I had really contrasting feelings about the beginning of this book — the first 40% or so — vs the rest. Initially it felt a little tedious and the accounts of the sailors killing polar bears unnecessarily and being snotty about the “savage” native peoples they encountered (who gave them directions and probably could’ve told them a thing or two about surviving in the Arctic) was unpleasant reading. I realize we’re all products of our times, but still. I found myself thinking they shouldn’t be wasting energy picking fights with polar bears given what I knew was coming. The author also had to contend with limited information about the people involved— this took place in 1595-97, so records and personal information are likely scarce, making it difficult to add human interest to the narrative. However, once their ship becomes thoroughly stuck in the ice, the story starts to get interesting (sorry, Dutch sailors) and that’s when it started to fly by for me. The story of how they survived the winter (or didn’t) and then built makeshift open-top boats to start their journey home and set out to sea was fascinating. I enjoyed the final chapter in which Pitzer recounts the political, social, environmental and artistic impacts of their journey, and discusses a trip she took that retraces some of their steps.