What do you think?
Rate this book
Arctic Solitaire: A Boat, a Bay, and the Quest for the Perfect Bear
2019 Washington State Book Award Winner in Biography & Memoir
Photographer Paul Souders considered himself a lucky guy. He traveled the world and got paid to take pictures. Yet at age fifty he seemed an unlikely explorer. Recently married, he was leading a generally contented life as an urban homebody, ending most days with a cold martini and a home-cooked meal. So how did he find himself alone aboard a tiny boat, enduring bad weather and worse cooking, while struggling to find his way across more than a thousand miles of of Hudson Bay?
It was all for a picture. He dreamed of photographing the Arctic’s most iconic animal, the polar bear, in its natural habitat.
It was a seemingly simple Haul a 22-foot fishing boat northeast a few thousand miles, launch, and shoot the perfect polar bear photo. After an inauspicious start and endless days spent driving to the end of northern Canada’s road system, he backed his C-Dory, C-Sick, into a small tributary of Hudson Bay. Battered by winds and plagued by questionable navigation, Paul slowly motored C-Sick north in the hopes of finding the melting summer ice that should be home to more than a thousand polar bears. He struggled along for weeks, grounding on rocks, hiding from storms, and stopping in isolated Inuit villages, until finally, he found the ice and the world was transformed. The ice had brought hundreds of walrus into the bay and dozens of polar bears arrived to hunt and feed. For a few magical days, he was surrounded by incredible wildlife photo ops . He was hooked.
A hilarious and evocative misadventure, Arctic Solitaire shares Paul Souders exploits across four summers, six hundred miles of a vast inland sea, and the unpredictable Arctic wilderness―and also offers an insightful look at what compels a person to embark on adventure. The accompanying images of the landscape, people, and wildlife of the remote Hudson Bay region are, in a word, stunning.
Photographer Paul Souders considered himself a lucky guy. He traveled the world and got paid to take pictures. Yet at age fifty he seemed an unlikely explorer. Recently married, he was leading a generally contented life as an urban homebody, ending most days with a cold martini and a home-cooked meal. So how did he find himself alone aboard a tiny boat, enduring bad weather and worse cooking, while struggling to find his way across more than a thousand miles of of Hudson Bay?
It was all for a picture. He dreamed of photographing the Arctic’s most iconic animal, the polar bear, in its natural habitat.
It was a seemingly simple Haul a 22-foot fishing boat northeast a few thousand miles, launch, and shoot the perfect polar bear photo. After an inauspicious start and endless days spent driving to the end of northern Canada’s road system, he backed his C-Dory, C-Sick, into a small tributary of Hudson Bay. Battered by winds and plagued by questionable navigation, Paul slowly motored C-Sick north in the hopes of finding the melting summer ice that should be home to more than a thousand polar bears. He struggled along for weeks, grounding on rocks, hiding from storms, and stopping in isolated Inuit villages, until finally, he found the ice and the world was transformed. The ice had brought hundreds of walrus into the bay and dozens of polar bears arrived to hunt and feed. For a few magical days, he was surrounded by incredible wildlife photo ops . He was hooked.
A hilarious and evocative misadventure, Arctic Solitaire shares Paul Souders exploits across four summers, six hundred miles of a vast inland sea, and the unpredictable Arctic wilderness―and also offers an insightful look at what compels a person to embark on adventure. The accompanying images of the landscape, people, and wildlife of the remote Hudson Bay region are, in a word, stunning.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2018
12 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 5, 2018
ARTIC SOLITAIRE is a breathtaking book, starting with the cover's stunning photograph of a polar bear peering over an iceberg of of such depth and color that you plunge within. Most harrowing outdoor adventures are undertaken on a quest for a phenomenon at once interior and exterior, and in his search for a photo of the Arctic polar bear, Paul Soares has found a worthy one. Both adventurers and photographers will find Soares's well written story and gorgeous photographs authentic, entertaining, and gripping.
January 3, 2019
I'm still trying to work out how I feel about this book -- the images are stunning, the adventure is remarkable, the narrative is... well, I _think_ it's refreshing to have someone be so blunt about their own social failings, but there are times when self-deprecation becomes uncomfortable. Dude's kind of an asshole. He's upfront about that, but that doesn't necessarily make him more endearing or super fun to read about. Also, he's pretty much constantly down on himself for his perilous decision making -- and I did think, occasionally while reading the book, wow, that sounds like survival despite very long odds, much hampered by personal stupidity, but ultimately, it's also an insult to your reader, because it's not really true.
