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Summary: Well done Ann Vanderhoof
Review: Each time I picked up this book I felt my blood pressure drop and stress release. I have no nautical background, but I found even the most technical aspects of sailing most interesting. In the style of "Like Water for Chocolate," this book mingles great storytelling with fascinating cultures and regional cuisines. Can't wait to read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Introducing what so many nauctical stories leave out.
Review: First, this is not Mr. Junger's, "Perfect Storm" the epic of battling one of the worst storms in history or even similar to the "Dove" in which Robin L Graham sails singlehanded around the world. This is simply a book recounting the events of a couple who have done what many of us dream about...leaving the fast paced world behind for awhile and adapting to the world they enter. I appreciate that it was Ann that wrote it as she shows her fears of overnight passages and weather reports. She not only talks about great food but gives so many receipes that it will take us all awhile to try them. Overall, I appreciate this book mostly because Ann and her husband Steve didn't try to change those they came in contact with to what they were used to but rather adapted or more likely adopted the lifestyle of those around them. So many times when people travel to get away they bring everything with them they are trying to rid themselves of. Ann and Steve tried the local food, socialized with the local people and were ultimately courteous and thoughtful. Thank you!
Rating:
Summary: Introducing what so many nauctical stories leave out.
Review: First, this is not Mr. Junger's, "Perfect Storm" the epic of battling one of the worst storms in history or even similar to the "Dove" in which Robin L Graham sails singlehanded around the world. This is simply a book recounting the events of a couple who have done what many of us dream about...leaving the fast paced world behind for awhile and adapting to the world they enter. I appreciate that it was Ann that wrote it as she shows her fears of overnight passages and weather reports. She not only talks about great food but gives so many receipes that it will take us all awhile to try them. Overall, I appreciate this book mostly because Ann and her husband Steve didn't try to change those they came in contact with to what they were used to but rather adapted or more likely adopted the lifestyle of those around them. So many times when people travel to get away they bring everything with them they are trying to rid themselves of. Ann and Steve tried the local food, socialized with the local people and were ultimately courteous and thoughtful. Thank you!
Rating: 
Summary: You'll want to savor every page of this enchanting book!
Review: For the stressed out and winter-weary comes this transporting memoir that will appeal directly to escapist fantasies about leaving the work world behind and taking up residence in the nearest tropical locale. In AN EMBARRASSMENT OF MANGOES, the author and her husband do just that, and this enchanting, sun-drenched book intimately chronicles their life-changing two-year odyssey around the Caribbean aboard their sailboat Receta. Prior to the trip, Ann and Steve Vanderhoof were driven, forty-something professionals whose lives were dominated by demanding careers and a seemingly endless string of deadlines. This, coupled with their increasing weariness of harsh Toronto winters, made them long for a different way of life --- one that was far removed from overstuffed day timers and driveways that needed shoveling. Their escape fantasy began to form into a full-fledged action plan of penny pinching and preparation that eventually enabled them to live out their dream. After setting sail, the cruising life quickly seduces them as they discover the pleasures of living one day at a time and basking in simple delights such as fiery sunsets, freshly caught seafood and ice cold Presidente beers. But life onboard the boat isn't always smooth sailing as new challenges quickly take the place of old workaday worries: Tropical storms, perilous ocean crossings, the frequent threat of hurricanes and the daily struggle of living in tiny quarters with another human being for months on end are just a few of the trip's hazards. Nonetheless, the trade-off in exchange for a whole new way of life proves to be more than worth it. During their two-year voyage of discovery, the Vanderhoofs cover 7,000 nautical miles and explore forty-seven Caribbean islands, stretching from the Bahamas to as far south as Grenada. More than just tourists, they immerse themselves in the hypnotic rhythms of Caribbean life and culture, befriending the locals and soaking up the distinct music, flavors and essence of each port of call. Vanderhoof's particular passion for cooking infuses the text with a cacophony of delicious tastes and smells from the savory island dishes that she and her husband encounter, many of which she recreates in the ship's tiny galley using a variety of indigenous local ingredients discovered along the way. Peppered throughout the book are the results of her culinary explorations in the form of authentic, mouth-watering recipes for local specialties such as Bahamian cracked conch and West Indian rum punch. In addition to the gastronomic pleasures offered up, the profusion of sights, sounds and colors that leap from the page provide a veritable feast for the senses as well. Indeed, the book's biggest strength lies in Vanderhoof's extraordinary powers of description and her ability to make us feel as though we, too, are there. Under the spell of her ripe, evocative prose we can easily call to mind the heady perfume of mangoes in a marketplace, the sweet taste of fresh coconut milk on a hot day, and the dazzling colors of a Caribbean sunset streaked against a turquoise horizon. Interwoven with the sensuous depictions of lush scenery are the author's richly textured portraits of the colorful island inhabitants and fascinating snippets of local lore. Each of the islands has a distinct and varied personality, which Vanderhoof captures with beautiful lucidity. She uses this same keen blend of awareness and insight to chronicle the transformations that she and her husband undergo during the journey. As they overcome challenges, gain new skills and face their fears, their nervousness gives way to confidence and they grow in ways that they never could have imagined back home. In fully giving themselves over to a new way of life, their voyage becomes as much one of personal discovery as one of cultural and culinary adventure. This winning combination is what makes this island-by-island, meal-by-meal guide to the Caribbean so delicious to savor. --- Reviewed by Joni Rendon
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Summary: Warms those cold nights!
