"South" is probably the greatest true adventure story of all time. There is a lot of science but the story makes it a gripping read anyway.

The Endurance sinks, and yet it somehow arises in the spirit of the men that toiled on this journey.

Incredible stoicism and bravery, mainly due to nature at its worst but also hubris/idiocy of man.

Doff my hat to the chaps, but the waste.

That said, the great war was in progress, so in comparison not stupid at all!

Reading Shackleton's story always makes me feel like I need more testosterone in my life, like I should tackle something grand and important and mostly crazy. It also makes me glad that I spend most of my time warm enough and full enough. Aside from being a great (completely true) adventure story, it's a great testament to a fantastic leader that he brought all the men who went with him back home, despite their incredible hardships.

A thoroughly enjoyable read about the hardships of the Antarctic.

Shackleton set off South and immediately hit adversity. At every turn more and more adversity hit his crew, and he overcame it every time. The sheer willpower on show is incredible, and it is all done with British stiff-upper-lip. The fact that he led a team of men through all of this, with little evidence of infighting or depression, is even more incredible. No men died under his watch and that is outstanding.

What dropped it from 5 to 4 stars is the last third of the book, covering the mission of the Aurora, which was laying the drop points of provisions for the planned cross-continental trip. These sections covered people I didn't really care about, and actually showed how well written the first section was. Three men died in this section, and it showed really how hard it was.

An enjoyable read through the cold weather, and I want to find out more about it.

Reads kinda like a "boys own" adventure, but, of course, the expedition experienced some terrible hardship.