Great Heart

by James West Davidson and John Rugge
List(s):"Extreme Classics"
Category: "Travel"
Pages:359
Year of Publication:1988
Date Added:01/29/2010
Date Read:07/09/2015
Notes:In 1903, Leonidas Hubbard set out with his friend Dillon Wallace and a half-breed named George Elson to cross the unexplored interior of Labrador. Hubbard lacked experience and stamina, took the wrong equipment and supplies and made a series of bad decisions. They sighted Lake Michikamau, the large lake in the center of the country, but were forced to turn back. Hubbard soon wore down and could not continue. Elson went for help while Wallace attempted to find a cache of food and return to Hubbard. A snow storm hit and Wallace couldn't find Hubbard. When rescuers, sent by Elson arrived, they found Hubbard dead and Wallace nearly so.

Two years later, Hubbard's widow Mina set out to attempt the trip on her own. She had become convinced that Wallace was responsible for her husband's death and when she heard he was making another attempt himself, she determined to beat him. She hired George Elson and three Indians, and they completed the journey in two months with little trouble. Wallace had four companions but made some bad choices of his own. Halfway across, he sent three of them back and continued with a college student named Clifford Easton. They capsized and almost froze before making it to the post on the north coast a month behind Mina.
My Rating: 7

Reviews for Great Heart

Review - Great Heart

I enjoyed it, although the attempt to interpret what the explorers were thinking based on what they wrote in their diaries went too far at times. The authors figure that George probably fell in love with Mina on their trip, which is probably true, but also inevitable under the circumstances and not that exciting a story since there was no chance anything would come of it.

Reviewed by Roger on 2015-07-09 17:16:16

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