The Arctic Fury

October 5, 2020
Macallister (Woman 99) delivers an exciting if thin historical thriller based on real events. In 1850s Boston, adventurer Virginia Reeve is summoned by Lady Jane Franklin, who asks Virginia to lead a women’s expedition to the Arctic in order to find out what happened to her husband, Sir John Franklin, who disappeared there with his crew. Virginia agrees to lead the team of explorers, which includes a wealthy young woman, Caprice Collins, who undermines Virginia’s authority from the start. As Virginia and crew travel north, flashes forward find Virginia on trial for Caprice’s murder. Macallister pulls no punches depicting the grisly, dangerous realities of 19th-century Arctic journeys, and while tensions run high throughout to the shocking conclusion, the prose is run-of-the-mill (“She’d been through far worse, of course, but this always amazed her: how the worst pain, no matter how terrible, could recede into the past”) and the characters one-dimensional, with Virginia being cloyingly noble and brave, and Caprice coming across as a single-note cowardly interloper willing to step on anyone to get her way. While Macallister’s fans will enjoy, others will be disappointed.

Dramatic and atmospheric, this audiobook is a powerful story about loss, determination, and hope. Narrator Eva Kaminsky voices a wide range of complex, multidimensional characters led by pioneer Virginia Reeve. Based on the true story of Lady Jane Franklin's search for her husband's lost ship and crew, the story follows Virginia as she leads 12 women on an expedition to the Arctic in the early 1850s. A year later, only a few of the women return, and Virginia is on trial for murder. Kaminsky provides perfect transitions as the story alternates between Virginia's trial, preparation for the trip, and the expedition itself. With well-crafted pacing, sharp dialogue, and vivid descriptions, the story comes alive for listeners. K.S.M. � AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine