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The Nature of Ice
A compelling novel of hope, love, and loss set in the startlingly beautiful landscape of AntarcticaCapricious, the nature of ice; as impetuous as faithless deeds. So easy to forget that sea ice is only a veneer, inherently flawed, skin-deep as desire, so transitory as to be scattered out to sea, displaced by ocean, dispersed by wind-gone in the lapse of a day.
Freya has come to Antarctica ostensibly to undertake a photographic expedition to retrace Frank Hurley's iconic photographs-but also to escape a stifling relationship. Once she is there, though, living in the cramped and close confines of Davis Station, the extraordinary world of Antarctica gets under her skin and she starts to unfurl, finding her world change in ways she would never previously had thought possible. Weaving in a vivid recreation of Douglas Mawson's ill-fated 1911–1914 Antarctic expedition into the contemporary story of a woman coming to terms with the end of her marriage, this is a poetic, multi-stranded novel of present and past, hope and tragedy, love and loss. It is not only a love story and a heart-stopping, intensely moving polar adventure story, but also a story of place, bringing to vivid life the extraordinary landscape of Antarctica, the frozen continent that intrigues us all.
Freya has come to Antarctica ostensibly to undertake a photographic expedition to retrace Frank Hurley's iconic photographs-but also to escape a stifling relationship. Once she is there, though, living in the cramped and close confines of Davis Station, the extraordinary world of Antarctica gets under her skin and she starts to unfurl, finding her world change in ways she would never previously had thought possible. Weaving in a vivid recreation of Douglas Mawson's ill-fated 1911–1914 Antarctic expedition into the contemporary story of a woman coming to terms with the end of her marriage, this is a poetic, multi-stranded novel of present and past, hope and tragedy, love and loss. It is not only a love story and a heart-stopping, intensely moving polar adventure story, but also a story of place, bringing to vivid life the extraordinary landscape of Antarctica, the frozen continent that intrigues us all.
- GenresContemporaryFiction
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2009
11 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Robyn Mundy
8 books65 followersWild places form a big part of my life, and my writing. My novel Cold Coast is set in the high Arctic and tells the story of Svalbard's remarkable first female trapper Wanny Woldstad. Wildlight is set on Tasmania's remote Maatsuyker Island, home to Australia's loneliest lighthouse where my partner Gary and I spent ten months in isolation as caretakers and weather observers. I have wintered and summered in Antarctica, the setting for my first novel The Nature of Ice. Each year I work aboard ice-strengthened ships that head off to polar regions on adventure tourist voyages. My guiding role helped me co-author a young readers' illustrated book Epic Adventure: Epic Voyages. I am currently working on a new historical novel…you guessed it, set in a rather chilly place.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 28, 2023
This is the debut novel of Australian author Robyn Mundy set at Davis station in Antarctica where the author has both wintered and summered. The novel is a contemporary story of Australian photographer Freya who has gone to Antarctica to create a series of images inspired by Frank Hurley’s pictures from an earlier generation, but also to escape a controlling marriage. The novel shifts between Freya’s story and a retelling of the 1912 expedition of Douglas Mawson with excerpts from his diary and the sweet correspondence with his long-suffering fiancé Paquita Delprat. Obviously there are links between the two storylines, although the heated cabin, chocolate-eating, quad-bike riding life of the contemporary characters seemed a far cry from Douglas’ life with the sled-dogs, eating pemmican and trying not to freeze in his Burberrys.
The contemporary story gives insight into life at the station, some vivid descriptions of the beautiful wildness of Antarctica and introduces us to other inhabitants of the station. There is the bubbly weather reporter Kittie, sleazy carpenter Adam Singer and Antarctic veteran Chad.
On the other hand this book felt very vanilla to me and I struggled to engage with the characters. It was slow moving except for the tension later in Mawson’s story when his very survival was hanging by a thread. The romantic elements weren’t particularly convincing or fleshed out. The book was written as the author’s phD in creative writing which possibly explains the somewhat stilted nature of it. 3 stars for me.
The contemporary story gives insight into life at the station, some vivid descriptions of the beautiful wildness of Antarctica and introduces us to other inhabitants of the station. There is the bubbly weather reporter Kittie, sleazy carpenter Adam Singer and Antarctic veteran Chad.
On the other hand this book felt very vanilla to me and I struggled to engage with the characters. It was slow moving except for the tension later in Mawson’s story when his very survival was hanging by a thread. The romantic elements weren’t particularly convincing or fleshed out. The book was written as the author’s phD in creative writing which possibly explains the somewhat stilted nature of it. 3 stars for me.
June 25, 2013
I loved this book. I read it while at Davis Station, in Antarctica- where the novel is set. It accurately captured some of the nuances of station life, and the descriptions of places around the station were vivid and clear- having been to some of the huts recently, it felt like I'd jumped back on a quad and was on the ice again. Again, the quality of the description of the icebreaker Aurora Australis made me homesick for her, with accurate imagery down to the light in different areas of the ship.
June 25, 2016
The Nature Of Ice by Robyn Mundy is a wonderfully written book mostly set in the rugged beauty of Antarctica. There is love, heartache and heartbreak, and tragedy, as well as the interweaving of the past and present of Antarctica.
The story follows a young woman named Freya who is coming to terms with the end of her marriage. As a photographer, she has the opportunity to travel to Antarctica to take photographs to use in an upcoming exhibition about Frank Hurley, a famous photographer who was in Douglas Mawson’s Antarctic expedition in the early 1900s.
We get to see Antarctica through the eyes of Freya, on her first journey to the Great White Continent. Being a photographer, she also has a keen eye for observation, and we are treated to lots of little details about living there, from the changeable weather conditions, to the various personalities that make up the small community living on an Antarctic base and the challenges they face in such an isolated area, to the curious wildlife she encounters and the dreamy landscapes she sees everywhere. We also meet Chad, Freya’s love interest, who is a seasoned Antarctic veteran. It was interesting seeing Antarctica through his eyes, as someone who travels there regularly.
Intertwined through the story are actual entries from Douglas Mawson’s diary which give a whole new insight to his ill fated epic adventure. There are also chapters written from Mawson’s point of view, of his own experiences of his trek, and this really gives you a holistic picture of the brutal conditions and harsh reality the men in his expedition had to endure. Also included in the book are some fascinating black and white photos taken by Hurley, the photographer on the expedition. After reading this book I have learned so much about the early explorers to Antarctica and have newfound respect for them. I don’t think people realise just how much we owe these courageous men.
The author, Robyn Mundy, has worked at Antarctica and conducted a lot of research for this story and this clearly shows in her writing through the vivid imagery of the haunting white scenery, to the daily life of living at a station, to the journey by ship to get down there, to the weather, and the highs and lows of Nature. For me, Mundy made Antarctica a place with many secrets, a place that can be beautiful and serene one moment and brutally severe the next, but still it beckons me. The descriptions of Antarctica are beautifully written, and I especially loved the part where Freya saw an aurora for the first time, with its many colours dancing across the sky.
For a dreamer like myself who longs to visit Antarctica one day, this book was heaven. I enjoyed it so much. I absorbed everything on every page. I savoured it slowly, and I didn’t want it to end.
I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. It’s a compelling dramatic story with many aspects that people can relate to, the characters are interesting and believable, the writing is beautiful and descriptive, and the unique setting in Antarctica makes it stand out from other books. If you are intrigued by Antarctica or the Mawson expedition, or enjoy historical fiction or a contemporary love story, you will surely enjoy this book.
The story follows a young woman named Freya who is coming to terms with the end of her marriage. As a photographer, she has the opportunity to travel to Antarctica to take photographs to use in an upcoming exhibition about Frank Hurley, a famous photographer who was in Douglas Mawson’s Antarctic expedition in the early 1900s.
We get to see Antarctica through the eyes of Freya, on her first journey to the Great White Continent. Being a photographer, she also has a keen eye for observation, and we are treated to lots of little details about living there, from the changeable weather conditions, to the various personalities that make up the small community living on an Antarctic base and the challenges they face in such an isolated area, to the curious wildlife she encounters and the dreamy landscapes she sees everywhere. We also meet Chad, Freya’s love interest, who is a seasoned Antarctic veteran. It was interesting seeing Antarctica through his eyes, as someone who travels there regularly.
Intertwined through the story are actual entries from Douglas Mawson’s diary which give a whole new insight to his ill fated epic adventure. There are also chapters written from Mawson’s point of view, of his own experiences of his trek, and this really gives you a holistic picture of the brutal conditions and harsh reality the men in his expedition had to endure. Also included in the book are some fascinating black and white photos taken by Hurley, the photographer on the expedition. After reading this book I have learned so much about the early explorers to Antarctica and have newfound respect for them. I don’t think people realise just how much we owe these courageous men.
