ADRIFT ON AN ICEPAN

In 1908, Doctor Grenfell was traveling by dog team across the frozen lands of Newfoundland to treat a patient when he was marooned on an icepan with all his provisions lost. Regretfully, Grenfell sacrificed three of his dogs to survive the night and then was unexpectedly rescued the next day. Brookes is excellent as the philosophical and quick-thinking Grenfell, who believes he is facing certain death. The mournful notes of various hymns that intersperse the narrative enhance the atmosphere of hopelessness. The packaging is also stunning--a stark photograph of an icy horizon on the front, a reproduction of the monument to the lost dogs on the inside cover, and a photograph of a dog on the back. A.B. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 04/ JAN 05]