Saturday 31 December 2011

Iditarod by Andre Jute

What can I say? This book is an immense story. My finger nails are no more.

The Iditarod is a race across the Alaskan countryside of well over a thousand miles. Easy you may think, but it's a dog sled ride in temperatures of minus stupid and winds of way past gale force with snow getting everywhere you don't want snow. This is no winter wonderland.

Andre describes this utter whiteness so well you can feel you are there. Also the loneliness of the competitors makes you want to go hug the nearest person (not if you are reading it on public transport !!!!!!)

The way the side story of the wolves is written made me think of David Attenborough doing the narration. There was a definite shift in the writing that made you realise that this is a seperate part of the story and built it up to the climax of the finale.

I believe most of this story is true, just the two main characters with their "sub-race" is the fictional part.

I can really imagine this as a film. But in a made-for-TV movie kind of way If it was a blockbuster it would be all about the stars, but on "Real Stories TV", the dogs and the landscape would be the bigger stars.

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004GKMQE8



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