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This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland Paperback – January 7, 2003

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 95 ratings

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For the last decade, Gretel Ehrlich has been obsessed by an island, a terrain, a culture, and the treacherous beauty of a world that is defined by ice. In This Cold Heaven she combines the story of her travels with history and cultural anthropology to reveal a Greenland that few of us could otherwise imagine.

Ehrlich unlocks the secrets of this severe land and those who live there; a hardy people who still travel by dogsled and kayak and prefer the mystical four months a year of endless darkness to the gentler summers without night. She discovers the twenty-three words the Inuit have for ice, befriends a polar bear hunter, and comes to agree with the great Danish-Inuit explorer Knud Rasmussen that “all true wisdom is only to be found far from the dwellings of man, in great solitudes.”
This Cold Heaven is at once a thrilling adventure story and a meditation on the clarity of life at the extreme edge of the world.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Thrilling. . . . A stunning portrait of a people and the landscape that shaped them.” –The New York Times Book Review

“Told by a voice in love with the light and ice and rippling, infinite beauty of the Arctic north. This Cold Heaven boldly captures the unyielding beauty and spontaneous wonders of life on the icecap.” —The Boston Globe

“Ehrlich has accomplished an extraordinary feat: she has taken a forbiddingly beautiful, haunting and alien landscape and depicted it in equally beautiful and haunting prose.” –
Seattle Times

“Gripping. [A] realm of gemlike icebergs, yowling sled dogs, writhing aurora borealis and stalwart, wisecracking hunters.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Haunting and reflective . . . captures the essence of the Artic.” –Portland Oregonian

“Compelling. . . . At once an engaging history of the Inuit . . . and an affectionate profile of Ehrlich’s Greenlandic friends and their vanishing way of life.” –
National Geographic

“Her adventures are wonderfully enlightening about the world way above the treeline. She writes beautifully.” –The Washington Times

“No one who reads this wonderful book will ever forget these singular people or the austerities of the land they inhabit.” –Thomas McGuane

“Get Ehrlich on a sled racing across unknown ice and she’ll carry you bodily into another place and time, another fast-disappearing way of life.” –Ann Jones,
The Women’s Review of Books

“A lyrical blend of travel, meditation and history . . . [and] a hymn to the Inuit people’s rootedness in landscape and tradition.” —
Times Literary Supplement

“[Ehrlich’s] does a masterful job of creating a nuanced sense of place.”–Conde Nast Traveler


From the Inside Flap

decade, Gretel Ehrlich has been obsessed by an island, a terrain, a culture, and the treacherous beauty of a world that is defined by ice. In This Cold Heaven she combines the story of her travels with history and cultural anthropology to reveal a Greenland that few of us could otherwise imagine.

Ehrlich unlocks the secrets of this severe land and those who live there; a hardy people who still travel by dogsled and kayak and prefer the mystical four months a year of endless darkness to the gentler summers without night. She discovers the twenty-three words the Inuit have for ice, befriends a polar bear hunter, and comes to agree with the great Danish-Inuit explorer Knud Rasmussen that all true wisdom is only to be found far from the dwellings of man, in great solitudes.
This Cold Heaven is at once a thrilling adventure story and a meditation on the clarity of life at the extreme edge of the world.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group; Vintage Books edition (January 7, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 377 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679758526
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679758525
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.19 x 1 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 95 ratings

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Gretel Ehrlich
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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
95 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the book for its well-written and poetic writing style. They find the descriptions vivid and authentic, describing daily life and community customs. Many readers find the book interesting and insightful, providing a fascinating look at a land steeped in tradition and culture. The narrative is described as wonderful, exciting, and powerful.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

11 customers mention "Writing style"9 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the book's writing style. They find it well-written and engaging. The adventures are told with wonderful words and poetic imagination. Readers praise the author's writing abilities and consider the book thoughtfully written.

"...I recommend this book to anyone who loves beautifully written adventures. They are here." Read more

"...Ehrlich is a wonderful writer who knows how to turn a phrase. But...but....but--why I am only giving this three stars?..." Read more

"...The book is well-written and kept me involved in her experiences all the way through. Now we know more of what we will see next year." Read more

"The tale of a person's odissey at the exloration of Greeland, told with wonderful words and poetic imagination...." Read more

10 customers mention "Interest"8 positive2 negative

Customers find the book interesting and insightful. They appreciate the author's exploration of a land steeped in tradition and culture. The book effectively mixes the author's story with historical information, drawing readers into the characters and their experiences. Readers say the book inspires them to travel to Greenland.

