Rating: 
Summary: more about the people and less about the lobsters, please
Review: Linda Greenlaw made a name for herself as a successful swordfish boat captain based out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Sebastian Junger wrote about her in "The Perfect Storm" and she subsequently wrote about herself in "The Hungry Ocean". (I haven't read either of those so no comments there.) Ready for a change, she returned to the small Maine island where she had grown up, Isle Au Haut. The island has only a few dozen residents, and many of them are her relatives. Like most locals, she set herself up as a lobster fisherman, with her father as her assistant. This book describes her life on the island and one lobster season.She does tell some interesting stories about what it is like to live on an island, dealing with winter isolation, summer tourists and year-round local politics. However there were way too many passages like this one..."All traps are equipped with hard plastic escape vents that have oval openings large enough to allow 'short' or undersized lobsters to exit a trap at will. Each of my traps has two vents, one in the door and one in the parlor end. Maine State Law requires that one vent be secured with biodegradable hog rings, while the other may be set with stainless steel, requiring little or no maintenance. The idea behind the mandatory biodegradable vent is to ensure the liberty of all lobsters within a trap that may be lost or neglected. 'Ghost gear,' or lost traps, are not a threat to lobsters' lives because the biodegradable hog rings deteriorate within a season, allowing the plastic vent to flop open, leaving a large exit. All biodegradable rings or remains of rings must be replaced when overhauling traps if a fisherman expects to catch anything. Otherwise, lobsters will find open vents, and fishermen will haul up empty traps. I was clumsy with the hog-ring pliers at first, but found more ease and comfort as the morning progressed."...and on it goes, pages and pages of this stuff. This book would be essential reading for any aspiring lobster fisherman. Not falling into that category myself, I found the level of detail excessive and there simply weren't enough good anecdotes to make up for it. I wish that her editor had been more aggressive. By the end I was glad to wave farewell to both Greenlaw and the island.
Rating:
Summary: more about the people and less about the lobsters, please
Review: Linda Greenlaw made a name for herself as a successful swordfish boat captain based out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Sebastian Junger wrote about her in "The Perfect Storm" and she subsequently wrote about herself in "The Hungry Ocean". (I haven't read either of those so no comments there.) Ready for a change, she returned to the small Maine island where she had grown up, Isle Au Haut. The island has only a few dozen residents, and many of them are her relatives. Like most locals, she set herself up as a lobster fisherman, with her father as her assistant. This book describes her life on the island and one lobster season. She does tell some interesting stories about what it is like to live on an island, dealing with winter isolation, summer tourists and year-round local politics. However there were way too many passages like this one..."All traps are equipped with hard plastic escape vents that have oval openings large enough to allow 'short' or undersized lobsters to exit a trap at will. Each of my traps has two vents, one in the door and one in the parlor end. Maine State Law requires that one vent be secured with biodegradable hog rings, while the other may be set with stainless steel, requiring little or no maintenance. The idea behind the mandatory biodegradable vent is to ensure the liberty of all lobsters within a trap that may be lost or neglected. 'Ghost gear,' or lost traps, are not a threat to lobsters' lives because the biodegradable hog rings deteriorate within a season, allowing the plastic vent to flop open, leaving a large exit. All biodegradable rings or remains of rings must be replaced when overhauling traps if a fisherman expects to catch anything. Otherwise, lobsters will find open vents, and fishermen will haul up empty traps. I was clumsy with the hog-ring pliers at first, but found more ease and comfort as the morning progressed."...and on it goes, pages and pages of this stuff. This book would be essential reading for any aspiring lobster fisherman. Not falling into that category myself, I found the level of detail excessive and there simply weren't enough good anecdotes to make up for it. I wish that her editor had been more aggressive. By the end I was glad to wave farewell to both Greenlaw and the island.
Rating: 
Summary: a rush to print?
