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The Worst Journey in the World  By  cover art

The Worst Journey in the World

By: Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Publisher's summary

This gripping story of courage and achievement is the account of Robert Falcon Scott's last fateful expedition to the Antarctic, as told by surviving expedition member Apsley Cherry-Garrard. Cherry-Garrard, whom Scott lauded as a tough, efficient member of the team, tells of the journey from England to South Africa and southward to the ice floes. From there began the unforgettable polar journey across a forbidding and inhospitable region. On November 12, 1912, in arctic temperatures, the author, in a search party, found the bodies of Scott and his companions along with poignant last notebook entries, some of them recorded in this work.

Among Apsley Cherry-Garrard's friends and admirers were John Galsworthy, H. G. Wells, Arnold Bennett, and Bernard Shaw. His background in the arts and humanities makes The Worst Journey in the World stand out as a literary accomplishment as well as a classic in the annals of exploration.

Public Domain (P)2003 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"Robert Whitfield picks up on Cherry-Garrard's dry sense of humor, stiff-upper-lip approach to adversity, and appreciation for nature, the dogs and ponies on whom the expedition depended, and the polar landscape." ( AudioFile)

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What listeners say about The Worst Journey in the World

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

What a story!

This book describes a time when men were men and an adventure was truly an adventure. The men that paid (yes they had to pay cash to go along) to accompany Scott on this ill fated trip endured terrible conditions and placed they lives at risk for the sake of science.

The book is difficult at times to understand because so many of the details about equipment, ships and life in general are from a time we have mostly forgotten (early 1900's). But it is these details that make the book such a joy to read.

If you only listen to the title chapter which describes the authors winter trip to obtain the penguin eggs in minus 70 degree cold and pitch black (the nights last 24 hours in the winter). Then you will have received your monies worth from this book.

This is a very long book, but it is a book you will be telling your friends about for a long time.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Heart felt description of Anartica

I felt as if I was part of the exploring party. So much so, that on days when I was tired, I was hesitant to listen. Cambridge's Scott Polar Research Institute has online photos of the people, hut, and ponies - powerful images to go with the reading of this diary. The book is about a British expedition, and read by an eloquent, British gentleman. Quite the right touch. The National Geographic Society has a list of the100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time and this story is in first place.

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31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

worst journey in the world

even though this is long it is worth every minute, waiting to see what would happen, knowing how difficult it was for them and how they endured such terrible conditions and still kept going. I went and bought indivdual biographies and other stories of the members to read more about these folks because I was so fascinated by them after listening to this story. I recommend this and don't stop even though one may think it is tedious. It deserves your time. The narration is great also.

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Makes you glad to be an armchair explorer

Well written and fascinating, the book makes you feel the cold--both in Antartica and chills down your back. You know Scott died, but that's just a part of the story--something that admittedly colors the author's views. Modern polar scientists seem to give Scott a break (the weather WAS uncommonly bad, but "Cherry" was working against the talk of the time (1920's) that labled Scott a reckless fool. Judge for yourself.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book

This audiobook is very good in my opinion. It´s about an adventure, a real one, which starts from very rutine task and a great objective, to finish in drama and heroism.
The previous reviewers´critics can only be understood because probably some of the reviwers didn't finish the audiobook at all. Nevertheless, It's true that in the beginning it is a bit slow. But be patient, you'll be rewarded. Beside, this is a direct account of one of the members of the scott party.
Finally the reader has excellent voice and pace.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating

details. If you've read Shackleton's incredible voyage, endurance, you will surely enjoy this book too.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Chronicle of cold, cold death

The author was a sidekick in Scott's expedition and the worst journey in the world is not the one that results in Scott's frozen body, but is a "field trip" to steal penguin eggs. Nonetheless an interesting book. I like primary sources and this certainly is one. He writes interestingly and even though the scenery is always the cold, chilling antarctic I never got bored. Recommended for all those interested in arctic travel.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Rapid dialogue

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The reader seems to read at a ridiculous pace, like a speedboat careering left and right across a river. Just slightly pompous and very irritating. The reader has no understanding of atmosphere or expression. The intonation rapidly becomes monotonous. Having read the book - A very long book, I cannot imagine anybody listening to this reader for more than 10 minutes without considering turning him off. A good book ruined by a reader more interested in the sound of his own voice, rather than creating an imaginary world - one that you could listen to - relaxing in bed listening to a beautiful bedtime story.

What didn’t you like about Robert Whitfield’s performance?

No development of atmosphere, no understanding of how the listener will fall into the story, his voice is very irritating, too fast, and no theatrical spacing. Just speed, speed and more speed.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Puts things into perspective...

"I would never complain about heat again" that sentence really stuck with me - as did many more. This was not an easy book to get through, but Cherry's astute and sometimes humorous observations about the polar expedition, about Scott, about the men of this era... and about penguins proved well worth the time and effort. This would be a good book for a man coming-of-age in what is comparatively, a different world. A good book for anyone caught up in their own importance. It definitely made me rethink my own insignificant complaints.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • J
  • 02-03-16

Excellent!

This is an expertly structured and unsentimental account of the hardships faced by the crew of the Terra Nova Expeditition during their journey to the South Pole. After having read the book before listening to this audiobook, I must say that the narrator truly captures the tone of the book perfectly. This is truly one of the best books I've ever read or listened to.

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5 people found this helpful