The Birthday Boys (FA) and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Buy Used
Used - Good See details
Price: £2.80
Fulfilled by Amazon

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Trade in Yours
For a £0.40 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.
Start reading The Birthday Boys (FA) on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

The Birthday Boys [Paperback]

Beryl Bainbridge (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
Price: £7.19 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £1.80 (20%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
Want delivery by Tuesday, 28 May? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £5.99   -- --
Hardcover --   -- --
Paperback £7.19   -- --
Audio, Cassette, Audiobook --   -- --
Trade In this Item for up to £0.40
Trade in The Birthday Boys for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.40, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more

Book Description

Publication Date: 1 Oct 2009

Beryl Bainbridge gets better and better . . . she has succeeded with a daring leap of emphatic imagination in penetrating the minds of Captain Scott and the four men he led to their deaths in Antarctica in 1912' Patrick Skene Catling, Evening Standard

THE BIRTHDAY BOYS is classic Bainbridge - one of her absolute best. It is a fictional account of Captain Robert Scott's 1910 expedition to Antarctica told from the perspectives of five men on the voyage: Scott; Petty Officer Taff Evans; ship's medic Dr Edward Wilson; Lieutenant Henry Bowers; and Captain Lawrence Oates.

Frequently Bought Together

The Birthday Boys + The Bottle Factory Outing + An Awfully Big Adventure
Price For All Three: £21.57

Buy the selected items together

Product details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Abacus (1 Oct 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0349121567
  • ISBN-13: 978-0349121567
  • Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 1.9 x 19.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 161,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Beryl Bainbridge Page
Beryl Bainbridge
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Review

Bainbridge's account of the horribly familiar story is both fresh and sure-footed. The power of her imagination, her clarity of expression and mastery of language are more striking than anything else I have read this year (Jane Shilling, Sunday Telegraph )

A beautiful piece of story-telling. Far more accurately than any biography could do, it catches what must have been Scott's hold on his followers (Andro Linklater, Spectator )

Her darkest work, equally convincing in tis evocations of the icy, unendurable landscape without, and the chilling interior landscapes of damaged souls (Penny Perrick, Sunday Telegraph )

She writes of the hideous deprivations so boldly endured; the astounding beauties of the Antarctic landscapes; the personality clashes; the emotional reticences . . . It seems to me that Beryl Bainbridge has quite surpassed herself in a completely new im (Mary Hope, Financial Times )

Book Description

* A Bainbridge classic comes into Abacus paperback for the first time
See all Product Description

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Heroic - but slightly insane! 20 Oct 2008
By Wynne Kelly TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a fictionalised version of the ill-fated Polar expedition led by Scott. Each chapter is narrated by a different member of the team. Knowing from the outset that these were the ones who died making the final journey to the South Pole made it all the more poignant. It is a beautifully written book which makes all the characters come alive.

Some of the errors made by the expedition are (seen in hindsight) unbelievable. Few of the team had any serious experience in either skiing or moving sledges with dog teams. The ponies were unsuitable for the terrain, as were the motor vehicles. Scott eventually chose (against all previous plans) to take five rather than four on the final push to the Pole - this had a damaging effect on their supplies which he failed to take into account.

Bainbridge treats all the men with honesty and sensitivity. She exhibits a real understanding of the mindset of the officer class of the Edwardian era - the divisions between officers and men, the feeling that using huge dog teams was "unsporting" and the virtue of stoicism.

A lovely book that led me to a greater understanding of a group of men who were heroic while at the same time slightly insane!
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! 16 Jan 2011
By Cath in London
Format:Paperback
"Living ashore hits men differently. Some shuffle back into it like they've found an old pair of slippers and others can't walk easy, no matter how they're shod."

The Birthday Boys is a fictionalised account of Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole, delivering at once a refresher course in historical events as well as a gifted writer's interpretation of those men's character and the dialogue that may have taken place.

In the opening chapters the story richly recreates the attitudes of early 1900's society, a society that celebrated, supported, sponsored and revered exploration, adventure and discovery. As the story develops, it is the harsh conditions and the challenges facing the expedition that are just as richly recreated, but in Bainbridge's typical style of word economy.