Review: Having just returned from the Caribbean, this book was like a return visit. Sitting up here in upstate New York, where snow is measured in feet rather than inches, I savoured every page of this book. Ms. Vanderhood has an uncanny ability to make you feel like you are there among those wonderful island people. She really brought them and all of quirky differences between islands to life. Sometimes I actually felt I was right there on the sailboat with them and could feel the waves rocking us back and forth. For anyone who loves the Caribbean, or for that matter, anyone whose ever wanted to chuck it all and sail away --this book is for you!
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Summary: Good for Non-Sailors Too!
Review: I am not much of a sailor and, in fact, spent my last sailboat ride hanging over the edge chumming for fish, so why did I read this book? Ann Vanderhoof's wonderful story was so well written and so descriptive I couldn't put it down. The pure adventure of it all, the people and the FOOD are fabulous. I also thought including the recipes was a great idea. After all, who doesn't want the recipe when they read about something that sounds so delicious? Thank you, Ann, for making sailing sound so lovely. I just wish I had better sea legs!!
Rating:
Summary: Good for Non-Sailors Too!
Review: I don't write a lot of reviews, but thought this book deserved more attention. Since reading it, after American Airlines thought enough of it to include excerpts in their magazine, I was intrigued by the stories of the islands, the people, the culture, the food and sailing the Caribbean (good weather and bad). First off, I love to travel to off-the-beaten path countries and I love to cook (and eat!) different cuisines. This book is perfect if you have these interests. It doesn't hurt that the author is a travel writer, but this is much more than a travelogue or cookbook. I don't like fiction so much, thus this is perfect non-fiction. Ann could not have possibly made up more interesting stories about the people and conducting life on the islands and the boat. I now have a yearning to visit Grenada, Trinidad and some of the other colorful islands. The author must have been concerned she was going to make Grenada more popular, but it probably was well on its way before her book. Good luck Ann! Thanks for sharing your adventure. Your storytelling and descriptive style paints a warm picture of wonderful people and places.
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Summary: I am off to Grenada!!!!
Review: I don't write a lot of reviews, but thought this book deserved more attention. Since reading it, after American Airlines thought enough of it to include excerpts in their magazine, I was intrigued by the stories of the islands, the people, the culture, the food and sailing the Caribbean (good weather and bad). First off, I love to travel to off-the-beaten path countries and I love to cook (and eat!) different cuisines. This book is perfect if you have these interests. It doesn't hurt that the author is a travel writer, but this is much more than a travelogue or cookbook. I don't like fiction so much, thus this is perfect non-fiction. Ann could not have possibly made up more interesting stories about the people and conducting life on the islands and the boat. I now have a yearning to visit Grenada, Trinidad and some of the other colorful islands. The author must have been concerned she was going to make Grenada more popular, but it probably was well on its way before her book. Good luck Ann! Thanks for sharing your adventure. Your storytelling and descriptive style paints a warm picture of wonderful people and places.
Rating:
Summary: What a great story!
Review: I must admit, I am a bit of a dreamer... Who hasn't dreamt of doing what Ann and Steve did? I lived vicariously through them with this book. It is a touching story of the people living in the islands they visited. Really grabbed me. Having lived in the Caribbean, her stories of the places they visited brought back fond memories of fantastic cultures. And how touching that they got to know the locals and step into their life. This is a wonderful book which I highly recommend to anyone dreaming of sailing to the caribbean, or someone actually doing it. It is a helpful guide and a wonderful story inviting the reader into their lives. GREAT BOOK!
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Summary: A Great Vacation Read!!!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I read it on a recent beach vacation in the Caribbean. It is a very entertaining tale of a couple that did what most of us only dream of. They made a plan to take a two year sabbatical and sail from their home in Toronto to the Caribbean and back. The book tells of their challenges and joys in living and traveling on their sailboat, of their discovery of the cultures, peoples, and foods of the Caribbean, and how the journey changed them forever. Interspersed with the story are the writer's recipes she discovered as she traveled. I can't wait to try them!
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