delayed trains and malfunctioning underground services, but immersed in this, I haven't minded too much!
    • 5/5
      This book has it all: man vs. man, man vs. nature and love story all rolled into one real page-turner; a great story of Arctic adventures, both real and fictional. Erasmus Wells accompanies his sister's fiance on an Arctic voyage in the late 1800's to discover what happened to previous explorer, John Franklin. His brother-in-law to be and ship's commander, Zeke, however, has bigger plans. He forces the crew to winter-over in the Arctic (unplanned) to further search for an open polar sea. The crew rebels, after Zeke fails to get started home when the weather and seas break after 18 months. He goes on his own on foot and when he doesn't return by the time he said he would, the crew abandons the ship and heads for home on foot and with sledges. This part of the story was RIVETING. Barrett made me feel as if I was in the Arctic myself. At home, Lavinia (Zeke's fiance) and Alexandra, who is a companion for Olivia, wait. The crew makes it back without Zeke, who is presumed dead, and the resolution of the story starts at this point. Excellent!
    • 4/5
      *This review also appears on Amazon.co.uk*I have had this book sat on my shelf for what seems like forever, so I'm pleased I eventually got around to reading it. Actually, I don't know why I didn't get around to it sooner- I think I'd been avoiding it because it was a bit of a long book on what I suspected might be quite a dry subject matter. Despite an admittedly slow start and some peaks and troughs in the middle however, this was actually a really absorbing read.Set during the 19th Century, the novel follows the expedition of the crew of `The Narwhal,' on their journey to the polar north and their quest to try to find out the fate of vanished explorer, Sir John Franklin. On board with this motley crew is the headstrong, voyage leader Zeke, as well as naturalist Erasmus. Erasmus longs to visit the north to catalogue flora and fauna and gain a wealth of knowledge of a culture and terrain very different from his own, but it appears that Zeke's motives for the journey are somewhat questionable...I think for me, one of the stronger aspects of this novel was the relationship dynamics portrayed between the two lead characters- Zeke and Erasmus. Both are very different individuals and their underlying conflict and tension is clear from the beginning of the book and I enjoyed seeing this played out as the story progressed. The secondary characters too, are well written- from Joe with his leanings towards the Arctic lifestyle, to the much underused Dr Boerhaave and ships cook, Ned. As much of the book is set aboard the ship and time ticks by very slowly, the characters have to be strongly developed, otherwise the novel will become too dull, but they carried the plot well with all of their little quirks and foibles, even lifting it unexpectedly in places as they tried to make the best of their new surroundings.Another device used is women waiting at home for their men to return from sea, a common theme in this type of book, but one that I think is used to great effect here. I appreciated Alexandra as a character and as a person who tries to make the best of things, but I found Lavinia to be incredibly vapid and a bit one-dimensional and I didn't like her at all. I also have to say, that I did sense the twist that was coming towards the end, and for me, the book troughed a little once the explorers were on dry land, though this was to be expected of course.The story is rife with details of life on board a ship and society at the time as well as looking at the Esquimaux culture, but thankfully the authors research does not come across as reading too much like a history textbook and is instead conveys a wealth of interesting information to the reader. I feel that I actually learned something in reading this book and it has piqued my interest in reading more books in this genre in future.By one token a gripping adventure story, yet on the other hand a great tale of human insight and character study, this is a book I am pleased that I eventually gave a chance. I would recommend this if you enjoy well written historical fiction or have an interest in maritime history.
    • 4/5
      Boy, I don't know how to rate this one.At first, I loved it. Then about a chapter into it, I realized this book isneither history or historical fiction. I suddenly became very irritated withit. I vowed to plug on.I unexpectedly got quite caught up in the story (who will survive? who willmarry?) and followed it to the very end.This author writes well. She tells a nice story.But in the end, I didn't really care about the characters (oh, well, heperished in the ice...)This book reminds me of the way I felt about The Corrections. The author isexcellent at copying a paint-by-numbers picture onto another piece of paperand painting in each part the right color. None of the numbers show. Butwhen you look at the picture, you know somehow that it was taken fromsomewhere, that it wasn't drawn from the heart.Does that make any sense?I rate Voyage of the Narwhal a 7.