The author, Robyn Mundy, has worked at Antarctica and conducted a lot of research for this story and this clearly shows in her writing through the vivid imagery of the haunting white scenery, to the daily life of living at a station, to the journey by ship to get down there, to the weather, and the highs and lows of Nature. For me, Mundy made Antarctica a place with many secrets, a place that can be beautiful and serene one moment and brutally severe the next, but still it beckons me. The descriptions of Antarctica are beautifully written, and I especially loved the part where Freya saw an aurora for the first time, with its many colours dancing across the sky.
For a dreamer like myself who longs to visit Antarctica one day, this book was heaven. I enjoyed it so much. I absorbed everything on every page. I savoured it slowly, and I didn’t want it to end.
I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. It’s a compelling dramatic story with many aspects that people can relate to, the characters are interesting and believable, the writing is beautiful and descriptive, and the unique setting in Antarctica makes it stand out from other books. If you are intrigued by Antarctica or the Mawson expedition, or enjoy historical fiction or a contemporary love story, you will surely enjoy this book.
November 3, 2012
The curious case of the book that didn't know what it wanted to be
I read The Nature of Ice because it is part of our book-club reading and while I did get to the end and thought it was ok, it won't be a particularly memorable or life-changing read. Not a bad book, I must say, just quite vanilla. Why you ask? Well, by the end of the book I didn't really feel like I 'got' what the author was trying to do or say with her book. I understand there was some fancy paralleling of the travels, and emotions between Freya/Hurley/Mawson and I definitely most enjoyed the extracts of Mawson’s expedition. Having said that, I didn’t really get enough out of this book and the potential it had.
Specifically, I had a problem with the main characters and narrative of the book (Freya, Chad, Adam etc.). I didn’t really feel like I got to know them at all; the book felt a bit devoid of emotion. For example, and I’ll be really honest here, I didn’t even realise that there were problems between Freya and her hubby until I read the books blurb halfway into the book! Furthermore, I didn’t really buy the whole Freya/Chad love-affair and, perhaps I’m just too unsentimentally male, but the ending was a bit too cliché and schmaltzy for my liking.
The other beef I have with this book is that it didn’t really fit into a genre. Not a crime by any stretch of the imagination, but for me it felt like the book lacked some level of direction or goal. I wasn't sure what the book was trying to accomplish, at the end of the day. It dabbled in a few areas but not all with success. There's the artist struggling to find herself and her relationships. There's the 'Antarctica is a really amazing place' angle. Even the in-fighting and politics of the Station angle. But I didn't really understand the point of it all in the end. I didn't really feel anyone developed, even Freya and didn't really get attached to the characters.
Having seemingly shredded this book to pulp, please don’t be put off by my review. In this particular case, I think it’s a case that I just ‘didn’t get it’ rather than the book not being a worthwhile read. If other people’s reviews are to go by, it’s certainly worth your time. I just suspect that this book is more likely to appeal to the female-folks rather than males. For this reason, I’m giving the book 3 stars – edging towards 2.5.
I read The Nature of Ice because it is part of our book-club reading and while I did get to the end and thought it was ok, it won't be a particularly memorable or life-changing read. Not a bad book, I must say, just quite vanilla. Why you ask? Well, by the end of the book I didn't really feel like I 'got' what the author was trying to do or say with her book. I understand there was some fancy paralleling of the travels, and emotions between Freya/Hurley/Mawson and I definitely most enjoyed the extracts of Mawson’s expedition. Having said that, I didn’t really get enough out of this book and the potential it had.
Specifically, I had a problem with the main characters and narrative of the book (Freya, Chad, Adam etc.). I didn’t really feel like I got to know them at all; the book felt a bit devoid of emotion. For example, and I’ll be really honest here, I didn’t even realise that there were problems between Freya and her hubby until I read the books blurb halfway into the book! Furthermore, I didn’t really buy the whole Freya/Chad love-affair and, perhaps I’m just too unsentimentally male, but the ending was a bit too cliché and schmaltzy for my liking.
The other beef I have with this book is that it didn’t really fit into a genre. Not a crime by any stretch of the imagination, but for me it felt like the book lacked some level of direction or goal. I wasn't sure what the book was trying to accomplish, at the end of the day. It dabbled in a few areas but not all with success. There's the artist struggling to find herself and her relationships. There's the 'Antarctica is a really amazing place' angle. Even the in-fighting and politics of the Station angle. But I didn't really understand the point of it all in the end. I didn't really feel anyone developed, even Freya and didn't really get attached to the characters.
