Community & Culture
![Christiane Ritter - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_christiane_ritter.jpg)
A Woman in the Polar Night
In 1934, the Austrian painter Christiane Ritter travels to the remote Arctic island of Spitsbergen to spend a year with her husband, an explorer and researcher. They are to live in a tiny ramshackle hut on the shores of a lonely fjord, hundreds of miles from the nearest settlement. At first, Christiane is horrified by the freezing cold, the bleak landscape the lack of equipment and supplies... But as time passes, after encounters with bears and seals, long treks over the ice and months on end of perpetual night, she finds herself falling in love with the Arctic's harsh, otherworldly beauty, gaining a great sense of inner peace and a new appreciation for the sanctity of life.
This rediscovered classic memoir tells the incredible tale of a woman defying society's expectations to find freedom and peace in the adventure of a lifetime.
Readers Top Reviews
ScarlettAnne JanzerE
Though C. Ritter's life was kind of interesting and I enjoyed the descriptions of the Arctic and her interaction with the fox. there is no plot in this book due to the fact it is just her life. Mainly because I was told this was a great story of a woman against the elements, I was a bit disappointed. I also wished I read it in German due to some of the interactions between Mrs. Ritter and her husband.
Channa Commanday
Riveting, written in the beauty and starkness of a land revealing its secrets to her - she gives me strength in her isolation and inspiration in her vulnerability.
Patricia Zeider
I loved reading this book, especially during this very hot summer in southern California. I had no idea how beautiful the Arctic is. Maybe other readers will even wish to visit in the winter!
Amy J. Stech
Very positive book. Exciting, well written and intelligent.
Mollie
A very well written book describing the beauty of the polar night as well as the frightening storms the author went through, sometimes alone in a small hut. Well worth reading - very compelling!
