Eric Larsen

This is an exciting true adventure. The author impresses the reader how relentless the climate change has become with firsthand difficulties at the north pole with rotten ice, open water, conditions never known before. This trek to the pole was the very last as the arctic ice has melted past the ability to support a human on foot. So read the firsthand effort to slog and swim through the slush.

I would rate this book higher except for the authors' habit of repeating many times what he has said in early parts of the book, especially the Polar Bear encounter which he mentions about every 25 pages.

But in the authors' defense, the incident underlines the affect of global warming. He explains that this encounter and a near encounter at the exact pole location, would have been impossible just a decade earlier, prior to the melting of the continuous ice.… (more)

I Am Zoe Handke is, technically, a well-written book. At least, if you're definition of well-written is that it showcases the author's ability to write lovely sentences. The language in the book is beautiful, and I in no way question Eric Larsen talent as a writer.

The unfortunate part is I found the story utterly dull. No matter how pretty the paragraphs were, I just couldn't get interested in the book. I found my attention flagging and my mind drifting, and I kept snapping to attention only to realize I had 'read' half a page without absorbing a single word. I just couldn't concentrate on the book, as it did little to capture my attention.

It may be that the character Zoe Handke was actually taken from another book, and this whole novel is used to give background information on her. I, having never read of the girl, had no interest in her childhood and family history, and the author gave me very little reason to care.

I guess it shows that sheer writing talent isn't enough to make a book worth reading. Despite the author's flair for writing, I still found it a bland and boring book. I'm glad I'm finally done with it.… (more)