Ed O'Loughlin was born in Toronto and raised in Ireland. He reported from Africa for the Irish Times and other papers, and was Middle East correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age of Melbourne. His first novel, Not Untrue and Not Unkind, was long listed for the 2009 Man Booker Prize. His second novel, Toploader, was published in 2011.
"An ambitious undertaking, operating in several time frames, with
the present action interrupted frequently by episodes taking place
from 1845 well into the mid twentieth century. Real historic
personages (e.g., Roald Amundsen and Jack London) are intermixed
with fictional characters...An impressive work."
--John Teel, PCA Mystery and Detective Fiction Reading List
Shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, 2017
Longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction,
2017
"The novel is a tapestry of time and place, a study of human
nature, and a celebration of exploration and
adventure."--Booklist (Starred Review)
"A complex tale of historical intrigue about nineteenth-century
polar explorers, the strange disappearance of Sir John Franklin's
Arctic expedition in 1845, and the unexpected discovery of key
evidence relating to the disappearance in 2009 . . . The historical
depictions of polar explorers--the men, conditions, and horrible
fates--are accurate and stunning."--Publishers Weekly
"A novel as wide and daring in its execution as its
subject--centuries of mystery, horror and human courage in polar
exploration. This rollicking, beautifully written tale ranges from
the lost expedition of Sir John Franklin in 1845--with its promise
of British heroism mingled with hints of cannibalism--to the
expeditions of Roald Amundsen both to the South Pole and the
Northwest Passage, with a fascinating dose of Nazi U-boats and Cold
War spying. The stories fade out, like so many lives lost in
blinding snowdrifts, leaving the mysteries to echo hauntingly in
readers' minds, hoping always for a little more."--The Sunday Times
of South Africa
"A richly researched fictional exploration of the history of arctic
exploration."--The Toronto Star
"An exhilarating romp through the age of polar exploration . . .
Minds of Winter is a story of death and glory, loss and
triumph, and, ultimately, the mighty power of the imagination in
the face of unrelenting struggle."--Winnipeg Free Press
"O'Loughlin's ability to quantify the magnetism of Arctic
exploration, the mentality of those who heed its icy siren song,
and his amusing play with literary styles/tastes."--Historical
Novel Review
"The scope is truly epic, taking us literally from pole to pole and
covering 175 years of history."--Quill and Quire
Praise for Not Untrue and Not Unkind "A graceful
writer."--The Guardian
"Minds of Winter is an ambitious novel, sweeping in scope,
about the golden age of Polar scientific exploration and the
motivations behind the men who conquered the lands of everlasting
winter. It also provides a historical backdrop to delve into the
inner lives of some of the most renowned explorers, such as Roald
Amundsen, Sir John Franklin, and Cecil Meares."--Carmen's Books and
Movies
"A haunting novel of the Arctic . . . Who knows what might emerge
from those regions of the Arctic so cold and dark not even Inuit
will venture there? Perhaps it is the ease by which the Arctic can
kill you that gives O'Loughlin's novel its force."--Philip
Marchand, The National Post
"Intricately structured."--Times Literary Supplement
"Readers who delight in history and mystery mixed together will
appreciate O'Loughlin's shifting drifts of reality and
imagination."--Library Journal (Starred Review)
"Minds of Winter is a remarkable feat of imagination,
empathy, and research. Past and present merge to convey the polar
landscape's immense mysteries, and the lives of those voyagers
compelled to seek answers in its icy expanses. Ed O'Loughlin is a
skilled cartographer of both the Arctic and the human heart. What a
magnificent novel."--Ron Rash, New York Times best-selling
author
"A book that gets you down to the marrow. The compass of Ed
O'Loughlin's Minds of Winter points north by northnorth. Up
and up it goes, drawn by husky dogs towards the North Pole,
chillier and chillier by degrees, frostbitten, snow-blind, but
determined . . . Thrilling, Boys' Own, Hornblower
stuff."
--Laura Freeman, Spectator
"A compelling and hugely ambitious novel."
--Irish Mail on Sunday
"A mesmerizing look at what was and what might have been. Highly
recommended"--For the Love of Books
"A simply brilliant debut by an author of great poise and
power."--Tim Butcher, award-winning journalist and author of The
Trigger
"A tour de force juggling act of narrative legerdemain." -Kirkus
Reviews
"Author Ed O'Loughlin has masterfully drawn everything together. It
takes talent to be able to plot out a mystery and to leave clues
and little breadcrumbs for the readers. I would recommend this to
folks who enjoy historical mysteries and multiple story lines. If
you enjoy Ken Follett, this would be a great one for you. All in
all a great read and a truly memorable ending."--Mountains on the
Horizon
"Eloquent and thoughtful."--Times Literary Supplement
"For those interested in the obsessions of polar exploration, this
is a compelling and suitably idiosyncratic voyage into its strange
motivations."--The Australian
"Gripping . . . O'Loughlin is operating at the interstices of truth
and history, of that which can be known and that which cannot . . .
The final pages seem inevitable, as great endings must; the whole
novel wondrous in its tone and reach."
--Eoin McNamee, The Irish Times
"Intensely evocative."--The New York Times
"O'Loughlin's novel is a hymn to human endurance. There will be few
better historical novels published this year."--The Sunday Times of
London
"The most exciting first novel I have read in many years."--Anne
Enright, Booker Award-winning author of The
Gathering
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