As I seem to be whizzing through my present book I thought I had better do the review for the latest one I have read. Don't want to get behind.... again. In my defence I have been distracted by a new coffee shop that has opened in MK. They are called Bogota Coffee and they do one hell of a coffee! The cakes aren't too shabby either.
This one does not really need a spoiler alert as it is a factual book, no mystery involved in how this one ended.
Captain Scott - Ranulph Fiennes
This is the second book I have read about Scott and his journey to the Pole. I read Scott's diaries a while ago and this one covers some of the same ground. The great thing about this one is that it gives you a rundown of the first expedition to the Antarctic Scott did in 1901 as well as the later one in 1910. This is good as it gives you a bit more insight into how Scott prepared for both expeditions and how he used what he had learnt in the first trip to his advantage in the second trip.
One thing that is clear from the start is that Fiennes has an axe to grind to the Scott detractors over the years and I have to say I don't blame him. When I read Scott's diaries I was really impressed with how he led his expedition, how he went about getting to the Pole, what he invested in the science side of things and how he managed to balance the two. Sure Scott did not always come across as a a smiley happy person all the time but at minus 40 Celsius who would be? I certainly never felt that Scott was only criticising his men, constantly depressed and morose or a coward and an inept organiser. Far from it! For a man to achieve what Scott did and to endure the adverse conditions he faced makes me respect the man all the more. And not just Scott... any man that is willing to go on a trip that he knows he may not return from and still face every day anew deserves great respect and admiration.
The great thing about the book is that Fiennes is able to give a perspective that not many other "authorities" on Scott have been able to do. Fiennes has been to the pole, he has travelled in the cold and harsh climate and had to deal with the same issues that Scott has. From the descriptions that Fiennes gives it even seems that Scott came off better in some cases! Surely that alone is a testament to the spirit and ingenuity that Scott and his men showed. Fiennes comments on many of the criticisms made over the years and explains how he might have dealt with a similar situation of why he believes that Scott acted in the way that he did.
I really liked this one and enjoyed the added perspective that Fiennes brings to the story of Scott. He is not intrusive in how he approaches it. He merely gives his point of view when it comes to the critics' comments that have been made about Scott. He makes his point calmly and assuredly yet doggedly. you do get the feeling that perhaps Fiennes has had to hold something back and that he perhaps would like to have worded certain criticisms more strongly but to his credit he keeps it calm, contained and constructive.
Fiennes uses the words of other team members to illustrate his points and to show us how others at the time reacted to Scott as a person and to his actions as a leader of the expedition.
The story of Scott and his team still touched my heart the second time around. It still amazes me how these men fought on against all the odds, until the end when surely they must have known there was no hope of getting back alive. It amazed me to find out that on his first expedition Scott managed to get himself organised in only a year and a bit whereas it took Fiennes and his wife years and years to achieve the same. This to me is amazing, especially since we in the modern world are supposed to have not only the better technology but the benefit of hindsight as well. How could we fail where Scott, on some fronts at least, succeeded?
I found the book insightful, well written, well researched and Fiennes addresses the issues and faults raised by Scott's critics in a calm and rational manner. You can tell Fiennes is passionate about his and Scott's work. He believes that Scott is hard done by by all the severe criticism that has been levelled at him over the years and I would tend to agree with him. And if you don't... then perhaps you can chew on this: Why don't you try to show the courage under pressure that Scott had, the leadership under the difficult circumstances he faced and see how you do. See if there are no choice words directed at you, if your decisions are not challenged for men with their own agenda and see if you can stay standing in the midst of all of it. To Fiennes and to me Scott stood tall and strong and this is how I choose to remember him.
Title: Captain Scott
Author: Ranulph Fiennes
436 pages
Coronet Books
ISBN# 0-340-82699-1
Books to be read: 139
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