"...of her feelings and those of the indigenous people were vivid and drew you in. Gretel Ehrlich is not a tourist in her travels...." Read more

"...takes us on many wonderful journeys by dogsled and gives the reader a most fascinating viewpoint - right behind the dogs...." Read more

"...and the author definitely painted a vivid picture of daily life, community customs, traditions, folklore, language, and food...." Read more

"I very much enjoyed this book. It was a fascinating look at a land steeped in tradition and culture, and I feel I got to know the people and their..." Read more

8 customers mention "Authenticity"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book authentic. They appreciate the author's poetic descriptions and vivid imagery of the ice and people. The images and expression of feelings are vivid, drawing you in. The author paints a vivid picture of daily life, community customs, and traditions. It's honest and raw in describing life on the island. The contrasts and emotional bonds between characters and experiences build an emotional bond.

"...Her imagery and expression of her feelings and those of the indigenous people were vivid and drew you in...." Read more

"...'s and explorer's interwoven in the story, as well as the raw authenticity of the author in terms of her experiences with the people, land and..." Read more

"...people in Greenland, and the author definitely painted a vivid picture of daily life, community customs, traditions, folklore, language, and food...." Read more

"...our chance to re-encounter characters and experiences, builds a powerful emotional bond...." Read more

8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and fascinating. They describe it as a powerful read about Inuit culture and homeland in Greenland.

"This amazing book opened my eyes to the Inuit culture and homeland in a most unexpected way...." Read more

"Really interesting book regarding the Greenlander Inuit and one woman's journey through the region...." Read more

"I very much enjoyed this book...." Read more

"Gretel Ehrlich's wonderful book has been a nightly treat, savored at the fireside...." Read more

4 customers mention "Narrative quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the narrative quality. They find the story wonderful, exciting, and interesting. Readers mention the book provides an inspiring account of travel to Greenland.

"...Inspirational. One exciting chapter after another. You're certainly learning a lot, but you are also on the ride!..." Read more

"An awesome read. Exactly what I had hoped this would be. A wonderful narrative of the lands I wish I could visit (or even live in), despite the..." Read more

"...about it the entire journey..Bravo Ms. Ehrlich thanks for the wonderful story!" Read more

"very interesting account of travel to Greenland..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2021
    You felt you were right there in the author's exploits through Greenland. Her imagery and expression of her feelings and those of the indigenous people were vivid and drew you in. Gretel Ehrlich is not a tourist in her travels. She is brave, hardy, absorbing the culture, explaining it to us. Inspirational.
    One exciting chapter after another.
    You're certainly learning a lot, but you are also on the ride! Sometimes its on a dogsled packed 7 ft tall driving across the accordian style, frozen-in-place waves of the extended shoreline!
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2007
    This amazing book opened my eyes to the Inuit culture and homeland in a most unexpected way. I really bought it hoping to learn something about Inuit kayak hunters, but that aspect of Inuit hunting life is not heavily covered in the book. Instead, the author takes us on many wonderful journeys by dogsled and gives the reader a most fascinating viewpoint - right behind the dogs. We experience the hard but thrilling life of the skilled Arctic hunter as described by an articulate passenger in the sled, and in that way we come to know the people of the north country in a most sympathetic way.

