Publishers Weekly
10/28/2019
Filmmaker McCrae energetically relates the 11 months he spent living in Antarctica filming a colony of emperor penguins for the BBC in this swift, but surface-level, debut. McCrae’s choice to travel to Antarctica while his wife was expecting their first child allows him to contrast his own experience with that of the birds he’s filming, as the females leave their unhatched eggs in the care of their mates as they depart to feed in advance of the birth of the next generation of penguins. However, the comparison falls flat and does not achieve the hoped-for feeling of kinship among species. McCrae is at his best when simply relating his experience of natural wonders, such as when the penguins all huddle together in the face of a threatening storm, a collective action which presents him with a “seemingly motionless mosaic of row upon row of emperors.” Despite brief expressions of concern for the future of the Arctic world, most references to the changing climate are surprisingly oblique for such an existential crisis. Beautifully captured individual moments won’t be enough to allow the reader to entirely warm up to this uneven Antarctic tale. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"Reveals the brutal beauty of Antarctica and its most beloved creature." — Christian Science Monitor
“For 337 consecutive days, cameraman Lindsay McCrae made his home among 11,000 emperor penguins. In Antarctica, he watches as the colony experiences birth, death and everything in between. Annotating his photos, he writes of how penguins and humans alike adjust to an environment where temperatures can reach 60 degrees below zero. Filled with color photographs, this is a treasure.” — Los Angeles Times
"Part adventure story, part evocation of the last untouched place on Earth, this is mesmerizing." — Daily Mail, “Books of the Year”
"Unforgettable. ... Readers will laugh, cry, wince, and even bristle at the incredible word-pictures McCrae paints of the birds' courting, births, and deaths." — Booklist
“A remarkable memoir. … Amid ice, whales, petrels, seals and vast shoals of fish, McCrae followed thousands of emperor penguins for nearly a year. … Most gripping are his fine-tuned observations of these beautiful metre-high birds.” — Nature
"My Penguin Year is an immersive insight into the life of a wildlife filmmaker and the challenges of surviving in the harshest, most unforgiving environment on Earth. ... Evockative" — The Herald (Scotland)
“Twelve men have walked on the moon. But how many have spent an entire season with the Emperors in the frozen south? Lindsay McCrae has, and this is his wonderful story–a dramatic saga forged by passion, honesty, and rare skill.” — Chris Packham, BBC Springwatch presenter
“A gorgeously illustrated memoir.” — Telegraph (UK)
"McCrae shares the joy and heartbreak of filming the penguins. ... With beautiful descriptions of the stark landscape, harsh weather conditions, challenges of filming, and isolation during the dark Antarctica winter, this work lovingly and accurately details emperor penguin behavior in an engaging memoir that will appeal to wildlife enthusiasts, adventurers, and armchair travelers." — Library Journal
“A touching story of courage, survival and persistence, My Penguin Year is a must-read for nature lovers and those who enjoy a stirring memoir.” — BookPage
"Delightful and picturesque. ... It's hard not to be enchanted." — Washington Independent Review of Books
“A stunning and often gut-churning account of the lifecycle of thousands of emperor penguins. … An unforgettable, intimate story of survival.” — Shelf Awareness
|Los Angeles Times
For 337 consecutive days, cameraman Lindsay McCrae made his home among 11,000 emperor penguins. In Antarctica, he watches as the colony experiences birth, death and everything in between. Annotating his photos, he writes of how penguins and humans alike adjust to an environment where temperatures can reach 60 degrees below zero. Filled with color photographs, this is a treasure.
Nature Lib
A remarkable memoir. … Amid ice, whales, petrels, seals and vast shoals of fish, McCrae followed thousands of emperor penguins for nearly a year. … Most gripping are his fine-tuned observations of these beautiful metre-high birds.
Telegraph (UK)
A gorgeously illustrated memoir.”
Christian Science Monitor
"Reveals the brutal beauty of Antarctica and its most beloved creature."
Chris Packham
Twelve men have walked on the moon. But how many have spent an entire season with the Emperors in the frozen south? Lindsay McCrae has, and this is his wonderful story–a dramatic saga forged by passion, honesty, and rare skill.
Daily Mail
"Part adventure story, part evocation of the last untouched place on Earth, this is mesmerizing."
BookPage
A touching story of courage, survival and persistence, My Penguin Year is a must-read for nature lovers and those who enjoy a stirring memoir.”
Booklist
"Unforgettable. ... Readers will laugh, cry, wince, and even bristle at the incredible word-pictures McCrae paints of the birds' courting, births, and deaths."
The Herald (Scotland)
"My Penguin Year is an immersive insight into the life of a wildlife filmmaker and the challenges of surviving in the harshest, most unforgiving environment on Earth. ... Evockative"
Washington Independent Review of Books
"Delightful and picturesque. ... It's hard not to be enchanted."
Shelf Awareness
A stunning and often gut-churning account of the lifecycle of thousands of emperor penguins. … An unforgettable, intimate story of survival.
Los Angeles Times
"For 337 consecutive days, cameraman Lindsay McCrae made his home among 11,000 emperor penguins. ... He writes of how penguins and humans alike adjust to an environment where temperatures can reach 60 degrees below zero. Filled with color photographs, this is a treasure."
Booklist
"Unforgettable. ... Readers will laugh, cry, wince, and even bristle at the incredible word-pictures McCrae paints of the birds' courting, births, and deaths."
Nature
A remarkable memoir. … Amid ice, whales, petrels, seals and vast shoals of fish, McCrae followed thousands of emperor penguins for nearly a year. … Most gripping are his fine-tuned observations of these beautiful metre-high birds.
Library Journal
11/01/2019
Natural history cameraman McCrae, winner of the 2019 BAFTA award in Factual Photography, spent his childhood observing the wildlife of England's Lake District, which led to his appearance, at age 14, on the BBC wildlife program Springwatch. He later secured a job as a runner at Springwatch, which led to camera assistant job, and then had a freelance career filming wildlife in the UK and abroad. When the BBC offers McCrae his dream job, filming emperor penguins in Antarctica, there's a catch: The job requires an 11-month commitment with no possibility of leaving Antarctica for eight of those months. McCrae accepts the job and begins a year of training and testing camera equipment, and then travels to Germany's Neumayer III research station. McCrae shares the joy and heartbreak of filming the penguins from their march to their breeding grounds to their courtship, egg laying, and raising chicks. VERDICT With beautifully descriptions of the stark landscape, harsh weather conditions, challenges of filming, and isolation during the dark Antarctica winter, this work lovingly and accurately details emperor penguin behavior in an engaging memoir that will appeal to wildlife enthusiasts, adventurers, and armchair travelers.—Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove, IL
