Rating: 
Summary: Much, much better than the film
Review: It would be hard to do justice to a book as rich as this. The book goes into detail about the lives and backgrounds about all the men on the Andrea Gail, and about the town they set sail from. You also learn a lot more about the rescue jumpers, and the staggering selection process that they go through. And of course, about the harsh fishing industry, and that storm. You will live through every gut-wrenching twist of fate that led up to the tragedy, and the story is told so well, that you will be gripped to the end, even though you know what is going to happen.This reads like "The Longest Day" or "A Bridge Too Far" - the action is interspersed with biographies and character sketches of the main players. The human story is gripping, but I think that it's the quality of the writing, and the balance of the book that makes this so easy to read. I think Junger has a background in magazine writing, so he has a style that is very approachable, and he splits the narrative up into digestible chunks. Then again, anyone can find a human interest story, and write about it in bite-sized pieces. I think the other strength of this book is that Junger really does care about the people that he is writing about. The families of the men on the Andrea Gail were talking about suing the film makers, but I don't think they were unhappy about the way that Junger portrayed their loved ones. He portrays the harshness of their lives, and how hard it is to provide for your loved ones when you depend on nature for your income, without glamourizing it, or slumming it, either. So the reason why I think that you should buy this book is because Sebastian Junger has found a subject that he is passionate about, and he has the ability to communicate this so that you will be passionate about it, too. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I came out of it feeling that I knew the characters and the places involved.
Rating:
Summary: Shocking
Review: This is an absolutely shocking book, but equally compulsive reading at the same time. I just couldn't put it down. The author states at the beginning of the book that he didn't wish to make up conversations and thoughts for the various ill fated men who people his book, and it is this cold and clinical distance that makes the book the riveting tale that is is. But at the same time the thoughts and memories of the people who loved them are touching and sad, and it gives the book an additional depth that it would otherwise have lacked. It is a very cleverly written book, on a topic that you wouldn't think would have universal appeal, but it is a book you should read nonetheless. You won't forget it.
Rating:
Summary: what can you say????
Review: this book was one of the riveting ones, you know, the kind that you really CAN'T put down cos ya really need to know the climax of the story. I love the way junger weaves in a fantastic story of men against the sea with the heartache of their girlfriends, and yet manages to give you enough technical info to keep the book interesting. I'll be watching for Jungers next work, it should be good. This book??? You'll love it, believe me!!
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Book
Review: The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger is a great literary piece because of the author's use of just the right amount of historic fact and thorough descriptions as plot enhancing elements. Sebastian did an amazing amount of research of the events of the so-called "perfect" storm of 1991 and in doing so wrote a thrilling novel. Not only is the story of the famous commercial sword boat, the Andrea Gail, covered but many facts about some of the science of weather, and the Massachusetts area are woven in as well to make this book hard to stop reading. He even mentions facts about the human anatomy at times and deftly ties them in with the story line. What I found most enticing was the fact that this was a true story. Being a sailor, this story had a hold on me from the moment I even heard about it, let alone when I decided to read about it. The fact that such a catastrophe could happen to these fishermen and everyone else caught in the storm was a real shock to the system. Sebastian also shows how fishing could be such an enticing profession; why these men and women risk their lives each trip just to make a living for themselves. The reader can gain a higher level of respect for the actions of the doomed men of the Andrea Gail. Despite its depths and sometimes fatal squalls men are drawn farther and farther out into the sea. Some see an escape from a harsh life on the land while others see the means to put food on the table. Is it more up to these men rather than nature if they make it back home alive? Find out by reading The Perfect Storm.
Rating: 
Summary: Not so perfect
Review: Sebastian Junger is a competent journalist....I have no quarrel with his facts..some of them were even interesting. However I want the books I read for enjoyment to touch my heart...there was none of that here. I found no real kinship with any of the victims, I just didn't know enough about them to care much. This is a jounalistic drama about a storm that could not have been technically worse and the people caught in the middle of it. The story is reconstructed though interviews with survivors, victims families, rescuers and data gathered from the weather service. Should you read it...sure, you will learn about weather patterns and how commercial fishing fleets work, but don't expect tears to well or hair to raise.
Rating:
Summary: I was expecting more
Review: I didn't get what I wanted out of the book. I wanted an adventure story where you really got to know the characters. I also wanted to find out about the commercial fishing industry. I got the latter part I described, but was left without a feeling of emotion. It was like I had just watched a Discovery Channel special about 'The Perfect Storm.' That's not a bad thing if that is what you are looking for, but if you want a serious adventure thriller look at 'Into Thin Air.' Junger uses simple language where you don't need to really focus on what he is saying, but he jumps around a little too much. One highlight that Junger really hits on the head is when he describes what it is like to actually drown. Yes, he describes it with amazing detail.
