Icebound Summer

by Sally Carrighar

Sally Carrighar was a prolific writer of stories of the natural world. She has an almost magical ability to bring wild creatures to life with her literary renditions of their world―allowing us to get inside that world and live it briefly. In Icebound Summer , we are taken through a brief and intense arctic summer when seemingly frozen and lifeless tundra comes to life. From the arctic fox to the arctic terns overhead, we suddenly realize this is a place of surprisingly abundant life.
Icebound Summer is one of the great outdoor classics of wildlife literature.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Sally Carrighar (1898–1985) was an American naturalist and writer. She is known for her series of nature books chronicling the lives of wild animals.

She attended Wellesley College for two years and would have graduated with the class of 1922, but had to leave due to sickness.

Carrighar's work is based on years of observation. She spent seven years observing at Beetle Rock in California and ten years in the Arctic before writing her books. They are considered classics of nature writing and may be viewed as a specialized form of travel literature.

She wrote eleven books during her life, the most popular of which was her first One Day on Beetle Rock (1944). Several of her other titles are The Twilight Seas (1975), Icebound Summer (1953), One Day at Teton Marsh (1947), Home to the Wilderness (1973), and Wild Heritage (1965). Other books by this author include Wild Voice of the North: Chronicle of an Eskimo Dog (1959), Moonlight at Midday (1958), The Glass Dove: A Novel of the Underground Railroad (1962), A Husky in the House (1960) and Blue Whale (1975).

Reviews

[Sportyrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

A marvellous story set in the Arctic Summer. Each chapter is about an arctic animal during an interesting scene of events. Each story is told from the animal’s perspective and usually involves interactions with fellow species as well as close encounters with enemies.

The book is also educational, especially to do with some of the animal behaviour.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes animals. Mature children and adults would enjoy this book.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book from my "Alaska" shelf, and it was delightful. In all but one chapter, Carrighar brings to life a particular Arctic animal in an almost story format. What a wonderful way to learn about animals and their habitat.

Carrighar covers lemmings, seals, foxes, loons, terns, belugas, walrus, caribou, humpback whale, and golden plover. One chapter is more devoted to Eskimo summer life, particularly how independent children are expected to be.

Each chapter can stand alone and would be accessible and, in my opinion, enjoyable and informative for high school aged students.

One quote (of many) that fascinates me with Carrighar's choice of words and metaphor from the fox's point of view: An easterly wind would tear at one's fur, chew it with icicle teeth.

[David Rudin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt more like it was aimed at a teen audience. The animals are anthropomorphized, as this fictional aspect of the narrative is the key to the stories. However, the author obviously researched her arctic animal subjects and this information, circa early 1950’s, is evident.

For a light read or for a younger reader it is enjoyable and reminds me of Disney’s “True-Life Adventures” series of nature documentary films from my youth. Rewatching those films now, I bristle at the patented Disney humanizing of its animal subjects but I also remember that these films were important stepping stones in my education about and connection to the natural world. Sally Carrighar’s book fits into this category.

[Sj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really brings home how much on a razor's edge inhabitants of the arctic are, though I'm sure things have changed significantly since the book was written. Very informative and enjoyable.

[Ms Hob-Dumas Hob-Dumas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nature as told from the point of view of the creatures. What could be better? Or more memorable?

[John Brahm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent wildlife stories of the arctic that are wonderfully told.

[Juanita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: Icebound Summer by Sally Carrighar. 4.5*

This was an amazing, adventurous, and captivating read. It was an older read (1951) but I find so many old written books that are fabulous. I like reading classics and they most of the time they are unforgettable. This book is also educational with information on animal behavior. Every chapter the reader is introduced to a different artic animal and their interaction to the environment and human beings.

The different animals covered in this book are caribou, walrus, humpback whale, loons, foxes, seals, lemmings and etc…It’s a way of learning about these animals and their habitat. The author explains with a clear observation and the condition of life, species, and with great compassion almost from an animal’s perspective.

[Jay Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book--translucent prose better than almost any novelist; clear observation of the condition of life; great knowledge of the specifics of the lives of these specific Alaskan animals; great compassion. A better book, I think, than her first books like Beetle Rock and Teton March, etc., though those are very good.

When I was young, I wanted stories of battles and armies, and lovers. Now that I am not and have seen a portion of life, these clear-eyes tales of the lives of small creatures are more than enough.

It is a measure of the derangement of the current literary scene that this book is utterly forgotten.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lucky find in a used book pile