Having seemingly shredded this book to pulp, please don’t be put off by my review. In this particular case, I think it’s a case that I just ‘didn’t get it’ rather than the book not being a worthwhile read. If other people’s reviews are to go by, it’s certainly worth your time. I just suspect that this book is more likely to appeal to the female-folks rather than males. For this reason, I’m giving the book 3 stars – edging towards 2.5.
March 31, 2014
I have to give this book an "it was ok" because while I liked it, and might possibly re-read it one day; I found my mind wandering while reading it. It really couldn't keep my attention, which is more likely my problem, than the author's. Or not. I'm not sure.
This book is NOT a policially correct narrative on global warming.There is no political leaning in this book that I could ascertain, which gave me pause when I picked it up, because I almost expected a environmental screed of alarm or worse yet, 1/2 thru the book for it to become a "message".
The author does do a decent job of description of the wildlife and brutal elements of Antarctica, but the characters were a little cardboard.
This book is NOT a policially correct narrative on global warming.There is no political leaning in this book that I could ascertain, which gave me pause when I picked it up, because I almost expected a environmental screed of alarm or worse yet, 1/2 thru the book for it to become a "message".
The author does do a decent job of description of the wildlife and brutal elements of Antarctica, but the characters were a little cardboard.
May 20, 2013
Robyn Mundy's book found me when I was researching Frank Hurley,an Australian photographer well known for his atmospheric and engaging pictures of Antarctica.
Reviewed by others as 'a poetic, multi-stranded novel of present and past, hope and tragedy, love and loss. It is both a love story and a heart-stopping, intensely moving polar adventure story, bringing to vivid life the haunting landscape of Antarctica, the frozen continent that intrigues us all."
I have to agree -the writing is superb, the research meticulous, the blending of the two stories seamless.
Each chapter begins with a black and white photograph by Frank Hurley. Sensational.
Reviewed by others as 'a poetic, multi-stranded novel of present and past, hope and tragedy, love and loss. It is both a love story and a heart-stopping, intensely moving polar adventure story, bringing to vivid life the haunting landscape of Antarctica, the frozen continent that intrigues us all."
I have to agree -the writing is superb, the research meticulous, the blending of the two stories seamless.
Each chapter begins with a black and white photograph by Frank Hurley. Sensational.
July 13, 2016
This is the kind of book that feels as though it was written solely to have written it. Then I found out that, sure enough, it was written as a part of the author's PhD in Writing. It was somewhat boring, which was a great let down, as I was aching to read something about ice. After a few attempts, I totally skipped the part about Hurley. The parts that took place at Davis were interesting, but there wasn't enough to really keep my attention. There were some good descriptions of that unique landscape, but again, it felt 'precious', words written with the intention of being creative. Very disappointing.
April 24, 2024
Written as a phD piece it doesn't quite have the flourish that similar novels might have, but for someone very interested in Antarctica and that has read other expibition works I found this book supplemented my understandings.
Sometimes it lacked a little bit of grip/wasn't clear enough what was going on and I missed major plot milestones. But for most of the time, I could see the scenes so clearly in my mind.
Sometimes it lacked a little bit of grip/wasn't clear enough what was going on and I missed major plot milestones. But for most of the time, I could see the scenes so clearly in my mind.
October 30, 2018
Great story supported by historical references to Mawson’s trip in 1912. Well worth the read.
March 20, 2023
2.5 Stars
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January 7, 2025An interesting read about coping in harsh Antarctic conditions.
January 11, 2018
I read this book while visiting the waters around the Antarctic peninsula on a cruise ship, and in conjunction with lectures about the area given by experts engaged by the cruise organizers. All these factors coalesced to provide an amazing experience that provided insight into the challenges of living and working in Antarctica. It’s hard to fathom how the early explorers managed to survive (of course, in some cases, they didn’t) in such harsh conditions.
On its own, the novel works well because of the parallels and contrasts between Freya’s work and life experiences and those of Hurley and Mawson. The theme of “truth” in photography was very interesting:those who object to digital photo editing might do well to think about how we alter reality through composition of shots, and in Hurley’s case by combining images.