Why would I want to read about someone repeatedly making incredibly bad choices and surviving despite that? I think this is a savvy survivalist who doesn't want to encourage other people to go get themselves killed following in his footsteps, but altogether it wraps up into: excellent story, somewhat difficult voice. Bears are cool. The arctic is amazing. What a delight to be able to see it without all the excruciating outdoorsy behavior that is required to successfully capture wild animal images in the wild. Well done, Souders, try harder not to hate yourself in the morning.
Why would I want to read about someone repeatedly making incredibly bad choices and surviving despite that? I think this is a savvy survivalist who doesn't want to encourage other people to go get themselves killed following in his footsteps, but altogether it wraps up into: excellent story, somewhat difficult voice. Bears are cool. The arctic is amazing. What a delight to be able to see it without all the excruciating outdoorsy behavior that is required to successfully capture wild animal images in the wild. Well done, Souders, try harder not to hate yourself in the morning.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2019
Although I am not a boat person, I certainly appreciated the hard work that Paul Sounders had to do get get to the Arctic waters to get his wonderful photographs. He is obviously a man who believes traveling alone is best and I was happy to read the history without having to get wet, frightened or bored on the long trips north. I just got back from a short trip to Churchill, Manitoba so the geography was familiar. I also flew on Calm Air and did not know I could continue the trip for another three hundred miles north! I saw lots of polar bears from a safe distance, but ti see them at leisure on the ice floes would be wonderful. Good photos and a good story.
April 26, 2025
2.5/5
I thought this book would mostly be about photographing polar bears. What it was actually about was the author’s boat, its parts, and his irresponsible decisions.
The parts where the author changes oil, figures out what is wrong with the engines, and worries about not having enough fuel were more prevalent. I felt like searching for polar bears didn’t have nearly as much attention.
I hated how he interacted with the Inuit people. He said in the beginning that almost all encounters were friendly, with the exception of one or two. However, in the book, almost all of them were negative. He made them seem like they are so hostile towards him while he’s so innocent, when he is actually the one who is being a dick.
A couple of times the author casually described how his boat leaked oil into the water. What the hell? It is so irresponsible. He also yelled at someone and was satisfied with ruining their night.
The narrative was repetitive and boring. I really thought it would be a 5-star book because I love polar bears, snow, and photography. Overall, it was a disappointment. 1 star for beautiful pictures, 1 star for the Inuit people and 0.5 stars for the stories of Arctic explorers in the past.
I thought this book would mostly be about photographing polar bears. What it was actually about was the author’s boat, its parts, and his irresponsible decisions.
The parts where the author changes oil, figures out what is wrong with the engines, and worries about not having enough fuel were more prevalent. I felt like searching for polar bears didn’t have nearly as much attention.
I hated how he interacted with the Inuit people. He said in the beginning that almost all encounters were friendly, with the exception of one or two. However, in the book, almost all of them were negative. He made them seem like they are so hostile towards him while he’s so innocent, when he is actually the one who is being a dick.
A couple of times the author casually described how his boat leaked oil into the water. What the hell? It is so irresponsible. He also yelled at someone and was satisfied with ruining their night.
The narrative was repetitive and boring. I really thought it would be a 5-star book because I love polar bears, snow, and photography. Overall, it was a disappointment. 1 star for beautiful pictures, 1 star for the Inuit people and 0.5 stars for the stories of Arctic explorers in the past.
April 13, 2020
As Paul Souders journeys to the Hudson Bay area to get the perfect photo of a polar bear, he deals with survival issues. And the book is written so vividly that you are in that small boat as a storm rages and throws you about; you see the path through the pack ice as it closes and you fear that you will be crushed. There is even the time when you nearly lose your outboard motor and would be left alone and frightened for survival. There are times when the beauty of this isolated area is breathtaking. Meetings with people in isolated Inuit villages are revealing. There are incredible meetings with polar bears and walruses. The photo of the bear on the cover sums it all up. Here is a story told by a photographer as he follows his muse. The photos in the book are all memorable. He often is so absorbed by the photo opportunity in front of him that he forgets to be cautious. You can laugh at some of his misadventures because you know he had to survive to write the book, but the story is truly hair-raising! Best book I have read so far this year!
June 21, 2022
Such an awesome and inspiring read
I love this book. The photography is beautiful. The trip is something I’ve always dreamed of experiencing. Instead, I settled for a life of raising four children, becoming a nurse and lived through several disastrous relationships. I’m 77 years old, an avid reader and always dreamed of going on a long lonesome adventure somewhere in the world and have also dreamed of the wild northern lands. This book and the photographs will stay with me. Paul is the man of my dreams and I can only that Janet is a lucky woman to have captured his heart!
