The Polar Adventures of a Rich Americ..., Joanna Kafarowski
The Polar Adventures of a Rich Americ..., Joanna Kafarowski
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The Polar Adventures of a Rich American Dame
A Life of Louise Arner Boyd

Author: Joanna Kafarowski

Narrator: Kate Mulligan

Unabridged: 9 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/13/2021


Synopsis

The first comprehensive biography of Louise Arner Boyd—the intrepid American socialite who reinvented herself as the leading female polar explorer of the twentieth century.Born in the late 1880s to a gritty mining magnate who made his millions in the California Gold Rush and a well-bred mother descended from one of New York’s distinguished families, society beauty Louise Arner Boyd was raised during a glittering era.After inheriting a staggering family fortune, she began leading a double life. She fell under the spell of the north in the late 1920s after a sailing excursion to the Arctic Ocean. Over the next three decades, she achieved international notoriety as a rugged and audacious polar explorer while maintaining her flamboyant lifestyle as a leading society woman. Yet despite organizing, financing, and directing seven daring Arctic expeditions between 1926 and 1955, she is virtually unknown today.

About Joanna Kafarowski

Joanna Kafarowski is passionate about researching and writing about the lives of women in polar history. She is the author of The Polar Adventures of a Rich American Dame: A Life of Louise Arner Boyd, the first comprehensive biography of a female Arctic explorer. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

About Kate Mulligan

Kate Mulligan has acted with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for more than ten seasons in productions including Hairspray, Alice in Wonderland, and Sense and Sensibility. Her film and television work includes Being John Malkovich and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.


Reviews

Goodreads review by LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" on September 21, 2023

Ms. Boyd was indeed one hell of a Dame! Let me start out first by letting everyone know what a lame brain I can be at time...mostly because I had to laugh at myself. Ms. Boyds father and friends bought the Bodie gold mine in California. I've been to Bodie. My first thought was, why the hell would an......more

Goodreads review by Sharon on January 22, 2018

Joanna Kafarowksi's book on the life of Louise Arner Boyd was a delight to read. Her research is impeccable, and she uses it to tell a fascinating story, that is both learned but eminently readable. I was particularly impressed with how the author managed to provide deep insights into the early life......more

Goodreads review by Valerity (Val) on October 24, 2017

This is an awesome book about Louise Arner Boyd who is little known in our era but back in her day was a famous Arctic explorer in the 1930s. She carefully planned and put together her expeditions because she was driven to and also because she was in a position to do as she pleased, with no one arou......more

Goodreads review by Janice on February 17, 2018

Louise Arner Boyd was born into a wealthy family and a comfortable, idyllic life in California. Hardship eventually struck, her two brothers died young, and by the time she was in her early thirties, she had also lost her parents. Eager to make her own way in the world, she followed her dream to bec......more


Quotes

“Joanna Kafarowski’s comprehensive biography of Boyd is a long-overdue examination of this wealthy and generous socialite, gifted photographer, and goal-oriented and determined expedition organizer.” Arctic Journal

“An exhaustively researched account of the remarkable life of Louise Arner Boyd…Arctic aficionados, history buffs, and feminists will all be intrigued by this story of an adventurous life.” Publishers Weekly

“Vividly written, exhaustively researched, and long overdue, this evocative biography brings to life a forgotten female explorer who cries out for greater recognition. What a wonderful addition to Arctic exploration literature.” Ken McGoogan, author of Dead Reckoning