Sara Wheeler

The heartbreak left in the wake of the Terra Nova

Katherine MacInnes examines the lives of the five women who suffered most as a result of Captain Scott’s doomed polar expedition

Captain Scott’s widow Kathleen, photographed in 1913. Her ability as a sculptor is the only thing that makes her remotely likeable. [Getty Images] 
issue 12 March 2022

The story of the five women waiting at home for Captain Scott and his doomed polar party is naturally occluded in tragedy. In this engaging book Katherine MacInnes for the first time presents them – two mothers at the outset, and three wives – as distinct individuals, separated one from the other by class, education, faith and temperament.

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