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A Woman in the Polar Night
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
20 posts | 12 read | 40 to read
In this extraordinary adventure, a reluctant visitor to the Arctic thrives in the awesome and unforgiving landscape. In 1933 Christiane Ritter reluctantly followed her husband to Spitsbergen, an Arctic island north of Norway. For her, "the Arctic was just another word for freezing and forsaken solitude." The story that follows is compelling, the writing matter-of-fact yet magical.
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Centique
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Pickpick

Christiane Ritter went to the arctic circle in 1933/34 to spend the winter with her hunter husband in the hut above (On Svalbard, a big island above Norway). She describes this adventure very matter of factly, what it takes to get through each day and the changing environment as the sun disappears. I found it fascinating and have become mildly obsessed with the idea of going to Norway but not quite this far North!

Texreader My husband‘s niece lives and works in Svalbard! We‘ve been to Norway many times to see his family (he‘s from Bergen) and I highly recommend a trip there. We may go as far north as Tromso next time we visit but he said not Svalbard. It‘s really really extreme north. His niece seems to love it though (edited) 9mo
Cinfhen Ha!!! I can see you doing that 😘 9mo
Centique @Texreader how amazing! What does she do there? (Im imagining its still pretty unpopulated but i may be wrong!) Yes the book mentions Tromso as the city they leave from. What a beautiful place to visit. 9mo
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Centique @Cinfhen with some warm warm clothes and boots! 😘 9mo
Reggie They got voted the happiest nation, yes? 9mo
Centique @Reggie i just googled it and for 2023 it was Finland - but all the nordic countries are high up! 9mo
Texreader @Centique She‘s a contractor for SpaceX monitoring spacecraft 9mo
Centique @Texreader omg thats a million times cooler than anything i could have guessed! 🙌 9mo
73 likes3 stack adds8 comments
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rachaich
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Mehso-so

Very interesting and full of amazing detail and descriptions.
I was quite uneasy about some parts but could respect what they needed to do. Also full admiration for her determination.

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rachaich
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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This looks rather good. It's a Pushkin Press translation which always appeals:)

Oryx I really enjoyed this one. 9mo
14 likes1 comment
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HeathHof
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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This book was so good! Mostly, the author shares what it was like to live as a 1930's housewife on the isolated arctic island of Spitsbergen, in a tiny 10x10 hut with her husband and their companion. She describes what months of straight sunlight and then months of night will do to the human psyche. They make due with few provisions and the battle to survive off the frozen land. A much more poetic and oldschool Life Below Zero of sorts. 🏔🏔🏔🏔

HeathHof And thank you again, @Alfrazier21 This was the perfect book to read cuddled under the electric blanket this holiday! 2y
52 likes1 stack add1 comment
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HeathHof
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Thank you so much for this awesome #jolabokaflodswap package, Amber! You picked the perfect book, I can't wait to start it. Love the little melt away Santa's and the card is ADORABLE!! 💙❄💙
@Alfrazier21
@MaleficentBookDragon

MittenGirlPeach That book sounds terrific! 2y
monalyisha Wow, that sparkly, polar, pom-pom butt is getting me good! 😅❄️ Love it! Happy holidays! 2y
monalyisha Also…adding this book to my TBR! 2y
Alfrazier21 You‘re welcome!! I added this one to my #TBR as well! Happy Holidays! ❄️ 🎄 2y
63 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Caroline2
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Thank you so much @TrishB for my fab birthday presents!! 😃 Both of these sound so good, I can‘t wait to read them. 👍

TrishB You‘re welcome ♥️♥️ have a fab day tomorrow. 2y
squirrelbrain Ooh I got Miss Austen in the Gladstone‘s book swap! (Is that where you got the idea from @TrishB ?! ) It sounds so good - I have it on my #booked2022 list if you fancy a #buddyread next year. 2y
TrishB @squirrelbrain yes 😁 Caroline stacked so I thought perfect! 2y
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Nute Happy Birthday!🎂🎁🎉 🎈 2y
Caroline2 @squirrelbrain Yes! I am well up for a buddy read. 😃 I‘m ready whenever is good for you. 👍 it sounds soooo good! 2y
Caroline2 @Nute Thanks! 😘 2y
LeahBergen Happy Birthday!! ❤️📚❤️📚 2y
Suet624 Happy birthday! 2y
Caroline2 @LeahBergen @Suet624 Thanks ladies. 🎉 2y
76 likes9 comments
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Caroline2
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Thank you so much @TrishB for my fab birthday presents!! 😃 Both of these sound so good, I can‘t wait to read them. 👍

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rjsthumbelina
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Mehso-so

Read this for #LMPBC #groupv #memoirs. This was interesting, and I'm grateful for having read it. It's not something I think I would have picked up on my own! I liked the mix of historical perspective and a unique experience. However, I've never been super into man vs nature, so the conflicts of her story weren't super interesting to me

(Trying to catch up on reviews today, as I'm home from work with blood pressure issues.)

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Bookwormjillk
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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I was excited to get this #LMPBC book back yesterday. I‘m curled up this morning with my tea reading all your comments @rjsthumbelina @Roary47 @ImperfectCJ

Roary47 I was reading it during ACT. We had 12 kids and four teachers. So two of us were there if needed. 😅 3y
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ImperfectCJ
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Pickpick

I had never heard of this one before #lmpbc. I liked it quite a bit. It's a different style of memoir than modern memoirs, less about the author and more about her experiences. She lets the reader know what she's thinking without paragraphs of analysis and navel-gazing. While some descriptions were opaque to me, overall Ritter paints a vivid and compelling picture of life in the Arctic.
@Bookwormjillk @rjsthumbelina @Roary47

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ImperfectCJ
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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I'm trying to read, but she keeps staring at something I can't see just over my head and it's freaking me out. Cats.

