3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended read-unusual and rewarding, 4 Jun 2003
This review is from: Wegener's Jigsaw (Hardcover)
I highly recommend this fictionionalised account of Alfred Wegener's extraordinary life. What I enjoyed was learning about a character that I had never heard of before and yet who has contributed so much to our knowledge of the earth.
I enjoyed the way the book was written-a personal narrative, very convincingly done, as though Wegener himself is relating his thoughts and feelings to you.
And I enjoyed learning about a part of the world of which I knew nothing. As a result I am adding to my own jigsaw of knowledge by reading further accounts of polar explorations!
There is great attention to detail in the sections on the explorations of Greenland-you feel that you can appreciate the scale of daring, determination and heroism by such pioneers as Wegener.
You also feel that you are party to these expeditions-what supplies had to be taken, how you would negotiate with the local Inuit to help you transport them, how you would survive in polar conditions(I hadn't expected infestation by fleas to be a problem in the arctic regions!).
There is a subtle pathos that you, the reader, feels knowing the outcome of the story-and the eventual outcome that will prove Wegener's fantastic and (at the time)unbelievable theories to be right.
A wonderful read-very unusual and very rewarding!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wegener's Jigsaw, 2 May 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Wegener's Jigsaw (Hardcover)
I loved this book. Read it on a long train journey so I can agree with the comments about it being dream-like, but it mainly feels very human. This author understands about a man's obsession, but also the need in us all to make a mark. I didn't read Ms Dudman's end-notes until I'd finished so I was pleased to find out she'd taken his voice from his own diaries - probably why it feels so real. Doesn't feel hampered by facts though - it's imaginative in its structure. I'm definitely not a scientist, but I did get to feel a bit of the excitement of these discoveries.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A read for a windswept night..., 14 Jan 2005
I knew the end of the story from history, but as I read, I bitterly wanted it to be different. This is a gripping and lyrical and satisfying read and Wegener an engaging character - highly recommended.
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