Arctic Homestead

The True Story of One Family's Survival and Courage in the Alaskan Wilds

By: Norma Cobb, Charles W. Sasser

Narrated by: Emily Beresford

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1973, Norma Cobb, her husband Lester, and their five children pulled up stakes in the lower 48 and headed north to Alaska to follow a pioneer dream of claiming land under the Homestead Act. The only land available lay north of Fairbanks near the Arctic Circle where grizzlies outnumbered humans 20 to one. 

In addition to fierce winters and predatory animals, the Alaskan frontier drew the more unsavory elements of society's fringes. From the beginning, the Cobbs found themselves pitted in a life or death feud with unscrupulous neighbors who would rob from new settlers, attempt to burn them out, shoot them, and jump their claim. 

The Cobbs were chechakos, tenderfeet, in a lost land that consumed even toughened settlers. Everything, including their "civilized" past, conspired to defeat them. They constructed a cabin and the first snow collapsed the roof. They built too close to the creek and spring breakup threatened to flood them out. Bears prowled the nearby woods, stalking the children, and Lester Cobb would leave for months at a time in search of work. But through it all, they survived on the strength of Norma Cobb - a woman whose love for her family knew no bounds and whose courage in the face of mortal danger is an inspiration to us all. Arctic Homestead is her story.

©2000 Norma Cobb and Charles Sasser (P)2018 Tantor

Great Book

When I started this I wasn't so sure I was hoping to make it through and I wasn't so sure about the narrator. I'm glad I stuck with it. This book is entertaining and compelling and the narrator turns out to be a good voice for Norms Cobb. I felt like a member of the Cobb family by the story's end. Highly recommend.

cabin feverish

kind of slow, repetitive. didn't appreciate her obvious conservative bent. irritating narration. don't bother with this.

Loved it!

Absolutely loved the book, loved the story, loved the narration. Once it was over I wanted to know so much more about the family.

Cobbs

I love survival stories, and what this family went through is an amazing tale. From the far fetched to exactly how many pounds of flour it takes to survive in the wild for an Alaskan winter was very interesting and I'll think back to this story a lot. Narration was tough in the beginning but you get used to it.

Terrible narrator and so much exaggerated misinformation it’s upsetting.

I love books about Alaska as we spend about 4 months a year up there ourselves. We love the outdoors and adventure. This book sounded like it would be a fun informative and interesting story. I have been pretty disappointed. First the reader is awful. She sounds like she’s trying to report the 5 o-clock news in 1940. Her delivery is so harsh and rigid, it takes away from the story and can be distracting. As far as the story goes, I can see how it can be entertaining but the sheer amount of over the top exaggeration and gross misinformation about wildlife, especially predators is flat out disgusting. Every bear they see is trying to eat their children, every wolf is trying to hunt them or take their kill, and every moose is 2000 lbs (nearly double their actual size) and let’s not forget the “hairy man” aka Bigfoot that’s constantly trying to kidnap their kids. This all wouldn’t be as frustrating if the book wasn’t pushed as a “True Story”, it’s even in the subtitle. I understand some people are larger than life with larger than life tales, but this is more fairy tale and legend than anything else.

Excellent Story

I love the story of the Cobbs. The only negative thing I can say is about the narrator. Her voice is off putting. It’s almost irritating to listen to her read. A softer voiced narrator would have given this five stars all the way!

Good Story; bad narration

Warning: the narration of this decent story renders it almost unlistenable. There were some intermittent tones and cadence that I wish there had been more of. But the hard nasal drive in the narrator’s style was uncomfortable to listen to and distracted from the story.

makes me want to go to Alaska!

Very interesting and entertaining story that I enjoyed. However the narrator was a little annoying.

Its Ok.

Good story but the author pats herself on the back a bit to often and is loathing of anyone who she decides is less apt in the wilderness than her, which is alot. Also bigfoot.

Great story

I loved this book! It was very entertaining and to listen to what the family went through - well most people myself included would have packed up and headed home.

Too intense a narration

This is unsettling.
At first I believed that the voice was AI generated and set to peak “crisis incoming” mode.
That may be the case but I reluctantly began to believe that it has indeed been recorded by a human…
The level of anxiety-inducing timbre and pitch is unbearable to listen to. I had to stop.
No disrespect the the (presumably human) narrator. She could well carve out a glowing bit-part movie career, delivering unspeakable news to generals or presidents. 👍
But I can’t listen to that energy in every sentence of an audiobook. Too much.

Could make a great movie

Loved it, a heart warming tale and nicely narrated. She got across everyone's characters and all their ups and downs, was sad when it finished. Well done Norma and Les and family 🙏🏻☺️

Awful narrator

The story itself is good but the narrator ruins it for me. She sounds high on something and kept making me jump whilst listening!

Fascinating

Enthralling glimpse into a vanished world — even if some of the author’s views on “real men” and “sissy dogs” are unapologetically unvarnished