Rating: 
Summary: Good writing and with lots of detail.
Review: This book is both a report and a novel---an intelligent, meticulously researched, well organized, mix of fact and story. It is skillfully written and filled with facinating details. You should come away from it with an increased respect for the ocean, for those who risk their lives there, and for the loved ones at home who wait and worry. You'll also be made to think about the difficult task of interviewing the friends and family of those lost at sea. The book is about fishing and sailing, military sea rescues and bad weather. Now and then I hear someone complain that the book is too technical. Be warned that each of these fields has to some degree its own lexicon, and that the author realizes the need in such a book to use some words, and to describe some things, with which the average reader might not be familiar. If you're not a pilot, or a sailor, and you're not ready to learn a few new words and ideas, read something else. The Perfect Storm is an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent story, character study, and very informative
Review: I learned a lot reading this book. For any sailor who has been in smaller storms and felt the power of the sea, it's not hard to picture the terror of a truly big storm. The author weaves several threads to create this story. I thought he was realistic in his description of the hard lives of the fishermen (and women). He tells it like it is, while showing respect for them and the people they love. They're not perfect people, just real people taking great risks to make a decent living. The book teaches you a lot about meteorology, the history of the fishing industry, the boats and technology used, and the geography of the area. At its core, though, it's still a story about people, and the courage of all these sailors and their rescuers is very real. It was a challenge to describe in fair detail an event that had no first-hand witnesses except those directly involved, but he painted a very clear picture through similar stories and logical inferences. I recommend the book highly. Mr. Junger's first novel makes you look forward to many more.
Rating: 
Summary: Not like the film, thankfully
Review: Please disregard all those "reviews" by teenagers and grade schoolers that describe the book by recounting the movie. They are two separate things. Also, dismiss any reviews that COMPLAIN because the book isn't like the movie. Why should it be? The movie was a fictionalized account *based* on the book, and the book is a fact-based piecing together of what *most likely* happened to the Andrea Gail in October 1991, when it was caught in a huge storm in the North Atlantic and was never heard from again. Junger uses accounts from other fishermen and sailors, as well as pararescue jumpers (PJ's), Coast Guardsmen and Air National Guardsmen, to paint a vivid picture of what it's like to be caught in a storm that may occur once every hundred years. We don't actually know what became of Tyne and the rest of the crew, but this book gives the best, most-informed guess. For anyone who IS a sailor and has been caught in dangerous weather, this tale is chilling and relevant. For you Mark Wahlberg and George Clooney fans, go rent the film again and don't bother with the book...although i found them both to be entertaining in very different ways. (For the record, I read the book after having watched the movie) Great literature it ain't, but a fast and gripping read, it most definitely is. Some great chapters include the details on the PJ's, what it must be like to drown, and the rescue of the four air guardsmen who had to ditch their helicopter. Bravery and courage exemplified...
Rating:
Summary: 5-Star Docudrama Packs a Powerful Punch
Review: As a published nonfiction author, I'm giving 5 stars to this highly publicized docudrama adventure - an emotional ride through "meteorological hell" on a 72-foot swordfish boat dragging 40 miles of fishing line through 100-foot waves in the "perfect" storm (a nor'easter that "could not possibly have been worse"). This true story delivers the powerful synergy of a combination of elements in perfect balance: high-seas drama that slams your emotions like the rogue wave that explodes windows in the wheelhouse...fresh imagery that draws you in and puts you helplessly amid the crashing waves and hurricane winds on the boat...and fascinating facts about storms, wave dynamics, fishing techniques, and much more. Author Sebastian Junger, a journalist by trade, combines these various elements in a well-crafted story of lives affected forever by a series of decisions by 6 fishermen in the town of Gloucester, Maine. "The Perfect Storm," in a nutshell, is the story of a freak conjunction of weather systems that produced the most powerful storm of the 20th century off the coast of northern New England in October, 1991. Caught in this maelstrom is a swordfishing fleet, in particular the Andrea Gail and its 6-man crew. Building up to the frightening climax is the story of a fishing town, its people and culture, and the perils of daily life on board commercial fishing boats (generally acknowledged as the most dangerous profession). Yet it is also a story of how personal assumptions and decisions determine who will live to fish another