Each chapter is narrated by a different character on the expedition, painting a vivid picture of their own disposition and motivations for setting off on the trip as well as the harsh reality they faced as they struggled to be the first to reach the South Pole and then return alive. The book is a wonderful exploration of old fashioned virtues and manners, of courage and character under fire, a bold and startling picture of the challenges faced by those intrepid men. It's also a rich insight into Robert Falcon Scott, the leader of the expedition. Described in the book thus:

"He's absolutely sound as regards what's right, but he lacks conviction. He simply isn't stupid enough to be convinced his is the only way. In these circumstances, it's a dangerous trait."

we are exposed to his strengths, weaknesses and the tragic choices he made that lead to the expedition's success but also failure and ultimate tragedy.

This would make a good read for men who love adventure, even of the vicarious and arm chair sort, for people who love history and books that revisit historical events, and also for readers who enjoy a good character examination. It's only 181 pages long - typical Bainbridge - which makes it concise enough to keep most people engaged. But it's not a light read and it's not laugh-a-minute so it's not for everyone.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning. 8 April 2002
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is very possibly the best book I have read. I greatly admire Bainbridge's writing, but even she has here surpassed herself. Her prose is spare yet precise and her writing is so skilful that she tells you everything in an astonishingly few words. She blends fact and fiction so convincingly that the reader is there with these poor men. Brave yet foolhardy, loyal yet desperate, she brings their famous and tragic story to life in a way I have never before encountered. A short book and one which you savour, trying to make it last, yet knowing that you will soon have finished it and go right back to the beginning to read it again. READ IT!
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting adventure.
Working in Year 5-6 classes in a Primary School, this book fitted perfectly with our current topic: Antarctica. Read more
Published 2 months ago by JaneyG
3.0 out of 5 stars Frozen in time
This is a fictional account of Scott's last fatal quest for the South Pole, told through the sequential accounts of members of the expedition. Read more
Published 5 months ago by gerardpeter
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
As a supporter of Scott and an owner of many, many book on the Terra Nova expedition I had hoped this would be a fascinating take on the events. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Russell Bowden
5.0 out of 5 stars Even better second time around!
I first read this fictionalised retelling of the Terra Nova polar expedition several years back and it was the first thing on the subject I read. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Dr. Rox
4.0 out of 5 stars The antithesis to a dry, historical tale
This highly individual book, from the much loved and missed Beryl Bainbridge, is the antithesis to a dry, historical tale of Scott's fateful Antarctic expedition. Read more
Published 17 months ago by David Briddock
5.0 out of 5 stars haunting
The Birthday boys is the story of Captain Scott's fatal arctic exploration at the turn of this century. Each of the 5 men( the birthday boys of the title) narrate a chapter each . Read more
Published 20 months ago by sarah J
4.0 out of 5 stars memorable but flimsy
This is a very appealing book - short and pithy, clever storytelling, strong narrative. Most of us will have some background knowledge of the doomed expedition, but the fictional... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Amy J.
4.0 out of 5 stars Birthday Boys
Pleasant read - Th title is rather uninspiring. It's a fictional account of the attempt of the Terra Nova to reach the South Pole as seen by 5 main characters involved. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2011 by Anju
4.0 out of 5 stars Tantalising Snapshots
"The Birthday Boys" is a short book which gives 5 different viewpoints by 5 members of Scott's ill-fated Antarctic expedition of 1912, at 5 different stages of the journey. Read more
Published on 16 Jan 2011 by Katie Potter
3.0 out of 5 stars Am I missing something?
Half-way through this novel, I was so disappointed that I looked up its Amamzon reviews, found that they were all positive, and decided to carry on with it. Read more
Published on 30 May 2010 by F. M. M. Stott
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

There's a problem loading this menu at the moment.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.

    Your Shopping Basket is empty.

    Give it purpose -- fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    There's a problem previewing your shopping basket at the moment.

    Check your Internet connection and go to your cart, or try again.

    View Shopping Basket (0 items)

      Customer Discussions

      This product's forum
      Discussion Replies Latest Post
      No discussions yet

      Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
      Start a new discussion
      Topic:
      First post:
      Prompts for sign-in
       


      Active discussions in related forums
      Search Customer Discussions
      Search all Amazon discussions
         
      Related forums

      Listmania!

      Create a Listmania! list

      Look for similar items by category

      Feedback


      Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges