NORTHERN LIGHTS

Not for the swashbuckling adventure audience, but for those who like outdoor books with lots of atmosphere. Holdridge turns back the pages and writes of his first major venture, a cruise of the length of Labrador in the smallest boat to sail the Hudson Strait. He was 18, untutored, foolhardy, but one of his comrades had more experience. Nonetheless, there were all sorts of errors in navigation, and misadventures. The interest in the story depends chiefly on the freshness and restraint of the telling, the atmosphere, places they visit, stories that are told, close shaves and youthful enthusiasm.