The idea that a former president of the United States would on a relative whim go on a poorly planned, harrowing expedition down an uncharted river was by itself fantastic, even if he was Theodore Roosevelt. It was so fantastic that many refused to believe it even at the time. Harrowing barely begins to describe the danger, deprivation and hardship the team endured, made all the worse by lack of food, lack of viable game to hunt and most incredibly, lack of boats.
How does an entourage arrive for a 1,000 mile journey down a river with no boats? It hires a clerk at an outdoor store to plan it, working with a fairly unsuccessful arctic explorer. You can't make this stuff up. Needless to say, although it almost kills Roosevelt and does kill others, they make it through but just barely. Did I mention the insects? Those details alone are enough to wave off the strongest of people.
And Roosevelt was amazingly strong in body (mostly) and in his iron-clad mind. Yet even he came close to saying it was too much.
The story has much to offer and it was greatly enhanced by Candice Millard's retelling. This was a wonderful book, well researched, well constructed and written with clear-eyed but still palpable admiration for an astonishing man. The love and devotion Roosevelt earned from his expedition members was easy to understand and that was the overwhelming impression that this book left me. There is a reason Theodore Roosevelt is still renown and revered, nearly 100 years after his death. He was, and is, a force of nature.
And so on to our next book. After some great discussion on a BBC mystery series called Shetlands, we decided to read Raven Black by Ann Cleeves. If you like mysteries, this one is great. Ann Cleeves has two detective series and both have become BBC series, the second one called Vera.
We will meet at Kathy Baker's, thank you Kathy! The date is May 15, 6:30. Great to see everyone!
