Until the last few chapters this book was going to be given a nine out of ten. Not that I mean that caveat to put you off reading what is a fascinating account of life at an Antarctic field station. Alice Peel, a geologist, daughter of an Antarctica-famous biologist mother, takes the opportunity to go for a summer season to continue and extend her own geological research.
The intermix of characters and description of landscape, sea, sky and living conditions is truly awe-inspiring. The book takes the form of a thriller in its style of writing and the reader is swept along by the story itself. I don’t want to give too much away, except to say that it is a romance with a twist, but with an unfortunately wearily drawn out ending. I feel a bit guilty criticising someone’s work in this manner, and would be really interested in hearing the view of anyone who has read the book. Let’s face it, I would love to be able to write like Rosie Thomas, and I have been glued to the book for the most part of the last couple of days.
In conclusion, I’m glad to have read it, I found the book gripping and believable. And perhaps the cool grey of a Scottish summer is not so bad after all.
