Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney

Under a Pole Star

by Stef Penney

Stef Penney, COSTA WINNING AUTHOR of THE TENDERNESS OF WOLVES, returns to the Arctic with 'A dazzling tale of romance and survival' (Guardian.) Perfect for fans of THE ESSEX SERPENT and TO THE BRIGHT EDGE OF THE WORLD.
'[Penney writes] with a persuasive and appealing hunger . . . there is a touch of Donna Tartt here' The Times
'In the masterfully evoked Arctic landscape and in her depictions of sex . . . she finds her true, dazzling stride' Guardian'

Flora Mackie first crossed the Arctic Circle at the age of twelve. In 1889, the whaler's daughter from Dundee - dubbed by the press 'The Snow Queen' - sets out to become a scientist and explorer. She struggles to be taken seriously but determination and chance lead her back to northern Greenland at the head of a British expedition, despite the many who believe that a young woman has no place in this harsh world of men.

Geologist Jakob de Beyn was raised in Manhattan. Yearning for wider horizons, he joins a rival expedition, led by the furiously driven Lester Armitage. When Jakob and Flora's paths cross, it is a fateful meeting.

All three become obsessed with the north, a place where violent extremes exist side by side: perpetual night and endless day; frozen seas and coastal meadows; heroism and lies. Armitage's ruthless desire to be the true leader of polar discovery takes him and his men on a mission whose tragic outcome will reverberate for years to come.

Set against the stark, timeless beauty of northern Greenland, and fin-de-siècle New York and London, Under a Pole Star is a compelling look at the dark side of the 'golden age' of exploration, a study of the corrosive power of ambition, and an epic, incendiary love story. It shows that sometimes you have to travel to the furthest edge of the world in order to find your true place in it.

Reviewed by brokentune on

1 of 5 stars

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I'm not going to bother writing up a full review of why I am DNF'ing this book, but am instead reiterating a comment I just left on a friend's review - this contains SPOILERS, so you have been warned!

"I have the book and audio at home at the moment and, as I told you, I made a start on this last night. I woke up to a point in the audio which is beyond the point in the story that you got to and all I can tell you is that it does not get better ... Flora gets married to a creep who first says he can't consummate the marriage because he had been diagnosed with a malady but had gone ahead with the wedding because he thought he was cured, then had a flare up. This all is promptly followed by a ... "Last Tango in Paris" scene...pretty graphic...and pretty much the point where I kicked the book into touch this morning.

Oh, and the writing really aggravated me, too. I never even got a sense that it was set in the late 1800s as there is so much emphasis on how well-educated and well-respected Flora was in academic circles. I think the writing in present tense doesn't work for the story either...and obviously, since the author is a screenwriter, the emphasis on descriptions that could be well adapted to film scenes put me off, too."

Anyway, I'm out!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 15 January, 2019: Finished reading
  • 15 January, 2019: Reviewed