day. Unlike the trite, cardboard characters of many a fiction adventure, the real men and women who experienced this almost inconceivable storm come alive through Junger's careful and respectful representation of the facts. We get to know the tightly bonded folks at the Crow's Nest bar, where fishermen sometimes spend thousands of dollars of hard-earned wages in one night buying drinks for their friends. We get inside the lives of fishermen and their families, lives that would soon be forced to change in ways they always dreaded but never thought would happen to them. And we discover the misgivings and premonitions of crew members when the time came to load the Andrea Gail and head for one last run, ominously late in the season - warnings to which some listened, but others didn't. As the story unfolds, we learn more than we ever thought we wanted to know about meteorology...dynamics of waves traveling across thousands of miles of ocean ("forty-five-foot breaking waves are much more destructive than rolling swells twice that size")...the rare monster rogue wave ("avalanches over the decks and buries the Andrea Gail under tons of water")...hard-learned techniques for finding and catching swordfish (a hook "can whiplash over the rail and snag people in all kinds of horrible ways" and "if it catches some part of the baiter's body or clothing, he goes over the side with it")...the economics of a competitive fishing industry that could force them to dump a month's worth of catch over the side...and open sea rescue procedures even more dangerous to the rescuers than the stranded crew. Perhaps the most fascinating discussion explores the physiological and psychological reactions of a human drowning at sea - when the body's natural reflexes kick in and panic is "mixed with an odd incredulity that this is actually happening...'So this is how my life finally ends.'" Junger did a fine job of research and intelligent writing, skills gained from years of writing articles for such publications as Outside Magazine, American Heritage, and Men's Journal. His prose style is clean, highly readable, fresh, and full of vivid imagery: "There's a certain amount of denial in swordfishing. The boats claw through a lot of bad weather, and the crews generally just batten down the hatches, turn on the VCR, and put their faith in the tensile strength of steel. Still, every man on a sword boat knows there are waves out there that can crack them open like a coconut." Junger is faithful to the facts and avoids the usual writer's conceit of embellishing a story with assumptions about what characters said and did. Instead, he wanted to "step back and let the story speak for itself." As a result, we learn the facts Junger was able to gather through interviews and research, as well as how other fishermen described their similar near-death experiences, and our imagination takes over. Even with so much detail - or perhaps because of it - we discover our emotions and fears swelling in proportion to the worsening storm, ever more gigantic waves, and gale-force winds. By the end, we have made and lost friends, vicariously gained a heightened fear and respect for the immense power of the ocean, and retained the indelible imprint on our psyche of this amazing drama. Readers of "The Perfect Storm" will discover a personal impact that establishes a new watermark for high seas drama and adventure. Read the book. Experience the movie on a big screen when it comes out at the end of June. Then listen to your own premonitions to avoid being on any boat....in any storm....far out in the ocean...with nothing to do but wait helplessly for the next rogue wave to overtake you. - - - - - - - - - Roy D. Varner, of The Woodlands, Texas, is a professional writer and author of "A Matter of Risk," the true story of the CIA's Hughes Glomar Explorer covert mission to raise a sunken Russian nuclear submarine.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally compelling read; interesting science
Review: This is an exceptional piece of non-fiction that I couldn't put down. The book works on several levels--the multi-faceted story is compelling and the science behind the weather and events that unfold, fascinating. Junger keeps coming with page after page of interesting perspectives and keen observations. For example, when describing the logistical difficulty in jumping from a helicopter into a storm tossed ocean. (Jump at the wrong moment missing the crest of a wave, and you fall 80 additional feet through the air to its base). The interviews and science behind the events add another layer to the storyline. One of my "Top 20" favorite books. The writing here is first rate, and the investigative journalism as good as it gets. As must read for folks who enjoy the kind of reporting found weekly in the New Yorker. Another similar tale of equal excitement is "Isaac's Storm," about the hurricane that struck Galveston in 1900 killing 6 to 8,000 people.
Rating:
Summary: Vivid and moving
Review: Very detailed and moving account of the sinking of a ship off the coast of Massachusetts. Paints a very clear picture of the power and unpredictability of the sea and the weather, and what options humans have when they become caught in it. Occasionally overdid the technical information, but overall, a very vivid and good book.