Rating: 
Summary: the perfect storm
Review: What is the perfect storm? Sebastian Junger answers this in his non-fiction novel, The Perfect Storm. The book tells about one of the most deadly storms that ever occurred in written history. The perfect storm occurred when three different gale storms collide. When this happened they created one gigantic storm with waves over 100 feet tall and winds over 90 miles per hour. This book also tells about the Andrea Gale, fishing boat from Gloucester, Massachusetts, her crew, and what happens to them. In this book the antagonists are the weather and the sea, and the protagonists are the boat and her crew. Although the Andrea Gale is where most of the action occurs there are other interesting stories to the book. The genre in this book is non-fiction and action combined. The author did an excellent job of meeting the requirements of writing an action and non-fiction novel. At every turn of a page there was a fight between characters or stories of other storms. The author did this by making the story as true as possible. The plot and the shifting point of view from the Andrea Gale to other ships in the Atlantic captivated me, but the author did a poor job of coordinating the transitions. The main problem with these transitions was that the author did not explain which boat you were on very thoroughly. An example of this problem is that when the author described a past storm that affected another boat, I thought he was still describing the Andrea Gale. I then had to reread that section to fully understand what was going on. Overall I think it is a great book and is written well except for that one error. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an action packed true story abut men against the sea.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of sound and fury, signifying.....not much!!
Review: Why all the acclaim for The Perfect Storm? Good question! Personally, I came into the books with high hopes (due to numerous excellent reviews and what I thought was a potentially interesting story), but came out seriously disappointed. I thought the book had numerous (and serious) problems, including: 1) an almost total lack of character development (the early parts of the book are almost embarrasingly bad!!) by the author, making it very hard to truly care about the fate of the Andrea Gail's crew; 2) lots of technical jargon which is either not defined at all or inadequately defined at best; 3) the author's annoying, self-conscious, and often cringe-inducing attempts to fit in and be accepted by a community to which he will always be an outsider (this is reflected time and again in his writing); 4) the bottom line fact that the Andrea Gail crew was killed because of two main reasons -- greed, the voracious appetite of consumers for fish (which is why the Andrea Gail was out there in the first place!), and surprise, surprise, overfishing (the "tragedy of the commons", part 279) -- which has basically decimated an entire ecosystem (and not just of swordfish, either) while putting the lives of human beings needlessly at risk; 5) despite heroic attempts by the author to make this storm (and this tragedy) into something unusual or unique, it's actually not -- there are bad (even really nasty) storms all the time, and lots of people have been lost at sea over the years chasing fish, whales, etc., so why is this particular case so "perfect" (answer: it's NOT)?; and 6) the Andrea Gail tragedy was not only nothing extrardinary, it was not even particularly deadly -- there have been many other accidents on land, in the air, and at sea which have claimed many more lives than in this "Perfect Storm". All in all, "The Perfect Storm" can be described as a lot of sound and fury (and waves and wind) signifying...not much!!! So why is this book so popular? I don't know for sure, but I suspect that there are a lot of bored, frustrated yuppies/lawyers/"IT" professionals in our "techno-economy" looking for some real, physical challenges/adventures. Also, there are many books, music, television shows, movies, etc. that turn out to be popular, even though their quality level is not particularly high, so go figure! How does a mediocre or even bad song, movie, or book, end up being more popular than a far better (higher quality/stronger) song, movie, book, or other work or art? Dumb luck? Marketing muscle? Playing to the mass audience's watered-down standards? Whatever the reason, there are lots of better books about the sea (how about anything by Rachel Carson or Jacques Cousteau?), man's struggle with the elements (see my review of "Bad Land", or how about "The Grapes of Wrath" or "The Good Earth," for instance), etc., than this one, so don't waste your time or money!
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Storm
Review: A great read. Don't be put off my the movie and its special effects hype, that should not be, nor is the essence of this book. The perfect storm, as it has been written, is not only a story, but a real education in many respects. From whether systems, to oceanography, to U.S. mechanisms do deal with maritime emergencies, to offshore commercial fishing, to the history of Northeastern fishing grouds, to insights into the lives of men (and women) of the sea; this reveals and array of subject matter and subcultures unfamilar to most people in our society. Pardon me for saying so ladies, but this is a book every man should read. Junger does a superb job presenting this story. His voice and stytle perfectly suited for its subject matter. In short, Earnest Hemingway would be captivated.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully written, utterly tragic
Review: The great stories of men at sea are almost always tragic; the stories of the brave men that go to sea in Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm are no exceptions. Almost every one of his stories ends on a melancholic note of some sort. Sebastian Junger introduces the novice to the Grand Banks and its indifference to humanity, providing in-depth information on the hardships of a difficult life in the fishing industry. The novel follows the lives of fishermen from the pioneers of the Grand Banks to the present-day fishermen who risk their lives each time they set-off to North America's fishing grounds. The novel is an excellent read for anyone interested in fishing and marine stories.
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