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Rating: 
Summary: Impressive
Review: An anorexic woman whines her way across the Atlantic and Med. No sense of adventure or accomplishment to the feat - just an endless litany of angst and self-doubt laced with an empty, transparent pseudofeminism. Not really a book about a sailing adventure at all. In fact, if someone in your life is interested in sailing and you would like to discourage them - give them this book!
Rating:
Summary: Honest sailing
Review: As a sailor with many of the same experiences as Lydia, I hung on almost every one of her words. I thoroughly enjoyed "Sonnet" and was surprised to read the cutting reviews at Amazon.I could not put the book down for the wonderment of what would come her way next and to see how she dealt with the problems of people living in close proximity in a small and sometimes stressful space. Having sailed (almost) across the Pacific as part of a Russian crew (all men; myself an Alaskan woman) and having sailed with many different folks while skippering my 33 ft sailboat, I could relate well with how cruising life was portrayed on Sonnet. I also enjoyed the book because I could relate to Lydia's crewmate Skyli and her knowledge of marine engines. I have had one too many strange looks and comments from people when they see me working on my Volvo Penta. I find it ironic that college-educated women are not "supposed" to know how to repair engines, yet many of the people who do, barely make it out of high school. In "Sonnet", the stories of Skyli's engine expertese were refreshing. Lydia too, has inspired me to try to publish a journal of my own difficult crossing. The fact that Lydia in "Sonnet" was totally honest with her feelings and observations was fine with this reader!
Rating:
Summary: A Deep and Personal Journey
Review: As a woman who has crossed the Atlantic Ocean, Bird's book was a superb actualization of what I had experienced my self. In fact prior to my journey across the ocean I was seeking out a woman's voice which shared the interpersonal challenges of crossing an ocean. Bird's book depicts the clarity and raw emotions of such a journey. I resonated with her experience and truly appreciated the vulnerability with which she wrote and shared her story. I have found no other woman writer to provide this personal experience. Most write about provisioning, standing watches; the how tos of ocean crossings. Bird brings much more of the voyage to life. I highly recommend this book to people who want a personal account of sailing single-handed.
Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring
Review: I found this book inspiring because I'm a single woman saving up to buy a small sailboat. Another good book about a woman sailing alone is "Maiden Voyage," by Tania Abei (sp?). It's interesting that both Lydia and Tania had tangled relationships with their parents and wrestle so much with self-doubt, but they both prove how strong, brave, and resilient they are. It's as though, because of their neurotic parents, they have to do this incredible thing (sailing alone) to convince themselves (and their parents?) that they have worth. I think that's probably why I want to do it, too -- if anyone (including yourself!!!) questions your worth, courage, skill, etc., all you have to say is, "I sailed across the sea alone." I found her voyage fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: Not just another sailing book
Review: Lydia Bird's story of her Atlantic crossing solo on her 42' sailboat Sonnet and her trip from the Azores to Greece with crew is well written and intriguing. This is not just another "how to" book about boating, but rather a psychological tale that is almost embarrassingly personal. Indeed it was too personal for my taste although I admit to finding it all interesting and well written. I felt like a voyeur at times reading a secret diary I had found unlocked. Lydia (I call her "Lydia" because by the end of the book you feel like you know her so well) also says some very personal and painful things about her family, her friends and their mates. Was such honesty really necessary? Hmmm...I wonder.
As a boater I found especially interesting that Lydia writes in detail about engine problems and hassles docking and undocking her boat, which in fact is what many of us sailors struggle with most. I found it refreshing that someone has written about the angst involved in these seemingly trivial events. In fact there's nothing quite so hair-raising as maneuvering around windswept docks in a sailboat, trying to get the thing into the slip without smashing something, while the engine threatens to stall. Most sailors have been there, trust me, but no else describes it like Lydia does. Lydia manages to capture the pathos and bathos of these sorts of situations.
And in my opinion her poetry is pretty good.
Rating: 
Summary: Sonnet
Review: Ms. Bird provides an interesting and, at times, exciting account of her sea adventures. The unexplained nautical terms and somewhat convoluted story structure made this reader rush forward to finish the book and hopefully find the "punch-line." I was disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Whiny? No way!
Review: This is one of the few books I could stand to read on this subject. Im so sick of reading storys about the "reluctant mate", and so happily read this book about a wife who wants to go more than her husband wants to go. ( I guess because I idnetify with it) It shows you to, that sialing away doesnt sail away from your problems - she has all the same issues out there on the water and with other crew mates as she would at home. The whole story was very entertaining...I hope I can do what shes done someday- either by myself, or dragging my husband aboard. It was soo soo good to read about a STRONG COMPETANT female sailor for a change! I hope she writes more!
Rating:
Summary: Whiny? No way!
Review: This is one of the few books I could stand to read on this subject. Im so sick of reading storys about the "reluctant mate", and so happily read this book about a wife who wants to go more than her husband wants to go. ( I guess because I idnetify with it) It shows you to, that sialing away doesnt sail away from your problems - she has all the same issues out there on the water and with other crew mates as she would at home. The whole story was very entertaining...I hope I can do what shes done someday- either by myself, or dragging my husband aboard. It was soo soo good to read about a STRONG COMPETANT female sailor for a change! I hope she writes more!
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