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Roary47
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Mehso-so

I actually read this a few days ago, but have had a week! I was hoping for more landscape descriptions. I appreciated the complete descriptions she did provide and the adventure and danger that was discussed. #LMPBC #GroupV

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Bookwormjillk
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Pickpick

This is a memoir from a very brave woman who spent a winter in the Arctic in the 1930‘s. I was really impressed by her attitude and resourcefulness. #LMPBC

This will go in the mail to the next reader this week.

Roary47 Sweet! I‘m excited. I‘ll let you know when it arrives. 😊 3y
Roary47 I got it. 😊 3y
Bookwormjillk @Roary47 yay! Enjoy! 3y
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Mitch
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Pickpick

90 years ago Ritter set out to join her husband for a year in the Arctic. She's a driven, brave woman, adaptable, courageous & resourceful. She both finds ways to bake cakes & cook seal liver many different ways with one small furnace and a handful of dry ingredients! She observes the polar landscape allows us to dream of its beautiful, menacing vastness & unique light. She writes wonderfully on the respect nature deserves if we're to survive.

Mitch I spent a short time in this same location a few years ago - and whilst I was also trained to deal with a polar bear encounter - I don‘t know how she did it without merino wool and goretex! 3y
Oryx She's great - and I really enjoyed her dry sense of humour about things. And she's so matter of fact about just making things work, because there was no other choice. 3y
Mitch @Oryx I agree - I sometimes wondered what she did with her fear - I admired her real resilience 3y
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Mitch
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Page 1 and I love it already #bookmap

Victoria_Clyne What a great map. 3y
Crazeedi Yay for books with maps!👏💕📚 3y
Deblovestoread Maps in books = perfection! 💜 3y
Mitch @Kdgordon88 totally agree! 3y
IndoorDame Beautiful map!! 3y
84 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Mitch
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Starting this gem today sent by the lovely @Oryx January has been a month of reading only books recommend to me my others ( and not just books that match my sofa!)

Hooked_on_books My goodness, your puppy got huge! 😍 3y
Bookwormjillk I have this one too. I‘m looking forward to your review. 3y
Oryx Enjoy! 3y
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Mitch @Hooked_on_books he has indeed. At his Saturday weigh ins he puts on nearly a kilo every week! 3y
AmyG Woodford looks huge!!! Kids...they grow so fast. 🤣 3y
Crazeedi What an impressive profile, handsome boy! 3y
Mitch @Crazeedi He's working his angles! 3y
Mitch @AmyG Hi legs grow - but his brain isn't maturing yet! 3y
85 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Mitch
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Thank you so much @Oryx I‘m looking forward to reliving my travels through this one. I really miss those landscapes 🥲. You‘re so kind to have sent it. Big cheers from me 👏🏼

Oryx You're welcome! I'm really interested to hear how Svalbard compares now to the experience in 1934. Hopefully we can discuss at Gladstone's 🤞 3y
Mitch @Oryx 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 3y
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Oryx
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Feels very decadent to eat chocolate Yule log, while the woman in my book eats seal liver...
This book is a memoir of a woman who spends a winter in Spitsbergen in 1934.

Susanita I think you got the better end of the deal! 3y
Mitch I spent a month in Spitsbergen a few years ago - saw polar bears and lived with coal miners! But I felt continually cold! It‘s a magical place and I hope to return one day 🤞🏼 3y
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squirrelbrain That looks yummy! 3y
Oryx @Mitch you might like this book. It's really interesting. She's very matter of fact and humorous. I'd love to go there (perhaps with a few more technological advances than they had in 1934). 3y
Mitch @Oryx stacked! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 3y
rockpools Wow all round! 3y
LeahBergen This sounds interesting! 3y
Caroline2 I‘ve just stacked this! 😉 3y
Oryx @Caroline2 Top of the list for when the book buying ban finishes 😁. I've packaged up Piranesi, so I'll pop in the post this afternoon. 3y
Caroline2 @Oryx Thats awesome! Thank you sooo much!! 😘 Brilliant that I can join in the buddy read without breaking my book buying ban!! 😆 3y
62 likes1 stack add11 comments
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Centique
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Santa and Rudolph are looking after #hiselderliness reads. #bookreport
All Standing “very interesting. It‘s about the potato famine and they took a lot of Irish to Canada. But they wanted to make more money so they put so many in the boat they had to stand up the whole way” 😳
One Man Caravan “I would say that wasn‘t a good book but then I learnt a few things so I guess that makes it good doesn‘t it?” (That may be the definition of so-so)⬇️

Centique A Woman in the Polar Night was excellent. “She spent a year living in the Arctic in a half finished hut. She had to take a years worth of groceries with her! It was interesting how she managed it” 3y
LeahBergen I‘m telling you ... his reviews are seriously all I need to know if I‘m going to like a book. 😆😆 3y
Centique @LeahBergen 😂😂 they‘re certainly pithy! 3y
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Reggie He kinda makes me want to read them! 3y
Cinfhen Totally echoing @LeahBergen and @Reggie 💓💓💓Lovely photo, Flea💜and another fabulous #BookReport 🎉🙌🏻 3y
MaureenMc I so look forward to his reviews! 🥰 3y
Suet624 Fantastic reviews. 🥰🥰 3y
76 likes4 stack adds8 comments
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BestDogDad
A Woman in the Polar Night | Christiane Ritter
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Pickpick

It took a while for me to get in to this book but as soon as the woman arrived in the polar night I found it hard to put down and the last couple of chapters left a lump in my throat. This is the story of Austrian housewife Christiane Ritter, who accepts the invitation of her researcher husband Hermann to spent roughly twelve months living with him and hunter friend Karl living in a tiny hut on a remote island in the Norwegian Arctic. I loved it.

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