I love this book. The photography is beautiful. The trip is something I’ve always dreamed of experiencing. Instead, I settled for a life of raising four children, becoming a nurse and lived through several disastrous relationships. I’m 77 years old, an avid reader and always dreamed of going on a long lonesome adventure somewhere in the world and have also dreamed of the wild northern lands. This book and the photographs will stay with me. Paul is the man of my dreams and I can only that Janet is a lucky woman to have captured his heart!
May 5, 2023
Interesting look at the life of a wildlife photographer. Also interesting to be taken along on an exploration of Hudson Bay and the joys and perils of Arctic life among the wild life, wild weather, all forms of ice, extra long summer days and how they all impact water travel and life in general in the far north of Canada. I admired the author’s tenacity, courage and ingenuity in the face of some very challenging situations. I also admired his respect and appreciation of the people, animals and the natural world in total of this region.
July 1, 2023
This was a total surprise and loads of fun. Paul Souders (author) finds himself on a personal mission to get the best-ever photograph of a polar bear. His journey takes him to the iciest of environments where he finds himself ill-prepared to deal with storm-battered boats, polar bears that get too close, and a handful of locals who do not trust him.
Souders has a very easy and clear voice and is funny as hell. This is a tiny overlooked gem in a sea of showy gold medallions. Pluck it up, fellow readers, and enjoy the ride!
Souders has a very easy and clear voice and is funny as hell. This is a tiny overlooked gem in a sea of showy gold medallions. Pluck it up, fellow readers, and enjoy the ride!
October 1, 2018
Intricate tale of photographic obsession... The author should not have survived his 3 summer epic search for the perfect Bear picture (involving a small C-Dory, too many storms and ice jams, unhappy locals and a bear biting a camera to name a few) but he did and the matter of fact narration makes it all quite a story (with some history, geology, geography and anthropology all mixed in).
Well worth it.
Well worth it.
December 7, 2018
A fascinating book for nature photographers. Paul Souders is crazy but he's no fool as he travels to Hudson Bay and the Arctic Circle in search of authentic photographs of Polar Bears. Wrestling with nature can be difficult but the storms and ice flows nearly finish him enough times to convince me he is beyond adventurous to the point of crazy. It all makes for fun reading and his photography is outstanding.
September 22, 2019
This was right up my alley. An adventure/exploration book by a wildlife photographer. It is more about the quest for the shot than the photography itself, and about his experiences in exploring Hudson Bay. The author also pays homage to some of the historic Arctic explorers. Thanks To Rick Steves for interviewing the author on his podcast and made me want to read this book.
April 19, 2020
I really enjoyed this look at traveling the hard way, the descriptions of the areas traveled and the courage or sometimes "foolish" things the Paul went through on these journeys. But I thank him for his sharing of adventures and the beautiful pictures he has in his book. I am also glad he made it through them all with his life intact and was able to return home and write about it. What a story!
October 14, 2019
One of the best books I've read. Souders doesn't take himself too serious, while doing serious, challenging and hair raising work to take incredible photos in the Arctic. Fabulous, engaging writing and striking images.
May 14, 2020
Great great book!
A little lengthy in some chapters, feels like the groundhog day, although I suppose this is what it really felt like being out there. The author made me laugh out loud quite a lot, loved the writing style and the pictures.
Highly recommended!
A little lengthy in some chapters, feels like the groundhog day, although I suppose this is what it really felt like being out there. The author made me laugh out loud quite a lot, loved the writing style and the pictures.
Highly recommended!
September 10, 2023
An enjoyable and entertining account of a photographer's solo adventures along the western shore of Hudson Bay, as he sought the "perfect" polar bear photo. By his won admission, Souders is lucky to be alive.
October 28, 2019
Entertaining adventure read with some gorgeous photography thrown in. Occasionally laugh out loud funny.
November 28, 2019
A travelogue. Enjoyed understanding how a pro photographer goes about their work. The descriptions of Hudson Bay were good, and the boating escapades entertaining.
June 29, 2022
I've always dreamed of adventure in wild and far off places. I have a particular love for northern climbs and Paul brings it in spades with the added beauty of photography he captures in Hudson Bay.
November 28, 2018
Paul is a talented photographer with an equally talented gift for stony telling. His has the uncanny knack of transporting the reader to his condition, situation or predicament all without sounding like the well traveled, world renowned and respected photographer that he is. Paul takes us to a place on earth few of us have been and fewer will go. That he is able to convey the solitude, beauty and danger of this personal journey, with honest and witty prose that will make you LOL, along with stunning photographs, is quite marvelous. A must read for novice and experienced photographers, world travelers and polar bear lovers. I particularly like where Paul shares what the bear(s) are/is thinking...hilarious! (P 199 in hardcover especially!)
Read it and revel in a true, photographically illustrated getaway adventure
Read it and revel in a true, photographically illustrated getaway adventure
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews