- Published: 1 February 2011
- ISBN: 9781409088806
- Imprint: Vintage Digital
- Format: EBook
- Pages: 368
The Magnetic North
Travels in the Arctic
- Published: 1 February 2011
- ISBN: 9781409088806
- Imprint: Vintage Digital
- Format: EBook
- Pages: 368
A superb account of her circumpolar wanderings..." "Wheeler is an excellent narrator, intelligent, amusing, poetic and down to earth
Fergus Fleming, Literary Review
Wheeler writes about travel so well because she delights in travelling. Her adventurous spirit, tireless intelligence, joy and with hshine through even the saddest page of The Magnetic North... she has a rare and precious talent
Roger Hutchinson, Scotsman
A fusion of history and myth...elegant and intelligent
Books Quarterly
Wheeler's book teaches a lot about what is happening in the far north, which is valuable
Kathleen James, The Guardian
Wheeler's beautiful language and riveting narrative add up to a powerful account of what is at stake and what has already been lost
Irish Times
An ambitious, adventurous, well-researched, spirited account
Robert Carver, The Tablet
[Wheeler brings] and open-eyed sense of salutary wisdom and timely protest to her view of the Arctic Ocean and its surrounds
Tom Adair, The Scotsman
Elegant prose ... a stylish and engaing account of some of the world's most mysterious, unknowable spots and, like the best travel writing, is infused with the writer's reflections on growing up, life and death
Clover Stroud, Telegraph
A funny, entertaining and humane piece of writing
Jeremy Lewis, The Oldie
Sara Wheeler is the literary maestro of the earth's frozen regions... The prose is startling and sharp-edged as the icy landscapes themselves
Harry Eyres, Financial Times, Travel Books of the Year
Beautiful and terrifying
Christopher Summerville, The Times, Christmas Books
Irresistibly attractive ... coddling hoosh of personal travelogue, historical anecdotage and speculative thinking
New Statesman, Books of 2009, Will Self
[Has] a meditative, often melancholy, quality that tells us a lot about what it's like to simply be in the Arctic...the author deftly weaves in some nicely crafted vignettes that illuminate various aspects of the Arctic experience
Jonathan Dore, Times Literary Supplement
It is the warmth and the honesty of the portraits that is Wheeler's forte
The Tablet
Wheeler is excellent company for the journey, with her observations on the consequences of our actions always well balanced and open-minded.
Big Issue
Is an entertaining mix of popular science, history and reportage, wrapped up in some seriously fine writing.
Katherine Hughes, The Mail on Sunday
Wonderful account of her journeys through the region.
Simon Kuper, Financial Times
One of the greatest travel books of our times - poignant, funny, a delight to read
Christopher Hirst, The Independent
Provoking, zestful and always engaging
Rory MacLean, The Sunday Times
Her writing, while brilliantly evocative, is never overblown... If you are lucky you might get to travel in the Arctic yourself; if you don't, this book is the next best thing
Erica Wagner, The Times
A chilling and fascinating work
Guardian
Quite wonderful
Stephanie Cross, Daily Mail
Carries lightly a depth of research that gives alarming edge to Wheeler's engrossing
James Urquhart, Financial Times
It is a testament to the author's ability that the text never lurches into despondency- above all, this is a book that celebrates the inspiring endurance and colourful past of those who populate the area.
Sebastian Clare, Irish Times
In its many-layered discoveries, the book is truly magnetic
Jane Knight, The Times
The Magnetic North is a wise, provoking and zestful chronicle, poetic, often tragic and always engaging. Wheeler, a prolific raconteur of distant places, has created the finest book on the Arctic since Hugh Brody's The Other Side of Eden
Rory MacLean, The Sunday Times