    I recommend this book to anyone who loves beautifully written adventures. They are here.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2009
    Really interesting book regarding the Greenlander Inuit and one woman's journey through the region. I particularly like the inclusion of previous author's and explorer's interwoven in the story, as well as the raw authenticity of the author in terms of her experiences with the people, land and culture.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2011
    I read this book over the past two months or so, and found almost all of it to be very interesting. I wanted to find out what life is like for ordinary people in Greenland, and the author definitely painted a vivid picture of daily life, community customs, traditions, folklore, language, and food. Life there is completely different from life in America, and I was amazed at how people were able to live in the harsh Arctic environment. The author also addresses how modern technology and global climate change are affecting the people's lives. My only complaint is that it did start to feel a bit repetitive towards the end.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2010
    I very much enjoyed this book. It was a fascinating look at a land steeped in tradition and culture, and I feel I got to know the people and their lives.
    Ehrlich is a wonderful writer who knows how to turn a phrase. But...but....but--why I am only giving this three stars? It's because I felt the book was too much of a good thing. While the stories of the people she met and the Inuit ways are fascinating, do I really need to read 356 pages of how beautiful the ice was over and over and over and over? How many times do I have to hear that "ice is chaos", "ice is time", "the ice was like newly shampooed hair", "the sun was like a flashlight", "the ice was like broken dishes", etc. This gets tiresome very fast. Enough already! I get it-the ice is beautiful and it's cold. Too much of the same thing and too many metaphors detracts from the power of the whole. I wish Ehrlich would have put the metaphor-theasurus away for at least two consecutive pages.
    I'm sure that to Ehrlich all of her endless trips across the ice are individual, but to me, they all sound the same. She could have cut out the descriptions of about 10 of the trips she made on the ice, which would have cut the book by 50-100 pages, and had a much more powerful account. Although I loved most of the book, I finally couldn't wait for it to end. She made something that was fascinating into an account that was, ultimately, boring and endless.
    28 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2012
    I read this book to learn about the land (and ice!) of Greenland before we go there next year. And I learned a lot, from a lady who's spent time with the native Greenlanders in their villages and on their excursions in summer and winter. The book is well-written and kept me involved in her experiences all the way through. Now we know more of what we will see next year.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2003
    Gretel Ehrlich's wonderful book has been a nightly treat, savored at the fireside. Since the lives of the Greenland Inuit are so remote from daily experience, it takes quite a bit of adjustment to enter into their perspective. Ehrlich accomplishes this through an obsessive, recurring immersion, reminiscent of her hero Knud Rassmussen. She went back to Greenland seven times, for goodness sakes! The focus she achieves through these revisitings, and our chance to re-encounter characters and experiences, builds a powerful emotional bond. I felt a real loss when I had to say goodbye to these characters for the final time. This is a deceptively beautiful, powerful book.
    5 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2002
    My fellow Wyo resident Gretel Ehrlich has never been a personal favorite of mine - I have found her writing a bit bloodless and strident. This Cold Heaven is no exception. Fortunately in this case, bloodless not only works, it is preferable. The native residents of Greenland are a hardcore bunch of seal-eating, dog whipping, communal living Last Best Men and their stories rival any on the planet for sheer toughness. Ehrlich packs her book with tales of ice explorers like Peter Freuschen and Knud Rasmussen, who make the cowboys, Marines and murderous I have known seem as simpering as Boy George and Anne Heche off their Wellbutrin. The author weaves their tales cleverly among her own personal accounts of more modest contemporary adventures, although we never really get to see what drives Ehrlich to this place. Maybe that doesn't matter. Ignore the Luddite whining that stains books like these and you're in for a treat.
    18 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Anna Katharina
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exvellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2023
    Very informative juxtaposing Rasmussen and the present
  • Chris H
    3.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written but lacking structure
    Reviewed in Germany on August 13, 2023
    It was well written and with great insight regarding the people, lives and traditions. Also capturing the last of the changing or even dissappearing way of live. It was not an easy read as it lacks structure, but a stream of anecdotes and diary flow that goes from one idea or event to another, with only chronological link. Great as a historical recording, not as an entertaining read.
  • Lizzie
    5.0 out of 5 stars amazing and eminently readable review of a very different world ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2015
    amazing and eminently readable review of a very different world and a different way of living. Both highly informative and thought provoking, built around the journeys of an early Danish explorer and also making clear the future challenges for the Inuit of the overspills of the rest of this world (global warming, alcohol, etc).
  • Tintenfisch
    4.0 out of 5 stars Not a travel book, a book about obsession
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2003
    Most people understand implicitly why someone may love Italy,or France, or India, say.But someone who goes to Greenland, not just once but again and again and again, not because they have to but because they want to , is a much rarer commodity. Gretel Ehrlich is such a person.And in her criss-crossings of Greenland, in all weathers-usually cold!-she meets other such people.Danes who are disenchanted with the rat-race and want a cleaner, purer environment for themselves and their children. A Japanese who came thirty or so years ago and just didn't want to leave. What is so compelling ? The strangeness and near-pristine nature of the landscape itself. The nature of the Inuit lifestyle, basic at times, but bound up with nature , very rich in stories, very authentic. And to be in a place where, even now, watches and clocks don't matter very much and where television is an occasional and rather surreal experience. Ehrlich weaves a spell with her writing-alternately lyrical and prosaic. Maybe in the end she doesn't even know herself quite why she keeps going back. . .she just does.Greenland speaks to some inner need.
    I'd give this 5 stars were it not for the over-lengthy text, which could have done with some editing without ruining the flavour.
    A particularly attractive feature is the way Ehrlich intersperses her own experiences of Greenland with those of Knud Rasmussen, who travelled to Greenland in the Twenties and whose ethnological research into the Inuit lifestyle has stood the test of time.
  • F. Gleisner
    5.0 out of 5 stars He really liked it.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2015
    A present for my father in law. He really liked it.