The Ice Child by Elizabeth McGregor

[gilda_elise]

When Jo Harper falls in love with a maverick archaeologist, Doug Marshall, she also falls into Doug's obsession with one of history's greatest mysteries of exploration: one hundred fifty years ago, Sir John Franklin and his crew of one hundred twenty men sailed two ships to the Arctic on a surveying trip and were never seen again. Dough has spent his entire life in search of an answer to what happened to them, sacrificing his first marriage and his relationship with his son, John, along the way. But as he and Jo plan their future together, a shocking accident forever changes their lives, leaving them shattered and unable to pick up the pieces. Devastated by the accident, John goes into self-imposed hiding. Jo, feeling abandoned, is confronted by the unthinkable-her young son, Sam, has a life-threatening disease and his only hope of survival lies with John, as he is a match for a bone marrow transplant. Desperate to find John in order to save her son, Jo cannot find anyone who can reach him. But soon she learns that John's fate is curiously tied to the Franklin Expedition. Haunted by the despair of those men lost in the Expedition and his own past, John has ventured into the ice floes of the Arctic in search of answers to what happened to Franklin's crew and to his own life. Unbeknownst to him, a frantic search is on, not only to save his life, but the life of a brother he doesn't know is in jeopardy.

Ever since reading Dan Simmons’ The Terror I’ve been intrigued by the Franklin Expedition, so anytime I run across a book that gets anywhere near it, well, I’m there. And this book does a wonderful job of intertwining the Expedition, and those who lost their lives there, with those who spend their lives trying to unlock the secret of their fate. At the same time, both those in the past and those in the present are brought brilliantly to life.

Meticulously researched, it’s almost as if you’re there with Franklin, his second in command, Crozier, Augustus Peterman, a young boy aboard the Terror, and the rest of the crews of the two doomed ships.

And the Ice Child? You’re never told outright, but you have the choice of Sam, John, Augustus, or even the polar bear cub whose life is also intertwined with that of the Marshalls’. Actually, he gets my vote.

The book gets my highest accolade. I plan on keeping it, because I know it’s one I’ll want to return to again and again.



And while I made my goal, I'm continuing up the mountain.



Mount TBR 2016 Book Links

Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.

1. Alexander's Lovers
2. The Border
3. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
4. Green Darkness
5. The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone
6. Rise to Rebellion
7. Return to Sodom and Gomorrah
8. Through a Glass Darkly
9. Lisey's Story
10. The Man He Became
11. The Handmaid's Tale
12. The Great Warming
13. Sacrament
14. The Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country
15. The Front Runner
16. The King's Grave: The Discovery of Richard III’s Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds
17. Aldo Leopold: A Fierce Green Fire
18. Under an English Heaven
19. A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There
20. Washington Square
21. The Passing Bells
22. The Touch
23. Changeling
24. The Select
25. Cradle of Saturn
26. Killing Time
27. Israel and the Nations: The History of Israel from the Exodus to the Fall of the Second Temple
28. Oryx and Crake
29. The Cassandra Project
30. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium
31. The Captain's Witch
32. Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War
33. Treason
34. The Scarf
35. The Sentinel
36. The World of Richard III
37. The Ice Child

Comments

[cluesby4.livejournal.com]

Sounds wonderful. Will add it to my library list.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

It really is. I think you'll enjoy it.

[just-ann-now.livejournal.com]

Intriguing, and available as an ebook! I've added it to my list, too.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Yes, I saw that it was available as an ebook. I've replaced some of my books by buying the ebook when it's offered for a dollar or two, but I think I'm going to keep the hardbound edition of this one.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I'd never even heard of The Franklin Expedition and this sounds like another book I'd really enjoy. Thanks so much for yet again widening my horizon!

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, and I hope you enjoy the book!

In the meanwhile, here's some news on the Terror.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/12/hms-terror-wreck-found-arctic-nearly-170-years-northwest-passage-attempt?CMP=share_btn_fb

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'll check it out.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Maybe it'll get you obsessing, too. *g*