Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievable but true story! Well-written.
Review: I must say that the author captures the essence of the sea, and of the men who live on it, in a way that is fascinatingly mystical and stark and real. Many fault this book for being too intricate in its detail in the first half. I believe you need every bit of information he gives you to fully appreciate the hell that was the storm. Without the author's help, you could never imagine a storm which had reached a meteorogical limit and could not be worse (hence, a "perfect storm"). The second half reads at a lightning pace, as you ride along with the coast guard's rescue teams. The action and suspense of this true story plays out wonderfully over the last hundred pages. I believe this book is every bit as good as Into Thin Air and fans of the genre need to pick this one up.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't bother.
Review: I would like to side with Mr. Rust on the reading of this book. It read as if the author threw together as much information he could gather in two weeks and then pumped out a book filled with a lot of un usefull information. The book did not catch my interest until 2/3 of the way into it when it was telling about the Coast Guard rescue crews. If you feel like you have to read it, buy it used. I threw my copy off the stern of our ship in the Indian Ocean.
Rating: 
Summary: All you wanted to know about swordfishing and storms
Review: The book contains a great description of the economics of swordfishing, followed by a fascinating narrative on how a little bubble in the Atlantic Ocean off the Equator becomes a deadly part of the "Perfect Storm" of the title. How these fit into the lives of the men on board the Andrea Gail makes for a good read and a hope that the author will not be a one-shot sensation.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive
Review: If Mr Rust had bothered two read more than a third of the book perhaps he would have enjoyed it more, or at least put himself in a valid position to review it! The whole point of the story is that nobody except the men who died on the Andrea Gail actually know what happened that journey. Junger's ability to tell their tale whilst missing vital details makes it all the more impressive. The large paragraphs of information concerning aspects of commerical fishing help to round out this tale, including one of the nastiest descriptions of what it must be like to drown. Despite the rather blunt way which the people are portrayed you still end up feeling for them by the end of the book. It's not a straight 'men struggling against the sea' story but it is an involving read.
Rating:
Summary: "Did Not Draw Me In At All"
Review: Junger simply told me what was going on. He did not let me experience the events through the eyes of the crewmen. The characters did not come out as flesh and blood people. Junger also took too much time going into all kinds of historical and technical detail, most of which did not move the story along at all. I finished a third of the book and had no sense of drama, no sense of forboding and no care for the people on board. That's a darn shame!
Rating:
Summary: O. J.'s Review
Review: I enjoyed the book "The Perfect Storm" for many reasons. One example of why I liked it was that in the first half of the book it explained the lifestyle of the fishermen, how their type of fishing was done, the certain fish they were after and the different types of rigging. In the second half, it describes a specific fishing trip in which a fishing vessel and her crew perished in a horrible squall. I really enjoyed this book and would give it a ten on a scale of one to ten. To enjoy this book you would have to be a fisherman or like, and appreciate, fishing.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly gripping true story of a nightmare storm
Review: This book was marvelous! Sebastian Junger has crafted a haunting and brilliant account of the 1991 Halloween Gale in which the Andrea Gail - a Gloucester sword-fishing boat - disappeared. Not only does Mr. Junger capture the emotions and drama of the men and women who risk their lives on the sea, he does an excellent job educating the reader about the sea and the horrific Nor'easter of October 1991. I only hope Hollywood does it even a shred of justice in the movie this summer.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay book - great ending
Review: The first half of the book is not so great. Too slow. Switches time periods too many times. I almost did not finish the book, but kept on reading. Once the storm hits the book picks up and is hard to put down.
Rating: 
Summary: Tried to read,tried to listen,still a long newspaper story
Review: I read this, I listened to it ( read by Stanley Tucchi) YAWN. Besides the lovely picture of the author, I can think of no other reason to read this. It is simply a long newspaper story. This is non fiction? Seems alot of maybes, and could haves fill the story. But then I had just read Angela's Ashes and Tis. After great books like those it was hard to read this 1 dimensional thing. I think the Learning Channel's deadliest job ( crab fishing) was much more interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Another journalist trying to write a coherent book.
Review: I'm sorry, but I am tired of these bestselling nonfiction books that read like a bunch of newspaper articles strung together. Junger has an interesting topic here. But it is marred by a lack of overall theme and by constant digressions into one piece of trivia or another. I found passages in the book to be very entertaining, very interesting, but the whole doesn't stick together. You finish, and you scratch your head. What's the message? How should I think about what I've just read. And you are just blank. Kind of like when you go to a "B" movie. You've been entertained but there's no aftertaste & no thoughtful contemplation of the topic.
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