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  Cold Oceans: Adventures in Kayak, Rowboat, and Dogsled Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 16 More Information RIVETING!  On: 2007-06-12If you are into mountaineering, whitewater, adventure, etc, this is the book for you! Jon is a wonderfully well written explorer, and this book will be hard for you to put down! It will leave you pining for more of Jons books! Jon Turk Rocks! by: michaelwoodruff_99 On: 2007-03-07 I found this book at a cheap book store, you know the kind that has the sign "Giant Book Sale" on occassion Id go in and browse. Most of the time there are coffee table books with lots of pictures, or calendars that didnt sell. However, Ive learned that if I looked hard enough with an open mind I may find a really good book. Initally when I saw the book, I thought "It looks like something that will pass the time if Im extremly bored" The sticker price said $24.00 then under it it said "Our Price $12.00" since the store was going out of business the book was marked down to $1. What the heck! So I bought it. A month past and I decided to read it.. I kept reading it. I essence I could relate to him. - Marriage to a lady who didnt understand me and going thru a divorce becuase we didnt have the same dreams or ambitions. - A constant itch to explore and always dreaming about the next adventure. - Working just to pay the bills. - Find myself doing most adventures solo. Mr. Turk is a humble author. You see that in his failures and success. In this day and age of editing film for time. we only hear of the sucesss, and that does us a dis-service. Failure isnt so bad as long as you deal with it in a positive manner i.e. try, try, again I also enjoyed "In the Wake of The Jomon" I look forward to his next book (hopefully he is writing one). Lastly, my heart goes out to him and his family over the lose of Chris. She seemed like quite a lady. Great adventures but...  by: johns913 On: 2001-09-06 Cold Oceans has a lot of potential but the author reveals too much of himself. Constant references about his personality and details of his outbursts are a downer. He relies on luck and risk taking as opposed to planning and knowledge of his surroundings and means of travel. For a much more enjoyable read with better emphasis on local knowledge try "Homelands" or "On Celtic Tides." I certainly wont buy another Jon Turk book. Great adventures but... On: 2001-09-05Cold Oceans has a lot of potential but the author reveals too much of himself. Constant references about his personality and details of his outbursts are a downer. He relies on luck and risk taking as opposed to planning and knowledge of his surroundings and means of travel. For a much more enjoyable read with better emphasis on local knowledge try "Homelands" or "On Celtic Tides." I certainly wont buy another Jon Turk book. A journal of self-discovery in the Wild by: bharriger On: 2001-01-05 Wonderful book. This title is as much a journal of one mans self discovery as it is a chronicle of his adventures. You start out not liking this man very much (at least I did), but as you near the end your opinion will have changed and you feel like you have been privy to something special. Im afraid that reviewer VanRoy missed the point. This is not a manual or chronicle of well planned, expertly executed high adventure, its the story of one mans steps and mis-steps in life set against the back-drop of some of the worlds wildest and most inhospital places. If you are looking for just an adventure chronicle you may want to go buy something like The Endurance (Shackletons adventure to Antartica). If you want to experience a wonderful mix of adventure of body, mind, and spirit set against some of the most beautiful places on earth get this book. Cold Oceans are chilly & fine!  by: rebeccasreads On: 2000-05-22 A wonderful read! Great for those long winter evenings beside a warm fire, a cup of tea & Jon Turk as he candidly recounts some of his solo & fascinating sea-going adventures of shipwrecks off Cape Horn to the seas of the Northwest Passage; from Arctic blizzards to an ancient Inuit migration route to Greenland - all by kayak, rowboat or dogsled. Jon Turk is also well-versed in the history of the places he is drawn to which gives us a broader perspective. A pleasant & pensive read. Makes a great gift! .............................. Stop whining! On: 2000-02-08Okay, so he did some interesting and adventurous things. However, he did them all with a minimum of preparation and a maximum of ego, a bad combination under the best of circumstances. By his own admission, he did not enjoy travel for the sheer joy of travel and experiencing life. He completely missed the point every step of the way. In the process, he casually dismissed his children, the woman he loved, and he endangered himself and others. He mistreated his dog-sled team by not properly training them, leading to death and injury. And on every step of the way, he whined about his misfortunes at not being "successful". This man will NEVER be happy in life. Skip this one. What about the rest of his life?  