Rating:
Summary: Even if you've seen the movie, read the book!
Review: Sebastian Junger is a remarkable journalist as can you clearly see in the depth of his research and the precision of his prose. He's also a very gifted storyteller, and he has chosen a particularly compelling subject. This is a book about the "perfect storm", an unprecedented collision of meteorological conditions that created a cataclysmic storm in the north Atlantic in October of 1991. The book actually consists of several different incidents that took place during the storm. The most compelling is the story of the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing boat that disappeared in the storm. The exact details of the vessel's end can't be known with certainty, but Junger does a remarkable job of weaving together the most likely scenario from his research about the crew, the history of the vessel and the experience of other ships in the region. He has even researched death by drowning, and he portrays a moving picture of the crew's probable last moments. The other parts of the book are equally remarkable. You will be particularly impressed with the bravery and heroism of the Air National Guard.
Rating: 
Summary: odd structure
Review: In October 1991, meteorological conditions combined to create the worst nor'easter of the Century--"the Perfect Storm". Junger tells the exciting story of those who faced the fury of that storm at sea and of the men who tried to rescue them. The book is genuinely thrilling, as the reader gets caught up in the various survival struggles and rescue attempts. Throughout the book, Junger regales us with tales of storms past & explains the physics of the storm & the Sea. All of this is wonderful. However, I have one major complaint with the structure of the book. He has built the story around the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat out of Gloucester, MA, & her crew of six. But as he tells us in the opening section of the book, the crewman are basically drunken louts who work the boats because those are the jobs available to them. They go to sea to make enough money to fuel the lives of dissipation they lead ashore. They just aren't very interesting people. Moreover, the Andrea Gail, as we know early on, was lost with all hands, so Junger is forced to imagine what may have happened to them. This leads to an abundance of "they must"s & "inevitably"s & "one imagine"s. It's pretty unsatisfactory. Meanwhile, the pararescue jumpers (rescue divers) & the Coast Guard & Navy helicopter crews are genuinely fascinating. Their dedication to their dangerous work is wondrous to behold and their feats of heroism are amazing. Yet they are shunted to the side in the book & we are left wanting to know more about them & their work. Now I know that other folks I've talked to have not been much bothered by this & I still enjoyed the book very much, so I wouldn't let this criticism deter you from reading it. It just bugged me. GRADE: B-
Rating:
Summary: Not like the film, thankfully
Review: Please disregard all those "reviews" by teenagers and grade schoolers that describe the book by recounting the movie. They are two separate things. Also, dismiss any reviews that COMPLAIN because the book isn't like the movie. Why should it be? The movie was a fictionalized account *based* on the book, and the book is a fact-based piecing together of what *most likely* happened to the Andrea Gail in October 1991, when it was caught in a huge storm in the North Atlantic and was never heard from again. Junger uses accounts from other fishermen and sailors, as well as pararescue jumpers (PJ's), Coast Guardsmen and Air National Guardsmen, to paint a vivid picture of what it's like to be caught in a storm that may occur once every hundred years. We don't actually know what became of Tyne and the rest of the crew, but this book gives the best, most-informed guess. For anyone who IS a sailor and has been caught in dangerous weather, this tale is chilling and relevant. For you Mark Wahlberg and George Clooney fans, go rent the film again and don't bother with the book...although i found them both to be entertaining in very different ways. (For the record, I read the book after having watched the movie) Great literature it ain't, but a fast and gripping read, it most definitely is. Some great chapters include the details on the PJ's, what it must be like to drown, and the rescue of the four air guardsmen who had to ditch their helicopter. Bravery and courage exemplified...
Rating:
Summary: A long, but gripping tale
Review: The Perfect Storm is a fascinating true tale of one tragic journey of the commercial fishing boat, the Andrea Gail, which sunk during the "storm of the century." In this story, Sebastian Junger presents the reader with a gripping, personal tale of those aboard the ship, as well as providing a good look into the technical and historical aspects of commercial fishing in the United States. From modern navigation systems to accounts of drowning, this book provides the reader insight into one of the country's most dangerous professions. The only complaint I could make is that the stories of other ships inserted at the end are superfluous to the central plot. However, these accounts too are interesting to anyone who possesses an interest in things nautical.
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