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IDITAROD a novel of The Greatest Race on Earth

Andre Jute,

Gino D'Achille (Illustrator)

Start date: June 6, 2013

Finish date: June 6, 2013

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By Andre Jute · 6 posts · 16 views

last updated Mar 21, 2013 04:08PM

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By Andre Jute · 105 posts · 51 views

last updated Apr 25, 2013 12:24PM

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What Members Thought

Aug 12, 2012 Matt Posner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I bought this book to read for pleasure because I am already a fan of Andre Jute, as an author and as a human being. I'm very glad I did, as it was thrilling. Andre's deep research led to a stunningly intricate and fascinating tale of adventure with two appealing and admirable young protagonists. I really liked both Rhodes Delaney and James Whitbury, a woman and man with courage and integrity, ingenuity and athleticism, who are racing each other in the Iditarod as a way to resist their nigh-irre ...more

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Apr 08, 2014 LeAnn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Disclosure: the author provided me with a review copy of Iditarod in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed this tale of adventure, romance, and danger on the Iditarod Trail. Set in 1985, the heart of the story is an impetuous bet between one Rhodes Delaney, a sled-dog racer from Colorado, and James Whitbury, an Olympic gold-medal skier who also happens to be an MIT-trained engineer and inventor with a trust fund. (Yes, James is a bit too-good-to-be-true, but I'm happy to let that sli Disclosure: the author provided me with a review copy of Iditarod in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed this tale of adventure, romance, and danger on the Iditarod Trail. Set in 1985, the heart of the story is an impetuous bet between one Rhodes Delaney, a sled-dog racer from Colorado, and James Whitbury, an Olympic gold-medal skier who also happens to be an MIT-trained engineer and inventor with a trust fund. (Yes, James is a bit too-good-to-be-true, but I'm happy to let that slide. After all, I actually know a few young men who could satisfy at least some of these traits. Mostly it's the trust fund part that doesn't convince me.)

Jute carefully establishes the main characters, including a monstrous wolf pack, before the actual Iditarod race begins, deftly weaving in details with a light hand. Initially misunderstandings and unfamiliarity color the nascent relationship between Rhodes and James (they met by chance at the outset), who train for the race of a lifetime in very different ways. Rhodes, the daughter of a Colorado rancher, will eschew corporate sponsorship to keep her father's hand-carved wooden sled unspoiled with advertising; instead, she'll work 12-hour days in a salmon-processing factory to raise the $20,000 to compete. But at least she's bred and trained her own dogs and has half a lifetime's experience racing. James, on the other hand, can afford to train and race, but he accepts sponsorship from Frontier Construction, getting dogs, training, and other elite help in return for designing and testing a lightweight alloy sled. He spends the better part of his training-year prototyping and testing a sled for production, but that's okay. He's got an experienced dog breeder and coach, along with the best nutritionist and gear that money can buy.

Once the race begins, so too does the story. Jute skillfully paces the writing to match the events. Though it moves quickly, the story never gets ahead of itself. At first, the story is told from Rhodes's point of view, but at a critical, terrifying moment, it switches to James's and then to a third-person view of the wolf pack, a distant but clearly festering problem. As the two racers face growing dangers and challenges on the 1200-mile trail from Anchorage to Nome, the wolves circle just outside their awareness but never far outside the reader's. The viewpoints continue to alternate until settling down with Rhodes'. Jute ups the ante as the race draws to a close, heaping exhaustion and terrifying danger upon his two main characters. The final harrying sequence of events, while not nail-biting, does require sitting up straight, scooting to the edge of the seat, and paying attention very closely.

I particularly enjoyed the story because of its realistic, and thorough, description of the Iditarod race, its history, the trail, and what it takes to compete. For a brief (and irrational moment), I wistfully wished I could experience the thrill of riding on the runners behind a sled pulled by a dozen well-trained dogs. However, I'm not so keen on facing angry moose, bear, or wolves, nor do I wish to ride into the teeth of 40-mile-an-hour wind. And I'd prefer to sleep more than a few hours at a time, especially on a soft, warm bed.

I must also say that I found the romance between Rhodes and James both charming and a bit quaint (though I don't mean anything pejorative by this). James has a gentleman's manners from another era: he politely requests permission to be excused by an elderly woman at the beginning, and he gallantly charges into a blizzard to help Rhodes, then camps chastely with her.

It isn't simply the romance that calls to mind a different, more genteel, era. There is a clear sense of propriety and duty throughout, a stiff-upper-lip sort of stoicism in the face of grievous difficulty, the understanding that the race takes precedence over everything else for Rhodes and James because they have said that they will run it, and their honor and sense of self are bound up in completing it to the best of their abilities. I personally am attracted to such characters.
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Dec 01, 2011 K.A. Jordan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-tales

Rhodes and William take on the wilderness of Alaska during the Iditarod, the 'Last Great Race.'

A very good read - the imagery was wonderful. I found myself yearning to see Alaska, in spite of my better judgement (I hate snow and cold.)

I got a very real sense of the depth of the dangers Rhodes faced. I found it hard to believe she would go on the race without being armed to the teeth. That's just me. I get the creepy crawlies from listening to coyotes howl and yap. I'd want a high-powered rifle ...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Katie Stewart rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A while ago, I read something about the concept of 'setting as character'. I didn’t understand it until I read ‘Iditarod’ by Andre Jute. The book has two main characters, Rhodes and James, both skilled athletes, both determined to better the other in the Iditarod, an annual sled race across Alaska. At first, I presumed that James was the antagonist. With his fame and wealth and slightly arrogant approach, he was the obvious candidate to be the baddy of the piece. It soon became obvious though, t A while ago, I read something about the concept of 'setting as character'. I didn’t understand it until I read ‘Iditarod’ by Andre Jute. The book has two main characters, Rhodes and James, both skilled athletes, both determined to better the other in the Iditarod, an annual sled race across Alaska. At first, I presumed that James was the antagonist. With his fame and wealth and slightly arrogant approach, he was the obvious candidate to be the baddy of the piece. It soon became obvious though, that the real antagonist is the place, Alaska itself. Both Rhodes and James, while competing with each other, face this wild, desolate landscape alone and it throws everything it has at them to stop them succeeding.

As in all good books, though, the antagonist is a three-dimensional character with enough goodness about it to draw the reader in. Even when Rhodes and James were fighting the worst Alaska could muster, I was in awe of the spectacular beauty of the place so clearly described. It was not hard to understand why people would pit themselves against the place in such a dangerous way.

This is a determined adversary that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. Hardly a page goes by without the potential for disaster being raised. At times, I must admit, I was a little annoyed at Jute’s use of chapters written from the point of view of a pack of wolves. It took me some time to understand the significance of these chapters and-- as he tended to put them in just as one or other of the characters was in dire straits-- I became impatient with them for a while. In truth though, they gave chance for the reader to have a rest from the fast paced action* whilst they quietly developed the setting as a character. By the end of the story, I felt sympathy for those wolves (who epitomised Alaska) despite their actions.

This is a book that has obviously been the subject of detailed research. Everything, from the history of the Iditarod to the detail of the landscape along the way, is meticulously described. It’s an old-fashioned, beautifully written adventure story that won’t disappoint any modern reader who enjoys fast-paced action. I highly recommend it.

*If I have any criticism of the story, it would be that perhaps sometimes the action scenes were so fast that I couldn’t quite picture what was happening. However, that could have been more to do with the fact that I know nothing about sleds, snow, ice etc., rather than the writing itself. ...more

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May 19, 2011 Gail Baugniet rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Andre Jute doesn't give the reader much time to breathe between exciting, tension-filled scenes of adventure on the Iditarod Trail.

I admit I'm influenced by my recent trip to Alaska, but the heart-stopping descriptions of the misadventures and dangerous situations of two non-local entrants in a dog sled race billed as The Greatest Race on Earth kept me reading nonstop.

The well-researched history of the land; knowledge of moose, wolves, and bears; and precise information about weather condition ...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Sjm rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Loved this book. I couldn't put it down. Please see my full review and interview with the author at Cookie's Book Club ...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Sharon Tillotson rated it really liked it

The Iditarod race has always fascinated me so I was intrigued by this book from the moment I saw the illustrious cover. It did not disappoint, having all the elements of a great adventure story.

And what a captivating adventure it was, featuring wild animals, a race against the elements and the clock, an underlying love story and tension.

The main characters were likeable, solid and real. One was attracted to them right away and couldn’t wait to hear how they resolved the dilemma in which they’d f ...more

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