On: 2000-01-23I am 2/3s of the way finished with the audio edition of this book. I do find the writing to be good, and the stories inherently interesting, but I am struck by the casual way in which the author avoids the reality of his life (two marriages, 3 children) and the reality of the dangers he faced (near death situations on several occaisions). The book reminds of Krakauers Into the Wild, about the young man who went off unprepared into the winter of Alaska to find himself, only to die of starvation within a few miles of help. The author is indeed candid about his missteps and near misses, and about the unsolicited but essential assistance that is given to him by bemused observers with more knowledge and experience. The book also brings up the issue of freedom and responsibility. How much freedom can one person claim for himself after bringing 3 children into the world yet still indulge himself in the life of an explorer, without accumulating negative karma. Perhaps these issues are better addressed in the last third of the book. So far, it has the ring of 60 child who never grew up. It's rare that captivating adventures produce great writing! by: Anonymous On: 1999-03-21 Chapters range from one to four pages, and each one is shaped by Turks pen into a comic or thoughtful, dramatic or narrative whole. You can pick the book up and read any of these vignettes at random; a treat is there, whether you have read the previous ones or not. If, like me, you have a shelf in your bookcase where you keep those few books you can read again and again for the sheer pleasure of their words and images, books that can inspire you to write more cleanly and clearly, I think you will conclude that Cold Oceans belongs on that shelf. (Excerpt from review in Open-Water Rowing newsletter.) Not your typical adventure story by: Anonymous On: 1998-12-08 I found the authors candor refreshing. He and Chris are a good yin/yang matchup. Maybe a few photos would have helped however. A good read. a well written adventure book that discribes the emotions by: Anonymous On: 1998-11-24 I like the writing style of the author. The storys are educational and interesting even if the author may be a little nuts. If you think you are too old for adventures you NEED to read this one! I lost my place and time in the world while I read this book by: Anonymous On: 1998-09-23 COLD OCEANS is a story so engrossing that at one point, while I was reading about the author and his companions journey toward the Northwest Passage, I got "trapped" inside the book. I looked up from my chair and into the kitchen where my sons friend stood shirtless, wolfing down some raspberry muffins. I couldnt believe he wasnt wearing a heavy sweatshirt, thats how lost I had become in this wonderful book. It was summery. All our windows were open. But I had slipped into a different climate. A good read...a book that keeps you there until the final page. get a life! by: Anonymous On: 1998-09-21 ...but if you dont have time for that right now- at least read about Jon Turks. A directionless adventurer motived by his own virtually rootless existance and a desire to keep it that way. The only thing that bothered me about this book is it made me feel guilty for toiling in an office 10 hours a day instead of going out and risking my life on an adventure. Then again I can do without the freezing, and the injuries, and the hassles, and the cold, and the often times miserable existance. Judge for yourself. read this book! A MUST READ! by: Anonymous On: 1998-09-18 I burned right through this book completely taken with Jon Turks adventures. Although I am not much of an outdoorsman this book comes across with an exciting story of a quirky guy and his adventures by kayak, rowboat, and dogsled. I was never so happy reading a book snuggled in my warm bed away from it all. Great historic insight keeps this book flowing. one of the great travel narratives of all time On: 1998-09-15Cold Oceans recounts death threatening expeditions to the most rugged ends of the earth by kayak, dog sled, and of all unlikely things by rowboat through the artic. The author, Jon Turk, is a renegade academic with a doctorate in chemistry. He has an eye for picture-perfect detail. You feel his dislocated shoulder; you taste the fermented birds served as a native delicacy. The book has the pace of a thriller, but with meaningful personal insights. Cold Oceans belongs on any list of great travel narratives. It will be a classic Adventurer with a Bad Attitude.  by: Anonymous On: 1998-09-09 Jon Turk gives us insight into his life of obsessive wanderlust coupled with a dysfunctional personnal life. The redeeming elements include a taste of the risk involved in his expeditions,his historical knowledge of the indiginous people/ former explorers and his awakening to the quality of his girlfriend, Chris. (She put up with a lot of his crap) Unfortunately, this is contrasted by his repetitive and eventually predictable impatience with which he approaches each expedition. His relationship with his children and female companion(and eventual wife)reveal his "me first" affliction. I think the book would have been more interesting if he limited the comings and goings of all his children and focussed on more of the technical aspects of his expeditions. During one part of his dogsled journey, his expedition companion leaves him to return home. I think I would have been on that bandwagon, myself. |
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