Snow Widows
Scott’s Fatal Antarctic Expedition Through the Eyes of the Women They Left Behind
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Snow Widows
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Narrated by:
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Jane McDowell
About this listen
The men of Captain Scott’s Polar Party were heroes of their age, enduring tremendous hardships to further the reputation of the Empire they served by reaching the South Pole. But they were also husbands, fathers, sons and brothers.
For the first time, the story of the race for the South Pole is told from the perspective of the women whose lives would be forever changed by it, five women who offer a window into a lost age and a revealing insight into the thoughts and feelings of the five heroes.
Kathleen Scott, the fierce young wife of the expedition leader, campaigned relentlessly for Scott’s reputation, but did her ambition for glory drive her husband to take unnecessary risks? Oriana Wilson, a true help-mate and partner to the expedition’s doctor, was a scientific mind in her own right and understood more than most what the men faced in Antarctica. Emily Bowers was a fervent proponent of Empire, having spent much of her life as a missionary teacher in the colonies. The indomitable Caroline Oates was the very picture of decorum and everything an Edwardian woman aspired to be, but she refused all invitations to celebrate her son Laurie’s noble sacrifice. Lois Evans led a harder life than the other women, constantly on the edge of poverty and forced to endure the media’s classist assertions that her husband Taff, the sole ‘Jack Tar’ in a band of officers, must have been responsible for the party’s downfall. Her story, brought to light through new archival research, is shared here for the first time.
In a gripping and remarkable feat of historical reconstruction, Katherine MacInnes vividly depicts the lives, loves and losses of five women shaped by the unrelenting culture of Empire and forced into the public eye by tragedy. It also reveals the five heroes, not as the caricatures of legend, but as the real people they were.
©2022 Katherine MacInnes (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Snow Widows
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- T.R.G.Leeper
- 22-10-22
Brilliant
Combining an intellectual rigour similar to Simon Schama’s, a story telling ability similar to Bernard Cornwell’s, and an attention to the details of social history from the school of Hilary Mantel, Katherine MacInnes has woven a remarkable tapestry of polar history. This book is a delight.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Yvonne W
- 22-10-22
excellently researched book
Characters come to life.Well read and absorbing. Made me want to research more onto the Antarctic expedition.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tegels
- 20-08-23
Great book
Excellent book about the women left behind at home by Scott's polar party. Though the narrator is generally good, there are some unusual pronunciations which occasionally jar
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- lizmilligan
- 13-04-24
Detail
Was an outstanding Novel. Interesting perspective from the women behind the men. Incredibly moving. What a listen. Highly recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Helen Miller
- 12-01-23
Fascinating Account
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book which was well written with all the subject matter clearly explained. In spite of the number of lives being explored and the hopping about between dates it remained completely coherent.
My only criticism is with regard to the narrator. For the main part she was excellent but I have deducted a star for her failure to find out how some of the Welsh words/place names are pronounced, none of them difficult even for someone not familiar with the language, e.g. Roath is pronounced as one word, not Ro-ath. The newspaper is the Cambrian Times, as in Cambrian Mountains, not Came-brian. There were other mispronunciations as well. Minor points perhaps but irritating nonetheless.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 05-08-24
You must listen to this one!
I will treasure this audiobook forever! I hear it from time to time again. It is so captivating, brilliant angle of the expedition from the wives’ point of view. I looove the narrativ, she has that rare quality of calm, personal and urgent. The story is of such a beautiful language and structure, I cannot recommend it enough.
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