An Old Captivity (1940) - Nevil Shute

Written by Nevil Shute
Read by Cameron Stewart
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
Release date: 11-16-12
Publisher: Audible Studios

Young pilot Donald Ross has little in common with the Oxford archaeologist who has employed him on an expedition to the Arctic—and still less with his beautiful but stubborn daughter, Alix. But once the three of them reach the treacherous shores of Greenland, in search of the ruins of early Viking settlements, their destinies are inextricably bound by the events that unfold there.

“Nevil Shute does his storytelling trick once again. This is a straightforward tale of an archeological expedition to Greenland sometime between two world wars, three people in a small plane against a hostile environment even in the months of summer. And the story of two people from wildly different backgrounds coming to understand and care for each other.

The author knows his stuff when it comes to early aviation and the level of detail both in the preparation of the journey and in the actual flight is astounding. Some readers might be turned off by the dry delivery of technical information, but for me it brings back memories of past favorites describing the expeditions of Nansen, Shackleton or Thor Heyerdahl. The world around us was already shrinking in the early 20th century, with few white spots left on the maps for the adventure oriented explorer. The merit of Nevil Shute here in An Old Captivity is to show that such an expedition relies not only on courage and determination, but most of all on careful planning, a lot of money, bureaucratic paper chases and endless hard work - checking and rechecking every detail, every bolt and nut that may mean the difference between life and death when the nearest settlement is hundreds of kilometers away.”

This is not my rip. My thanks to a member for his hard work…..