First sentence:
"In Washington, towards the end of the nineteenth century, in one of the fine town houses that lined three sides of an elegant square, six men were sitting down to dinner."
Description:
"In the fading years of the nineteenth century, five men meet in one of Washington's most elegant townhouses . They are all powerful men - with one exception. For Washington's finest have gathered to plan an expedition to the North Pole and they have chosen William Parish, a studious and quietly spoken Lieutenant, to be its leader.
As Lt Parish sets off into the unknown, he leaves behind him a young wife, Martha. Isolated and at first oblivious to the political machinations of those backing the expedition. Martha soon discovers the treachery of those in whom she has placed her trust. Meanwhile, as Parish struggles to hold his party together, each man is confronted with the darker side of his instinct to survive.
Based on a true story and winner of a Special Jury Award at the Banff festival, this is a powerful novel about what has been called 'one of the most shameful episodes in American Arctic history.'" -- from the back cover
My thoughts:
Polar exploration is one of my favorite historical topics. So, I found this fictional account of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition very moving. Parish, the fictional version of Adolphus Washington Greeley, and his men were brave as they faced struggles that could have been partly avoided except for some people back home not understanding what the expedition was going through.
Date read: 6/172011
Book #: 17
Rating: 3*5 = good
Genre: Historical Fiction
ISBN-10: 0753817691
ISBN-13: 9780753817698
Publisher: Phoenix
Year: 2004
# of pages: 344
Binding: Trade Paperback
LibraryThing page
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