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19th out of 203 books
—
44 voters
The Birthday Boys
In this stunning new novel, award-winning author Beryl Bainbridge offers a brilliantly fictionalized account of the doomed Antarctic expedition led by Captain Scott in 1912. At once hair-raising and beautiful, here is an astonishing tale of misguided courage and human endurance. The Birthday Boys of the title are Scott and four members of his team, each of whom narrates a...more
Paperback, 189 pages
Published
March 30th 1995
by Carroll & Graf
(first published 1991)
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This is a fictionalised account of Robert Scott's expedition to the South Pole in 1910-1913. This slim book is written in the first person with each of the five chapters told from the point of view of a member of the expedition.
I had trouble getting into this book mainly finding the characters difficult to sympathise with. The obvious problem is that as fiction how much of the characters thoughts and feelings are accurate is open to debate. With this thought constantly in the back of your mind a...more
I had trouble getting into this book mainly finding the characters difficult to sympathise with. The obvious problem is that as fiction how much of the characters thoughts and feelings are accurate is open to debate. With this thought constantly in the back of your mind a...more
Surely these were giants, not men. Their accomplishments are that huge, that breath-taking, that mythical. Yet, as Bainbridge portrays them in her spare and glittering prose, they were on the face of it ordinary chaps who simply managed to land themselves in the greatest quest then left on earth. The expedition, from its hopeful if fraught beginnings to its tragic end, becomes an extended metaphor for life, of course. When you consider the almost reverent tone in which some of the men refer to t...more
Feb 16, 2009
Emily-rose Guillebeau
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone
Shelves:
recently-read-and-really-reviewed
This is one of the first books I read while I was in France. I read it in two sittings at the hostel, and I could have read it in one if my roommate hadn't insisted on sleeping. A fictional account of a doomed turn-of-century expedition to the south pole told in the first person by multiple narrators. Beryl Bainbridge uses the same narrative style in the Booker short-listed Master Georgie. Personally, I preferred Birthday Boys, but all of Bainbridge's books are such a joy to read. She creates pe...more
May 05, 2013
Ross
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
antarctic-exploration
I've read a lot on non-fiction on Scott's Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole so was interested to see how a novel based on it would work. Overall a success and a good read but I think Bainbridge got Evans character wrong. Since his section is the opening of the book it's sets the novel off badly. I was unconvinced that a rough Welsh sailor at the turn of the century would speak and think like that. The Scott and Oates sections are the strongest, she nails their characters much more accurate...more
Almost step of the Robert "Falcon" Scott attempt to be the first to set foot on the South Pole was tragic. Facing horrible weather, even for the pole, and hindered by the use of ponies rather than sled dogs, Scott's group nearly died reaching the pole. When they got they found that the Norseman Bundeson had beaten them using sled dogs. The entire group perished from hunger and cold on the disastrous trek back to base. In this novel, Bainbridge fictionalizes the famous story, making it seems as t...more
This excellent account of Scott's final fatal expedition was recommended to me by a friend who is an amateur expert on the Shackleton and Scott Antarctic journeys. The fact that he still found Bainbridge's novel a valuable addition to his reading list speaks volumes really. This very short novelised account makes for difficult reading as the different characters step forward to have their say on the situation. Sensibly Bainbridge chose to omit Cherry-Garrard, whose The Worst Journey in the World...more
This is an oddly perfect book about Scott's trip to the South Pole.
There are five sections, each one written in the voice of one the men making the final journey.
The perspective keeps shifting, and it's left to the reader to try and work out the 'true' nature of the expedition. Was it an act of folly? A piece of heroism? Or both?
I love Beryl Bainbridge's work because she dispenses with so many conventions. The only 'plot' is the story of the journey itself. And like the journey there are unexpec...more
There are five sections, each one written in the voice of one the men making the final journey.
The perspective keeps shifting, and it's left to the reader to try and work out the 'true' nature of the expedition. Was it an act of folly? A piece of heroism? Or both?
I love Beryl Bainbridge's work because she dispenses with so many conventions. The only 'plot' is the story of the journey itself. And like the journey there are unexpec...more
The Birthday Boys is a fictionalised account by Beryl Bainbridge of Scott's second Antarctic expedition.
Told from the standpoint of the five members of the polar team who all died on the return journey, it at times comic, exciting and also of course tragic.
I enjoyed this book so much that after finishing it I started reading "The Unsung Hero" the story of Tom Crean, an Irish seaman who made three journeys to the Antarctic and is acknowledged by his peers to be one the polar greats.
Told from the standpoint of the five members of the polar team who all died on the return journey, it at times comic, exciting and also of course tragic.
I enjoyed this book so much that after finishing it I started reading "The Unsung Hero" the story of Tom Crean, an Irish seaman who made three journeys to the Antarctic and is acknowledged by his peers to be one the polar greats.
I read this in July 2010, the month that Beryl Bainbridge died. I hadn't read any of her books for years. This was enjoyable and well-written, about Captain Scott's doomed expedition told by the five who reached the South Pole and perished there, beaten by Amundsen.
This author just died and so I felt I had to read one of her books. This was interesting and I learned a lot about the
Antarctica explorations I ended up googling this history - Shackleton & Amundsen and Scott's trips.
Antarctica explorations I ended up googling this history - Shackleton & Amundsen and Scott's trips.
A fictionalized account of the fatal Robert Scott expedition to the south pole in the early 1900's, with lots of backstabbing, second guessing, insubordination among the expedition party members.
Feb 14, 2010
Andy Weston
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
arctic explorers (and those interested) everywhere
Well... I was just getting into it, and it finished! It just seems too short - as if only parts of the story are told. I guess that may be her point, but it left me a bit disappointed!
it gave an insight into the men's personalities..although they may not be entirely accurate...I now feel I know the reasons behind much of what happened on that fateful journey..
Beautifully written novella about Scott's flawed and ultimately doomed expedition to the South Pole.
Aug 05, 2011
Kate
added it
Such humanity in amazingly difficult circumstances is inspiring. We are wimps these days, eh?
Scott of the Antarctic. Devastating novelistic presentation of the expedition.
"The Birthday Boys (Bainbridge, Beryl) by Beryl Bainbridge (1995)"
One of the worst books I ever tried reading. I barely read it.
Wonderful protrayal of personality and an interesting structure to bring to life the tragic Terra Nova polar expedition.
This is a fascinating book about Captain Robert Falcon Scotts doomed exploration to the South Pole. While the expedition was doomed there are many beautiful moments in the book...mainly of will and human courage. One that I liked better AFTER I finished reading it.
Interesting way into the story, with five men narrating a section. Bleak both in exterior and interior landscapes. Kept me awake in the night!
enjoyable
May 10, 2013
Julie
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Flora
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2013
Mary Ellen
marked it as to-read
May 02, 2013
Émer
marked it as to-read
May 02, 2013
Katherine Hislop
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2013
Christine F. Dargon
added it
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Bainbridge was born in the port city of Liverpool in north-west England. Her agent, and her entry in Who's Who, gave the date as November 21, 1934, but records show her birth was registered early in 1933. Bainbridge herself sometimes said she struggled to remember her birth date, ever since she lied about her age so she could take a trip to France as a youngster without her parents' knowledge.
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May 13, 2011 02:11am