On its own, the novel works well because of the parallels and contrasts between Freya’s work and life experiences and those of Hurley and Mawson. The theme of “truth” in photography was very interesting:those who object to digital photo editing might do well to think about how we alter reality through composition of shots, and in Hurley’s case by combining images.
February 11, 2026
Great book. Two stories written in alternating chapters - now: Freya going to photograph Antarctica in the midst of a failing (?) marriage; then: Mawson's expedition in 1911-14 with Hurley as photographer. Having long admired Hurley's work I loved the comparison & evocative descriptions of his work. But ultimately I really liked the "now" story & found the "then" story too much like a non-fiction explanatory work (rather than novel) - it just felt a little flat in comparison.
August 1, 2009
Freya Jorgensen is on her way to Antarctica. She has obtained a grant to produce a photographic expedition of Antarctica, incorporating not only her own pictures that she will take while there, but also the pictures taken by her 'hero' Frank Hurley, a photographer on one of the first expeditions to Antarctica.
But this story is not Freya's alone, as Freya is forced to share her time and her experiences in Antarctica with Chad McGonigal. And it is their story together that allows Freya to explore the intriguing and mysterious landscape of Antarctica while exploring her own nature. Out on the ice, in a harsh and revealing land, Freya is forced to see herself as she truly is, a side of her that has been hidden deep within her.
This story also mixes history with the present. Freya is not the only one to find a true understanding her own nature, and the importance of love reflected in the ice. Douglas Mawson, who explored the Antarctic about a hundred years before Freya steps foot there, also learns the revealing and raw nature of ice.
The story of Douglas and his men, including the photographer Frank Hurly, and his relationship with them and those he has left back home, his fiance Paquita, is interwoven throughout Freya's story highlighting the impact the Antarctic has had on the human spirit and undying belief in love.
The Nature Of ice is a story well worth reading. As it chops and changes from the past to the present, it offers an interesting and touching perspective on friendship, hope and love, and the nature of ice which is as strong and fragile as the enduring nature of the human spirit. Although slow to get into, due to the constant chopping and changing from the past to the present and between present characters, it would not be as deep a story without the connection with the past. However, I think it would have been a bit better had it focused more on the single present character of Freya.
But this story is not Freya's alone, as Freya is forced to share her time and her experiences in Antarctica with Chad McGonigal. And it is their story together that allows Freya to explore the intriguing and mysterious landscape of Antarctica while exploring her own nature. Out on the ice, in a harsh and revealing land, Freya is forced to see herself as she truly is, a side of her that has been hidden deep within her.
This story also mixes history with the present. Freya is not the only one to find a true understanding her own nature, and the importance of love reflected in the ice. Douglas Mawson, who explored the Antarctic about a hundred years before Freya steps foot there, also learns the revealing and raw nature of ice.
The story of Douglas and his men, including the photographer Frank Hurly, and his relationship with them and those he has left back home, his fiance Paquita, is interwoven throughout Freya's story highlighting the impact the Antarctic has had on the human spirit and undying belief in love.
The Nature Of ice is a story well worth reading. As it chops and changes from the past to the present, it offers an interesting and touching perspective on friendship, hope and love, and the nature of ice which is as strong and fragile as the enduring nature of the human spirit. Although slow to get into, due to the constant chopping and changing from the past to the present and between present characters, it would not be as deep a story without the connection with the past. However, I think it would have been a bit better had it focused more on the single present character of Freya.
November 9, 2009
This is a stunning book in so many ways: beautifully written, complex in its interweaving of a contemporary story of love and loss in Antarctica with a gripping portrayal of Douglas Mawson's epic 1911–12 Antarctic expedition, and a third, visual narrative comprising the historic photographs of Frank Hurley.
December 3, 2009
OK, so I might be slightly biased, but I did thoroughly enjoy this (even though I was slightly uncomfortably cold while reading it). When I have witnessed so many undeserving people get published over the years, it is refreshing to know someone with real talent and a commendable work ethic get their work out there. And it is a good, compelling read.
December 15, 2009
A great parallel storyline juxtaposing Mawson's past exploring with the contemporary protagonist and her journey.
January 26, 2011
I started this just because of antarctica and Mawson and how much I like all that stuff but it turned out to be a pretty good novel. Cleverly put together and captivating. A nice surprise.
April 4, 2014
A slow, controlled ,contained story. Enjoyable but polite.
December 9, 2016
I shouldn't have picked it up in the first place. So lame.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews