In 1872, the USS "Polaris "sailed for the Arctic on a mission to hoist the U.S. flag at the North Pole. But the expedition was a failure, and half of the party - nineteen men, women and children of different nationalities-were cast adrift on an ice floe off the coast of Ellesmere Island, where they endured six desperate months of starvation, bloodshed and other horrors. Afterlands, " "a profoundly moving and gripping book, takes characters drawn from history and transforms their experiences into an absorbing tale of ...
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In 1872, the USS "Polaris "sailed for the Arctic on a mission to hoist the U.S. flag at the North Pole. But the expedition was a failure, and half of the party - nineteen men, women and children of different nationalities-were cast adrift on an ice floe off the coast of Ellesmere Island, where they endured six desperate months of starvation, bloodshed and other horrors. Afterlands, " "a profoundly moving and gripping book, takes characters drawn from history and transforms their experiences into an absorbing tale of unrequited love, unsettled scores and the high cost of loyalty. The novel begins in 1876, when three of the survivors - George Tyson, Tukulito and Roland Kruger-are uneasily reunited four years after they were rescued from the ice. They are still inextricably connected by their ordeal-and Tyson has recently published an account of their shattering experiences which casts Kruger as a spy and villain, and disgraces Tukulito as well. What happened on the ice, as Afterlands explores, was far more complex. The heart of the book moves between Tyson's diaries and a riveting narrative of Arctic survival. From the moment they are set adrift, and even before, Kruger and Tyson seem destined to clash: Kruger is an intelligent individualist, an outsider who refuses to be loyal to any one country; Tyson, meanwhile, is a flawed but sometimes brilliant leader, a man who needs to constantly be testing himself against the world. Brave but also insecure, he is unable to stop the German contingent of his party from banding together under their national flag in an armed near-mutiny on the drifting ice. The third key character in this book, Tukulito, was the Arctic's first professional interpreter. Known also as Hannah, she moves between two worlds: expert at gutting a seal, she has also had tea with Queen Victoria. Her different roles - translator, mother, mender, marksman - keep the party from disaster, as suspicion and violence increase. And the quiet, impossible passion Kruger feels for her almost redeems their lives in a frozen hell. But Afterlands" "is also a novel about what follows the life-changing event: the long shadow it casts, as well as the conflicting stories that compete to become historical record. Back in the world, the protagonists will experience various degrees of tragedy. Tukulito's is perhaps the most personal, while Tyson, who sought only to gain the world's esteem, is disgraced by later failure. Kruger, meanwhile, attempts to disappear into Mexico, again seeking a place beyond "the colonels of the world" - but he finds himself, perhaps inevitably, drawn once more into the unending conflicts between nations, between peoples. This novel is a triumph of storytelling from one of Canada's most acclaimed writers. Gripping and beautiful, it is a scintillating exploration of the extremes of human experience. Afterlands" "brilliantly examines both a devastating encounter with the natural world and the unrelenting demands of the human heart.
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Add this copy of Afterlands to cart. $11.99, very good condition, Sold by A Good Read rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Toronto, ON, CANADA, published 2005 by Knopf Canada.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 0676976778. Light rubbing to bottom edges of d/j and of boards. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY-customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery.; 8.50 X 6.03 X 1.19 inches; 416 pages.
Add this copy of Afterlands to cart. $12.99, very good condition, Sold by A Good Read rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Toronto, ON, CANADA, published 2005 by Knopf Canada.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good+ in Very Good+ dust jacket. 0676976778. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY-customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery.; First impression. Minor bruising to d/j at top spine. Rubbing to cloth at heel of spine.; 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" Tall.
Add this copy of Afterlands, a Novel (Inscribed Copy) to cart. $17.50, very good condition, Sold by JWMah rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Knopf Canada.
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Near Fine in Near Fine jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" Inscribed By Author (CAD) First Printing Long INSCRPTION BY AUTHOR on the title page, no other markings, several pages are creased, thus Near Fine in unclipped Near Fine dust jacket. Boards, 407pp. B&W illus. This novel is based on the 1872 expedition of the USS Polaris which set out in 1872 to plant the American flag at the North Pole. The expedition failed, and the survivors were cast adrift on sea ice near Ellesmere Island. Using this premise, the novel focuses on the lives of three of the survivors. (2.0 JM HOZ 401/5.
Add this copy of Afterlands: a Novel to cart. $18.00, very good condition, Sold by Hourglass Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Vancouver, BC, CANADA, published 2005 by Knopf Canada.
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Very Good in Very Good, Not Price Clipped jacket. Book Complete number line from 1 to 9; a bit of edge wear to boards and dust jacket; otherwise a solid, clean copy with no marking or underlining; collectible condition.
Add this copy of Afterlands to cart. $22.00, like new condition, Sold by Brian Bauld (B-Line Books) rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Amherst, NS, CANADA, published 2005 by Knopf Canada.
Add this copy of Afterlands to cart. $40.57, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Knopf Canada.