Review: Linda Greenlaw's "Lobster Chronicles" is selling briskly and appearing on best seller lists. Her first book, "The Hungry Ocean", also sold extremely well, no doubt capitalizing on the success of the book and movie, "The Perfect Storm", in which her character was featured, and on the highly promoted tv showing of the film. Greenlaw is her own person, and feminists will no doubt applaud her, in spite of her baldfaced admission that she yearns for children, a house of her own, and some of the traditional gender roles feminists spurn. Her path has been an unusual one, and her plainstyled writing is expressive enough to make us understand that it has been a satisfying life. Sadly, her book is less than a satisfying read as her straightforward writing often fails to capture color and interest.
Throughout, the reader can sense that she is attempting her best to portray eccentric Islanders, to convey her own varying emotional states, to write of her father's love and her mother's bright courage. Perhaps this book was rushed to print? Maybe better editing would have put some zest into it.
Rating: 
Summary: A simple story for a simple life
Review: Linda's first book changed my entire perception of "fresh" fish and life at sea as a fisherman. Her second book is a refreshingly simple account of life on a small island: things just don't happen quickly but life is very real and immediate. It's a quick read and mildly entertaining (Rita is quite the character but everyone's reaction to her is a great study in human behavior.)
Rating:
Summary: A farmer would like this book too.
Review: Ms. Greenlaw does a good job in this book. She provides enough technical information for the reader to understand how lobster fishing works, both the actual catching process, and the business side as well. She also provides a vivid portrayal of life in a small and remote community. In her particular case it's an island fishing community in Maine. But the issues presented would be well understood by anyone in say, a small rural farming community. Beyond that Ms. Greenlaw also explains how the context of her small community relates to her personal life. A fairly brave thing to do really. And shows her to be a thoughtfull and compelling author. America is a big country, and people have a lot of interesting stories to tell. This book is one of them.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh what a good read
Review: Ms. Greenlaw is a wonderful writer and can turn a phrase as well as anyone. This is one of those books that you are sorry when you have finished it. I hope she keeps writing. If she does I will keep reading. That Colby College education was not wasted.
Rating:
Summary: Linda is two for two
Review: My only question for Linda is, when is your next book due out? I lost count of the times I "laughed out loud" reading Lobster C's. Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: A great book; not for everybody
Review: My reason for a 3 star rating lies primarily with knowing that this book will not please everyone. Some will love it, while others will loathe it. I feel that this mainly lies with expectation. Some reviewers refer to this book as a novel, while one reviewer even referred to it as a travel-log. I would prefer to include it in the category of a journal, as the basic premise is to present the reader with an idea of what a full season of lobster fishing would be like and then throw in some good stories, which are related but nonetheless could stand on their own. If you keep this in mind and don't expect a plot or deep storyline, then you will find this book enjoyable, at the very least. Although the chronicle of one fishing season is the structure of the book, the main interests in the story are the observations of many of the island residents, what it feels like to live on a very small island with limited resources, and some of the history that the author finds interesting. I walked away knowing a little about the lobster fishing trade, enough about the island that I want to visit, and the feeling that I had been told a few really good stories. So, I would say it is a successful book that some would really like, but only if you enjoy this journal style of writing. I became interested in the book when I watched Linda Greenlaw giving an interview on television. Some have commented on the choppy prose and poor grammer. I did not notice this, as the book was written in the same manner that Linda speaks. All through the book, I could hear her voice telling story after story, which to my way of thinking is the goal of many styles of writing.
Rating:
Summary: As empty as a baitless lobster trap.
Review: Nothing happening on a very small island. Even the lobsters don't seem to cooperate with this author. If the author were not a woman doing a traditional man's job the manuscript for this book would never have made it onto the mail boat. And to frequently say that something "sucks" harldly shows powers of explication for this Colby College graduate.
Rating:
Summary: laughter among the lobsters
Review: Our discussion on Linda Greenlaw's second memoir-type book, was full of laughs. This is in contrast to her first, very serious effort about the death defying Hungry Ocean and being captain of a swordfish boat. Returning home to live on an island of only 70 year-round residents, with 30 being related to Linda, would require humor. She provides daily events which entertain and reveal true Maine island characters. Lobstering is not easy either, but her family and island friends make the long, cold winter an intimate affair. Who wants to attend those community meetings, anyway? Same problem in crowded cities on shore...I am looking forward to Greenlaw's third book, fiction next, I believe?
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