Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World Audio CD – MP3 Audio, April 5, 2016

I typically prefer to read fiction or novels and don’t go for true stories as usually they are written so dryly. This is not the case however with Island of the Lost. Historically accurate and well written. I highly recommend this book. Please note, as this is a survival story, there are sad parts about death and the killing of animals in order for these men to survive. It’s amazing how resourceful they all were in order to survive in any climate, let alone one so terribly weatherbeaten.

This is an incredibly well composed book about tragedy, brotherhood, respect, survival, and the ingenuity of humans and their will to survive. It also clearly illustrates the difference between the power of unity versus every man for himself. In the beginning, the book does start off as cumbersome to read. Once you get past the initial couple of chapters, oh, you're in for a smooth ride that will have you turning pages.The story itself is incredible, two sets of sailors from different ships getting shipwrecked on the same island! Both facing starkly different outcomes.You are going to absolutely fall in love with these characters, the author does an amazing job of characterization here. Every character is expertly built from historical accounts and the author's own ability to breathe life into their long since passed lives. She's not just going to tell you the story of something that happened one hundreds years ago from a distance. This story is told to you on an almost day-by-day basis where you feel like you are there. You are going through this with these characters. Every setback that they have, every triumph that they have, you are a part of that. She does an incredible job of building character relationships, were you can almost see the reactions they would have had toward one another based on a particular action before you even read the authors explanation of their actual reactions.Every character's personality is cleanly portrayed. The captain, a man with a hard exterior with a vulnerable side that cares enormously about his ethics and morality. The jack-of-all-trades Frenchman... Although it is a common belief that Sailors, Wailers in particular, where a group of hard, rough individuals, there is a tenderness to the story that brings to life the side of these men most people weren't privy to.I read a review here that an engineer wrote in appreciation for the author's ability to explain how they manufactured survival tools and invented new ways to survive. That is true. There is a lot of technical explanation and nautical knowledge here that seafaring people will really be able to enjoy. Engineers will love the, well... the ingenuity. Survivalists, long distance families who know what it's like to be so far from a loved one, those partial to bromances. There's something for everyone in this book.Just buy it, read it. Having read an account like this will undoubtedly make your life seem just a little bit better, just knowing that you read the best portrayal of this historical event possible. The only portrayal that can put the reader right there in the thick of it.This being said, I am glad I read this Joan Druett book first! Why? Because I'm also now reading one of her other books, in the wake of Madness. I can tell you for a fact that if I had read the ladder book first oh, I would have never considered by another one of her books. I don't know what the difference was between the time she wrote in the wake of Madness and the time she wrote island of the Lost, but whatever was going on with her when she wrote island of the Lost she needs to continue cloning that same energy.

I almost never read true stories, but this one was excellent, and held my interest the entire time. Great book!

A tale of harrowing experience, extremely well written.

Survival after a shipwreck on a desolate island is a common enough plot line in literature. The Odyssey, The Tempest, Robinson Crusoe. Joan Druett takes the tale and adds in Antarctic weather. An added bonus is the irony of a second wreck on the other side of the island, unknown to both sets of waylaid sailors.ISLAND OF THE LOST was a big hit with me. Though other reviewers have admonished the author about the frequent killing of seals and worse, seal pups, this is survivalist lit, not a Disney fairy tale.. The men in the wreck of the Grafton were lucky; they had two able leaders and a crew of teachable men. Captain Musgrave and the Frenchman, Raynal, offered the desire and the will and the organized work to survive a forbidding climate. What should have been a long and terrible death in the one of Earth's most inhospitable locations becomes a study in ingenious solutions to crafting the needs of shelter, food, and water.On the other side of the same island, a second crew lacks everything that could keep 19 surviving sailors of the wreck of the Invercaulde alive. A crew of untrained and unmotivated men is led by a narrow-minded, somewhat pompous captain, Dalgarno, and the equally problematic Robert Holding worry about rank among their crew, doling out duties while watching from afar, and think only immediate needs, these men led the others into chaos. The 19 survivors dwindle by the week, falling to starvation and illness. Nothing exists in Nature to assist them in living. Nothing exists within them or among them to assist in building a community.The books divides between the hopeful and purposeful camaraderie of the Grafton crew and the fall to depravity among the survival of the fittest "winners" of the Invercaualde.These true stories seem to pose a morality tale. But the ending is surprising. While both camps of starving men do feast on seals and seal pups throughout the story, it is the avaricious nature of the entire seal-hunting industry that comes to the fore of criticism, the slaughter of every seal--male, female; pup, juvenile, adult -- that decimates colonies of sea life all for profit.This is a riveting and surprisingly suspenseful read.

I learned and taught survival courses in high school (Civil Air Patrol) and then in college. I taught SERE at the US Air Force Academy. We used to laugh at some of the military provided footage from the 60's where the survival subject appeared to go overboard with what could be done. But this book proves that with the right mindset, good leadership, and of course a supply of iron, copper, and wood, you can just about replicate a 19th century lifestyle. Surprisingly, 2 ships were wrecked at nearly the same time. While one had a great leader that led to survival, the other had a poor leader and more perished than should have. The ingenuity described is riveting. But it's the faith and mindset that shines through from these men. I highly recommend the book. You'll come away humbled that you complain about anything in our modern life.

A great story about two shipwrecks on the same island and the totally astounding stories of survival and death in a gale lashed uninhabited cold wet place that took all the survivors will power and fortitude to survive . An epic small boat voyage that was itself unbelievable in the stormiest seas on earth, read it and enjoy .

Good story, well written about a place I'd never heard of. Interesting comparison between the two groups of castaways which leads one to wonder how the different characters of the captains influenced the outcomes. I enjoyed the book.

This is a carefully researched and very well written account, comparing the reactions of two contemporanous groups of shipwreck survivors. Both groups were wrecked on the same remote island, at about the same time. One well-organised, cohesive and disciplined group survived and were rescued. The other group succumbed to incompetence and inability to form an effective micro-society. A very sobering true story.

Really enjoyed reading this well written book, the detail in the survival of these men and everything they had to go through was amazing.

This would make a riveting film or tv series….the difference between two independently shipwrecked crews’ eventual outcomes is worthy of a great deal of investigation- neither ‘thrive’ exactly, but one building a forge and ship for self-rescue while the other sat in a hole in the ground is surely indicative of something! A fascinating read.