The Birthday Boys

The style of this book was interesting, told from the perspective of five different members of Robert Scott's South Pole team. But there was not enough development in any of the perspectives to make me really care about the characters or the expedition. The descriptions of the atmosphere were vivid and horrifying. But I knew the team was doomed from the start, and there was nothing in the book to compel me to continue reading other than my own insistence on pushing through. There also wasn't enough context as to what was happening. The story jumped right in, and I had no clue what was happening of why. The best part was the end, and I'm impressed with Bainbridge's ability to imagine and believably depict the last stages of despair and madness in the crew.