Rating: 
Summary: I definitely could have skipped this one!
Review: I must be the only person on earth who didn't love this book! I bought it because of the wonderful reviews and was very disappointed. At no time when I was reading this book did I feel compelled to finish it. I kept reading only because I felt that it had to get better - all of those reviews I read couldn't be so wrong. It was hard to determine the subject of the book. I thought the book was about the Andrea Gail in the "perfect storm" but the focus didn't seem to be on the boat or the people or even thr storm itself. It's as if it just kept drifting along without much direction. The only exciting and interesting part was the scene in which the pararescue jumpers save people - a scene which has nothing to do with the Andrea Gail. I did learn a bit about the life of fishermen, something I knew nothing about. Photographs or labelled diagrams of the vessel would have been helpful to those of us unfamiliar with sailing terms. It's hard for me to believe I disagree with so many other readers but I definitely did not find this a "white-knuckle adventure" as one literary critic stated.
Rating: 
Summary: Explanation Overides Story
Review: This was not the "white-knuckle adventure" the jacket copy described. The author felt compelled to name and explain too many nautical details. Perhaps, if one has had training in the navy, a maritime academy, or on a fishing vessel, THE PERFECT STORM would be sensible--even exciting. However, I found myself (a true landlubber) silently screaming at Mr. Junger to just get on with it and to forget his esoteric descriptions. In short, this book was cast out to sea long before I completed it.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't wait to put this book down.
Review: If it wasn't for the section describing the Navy rescue attempt, this book would not have been worth reading. This book has been unjustly compared with "Into Thin Air," which was an exciting, eye-witness description of the events on Mount Everest. In 'The Perfect Storm,'the descriptions of what *may* have happened on the Andrea Gail were, at best, fictional. The author should have focused the story on one of the activities of one of the other boats in the hurricane. I would not give this book even a one-star rating if there was an option.
Rating: 
Summary: I still haven't eaten swordfish!!
Review: I am amazed that this is Junger's first book. It is extremely well-written, and relentless in its march toward doom. It is also hard to believe that the people of Gloucester opened up to him the way that they did. I haven't slept well since I finished it, and still don't crave sword fish!!
Rating:
Summary: A great read, even for a landlubber!
Review: The best piece of "faction" I've read in a long time: "The Perfect Storm" is an (almost) perfect account of what's going on onboard ship during the mother of all gales. Even though the book is slightly overloaded with technical detail, it's still absolutely rivetting. My only criticism is this: why didn't the editors provide a glossary for all the frequently used technical lingo and a more precise map of the area off the US east coast as well as a drawing of a sword boat like the Andrea Gail. Landlubbers like me would have been extremely grateful for this!
Rating: 
Summary: A triumph of nautical truth.
Review: Anyone who has ever eaten fish should read this book! Seriously, though, "The Perfect Storm" is an outstanding and more importantly TRUE story of the men and women who forge their livings from the sea as fishermen. Technical enough for the experienced to enjoy but not so much that the layperson is lost. Understandable descriptions of everything from the boats themselves to wave dynamics and physics. The best book I have read in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: A Fast, Gripping Read
Review: It's been a full year since I read "The Perfect Storm," but its impact is still very fresh. Anyone who's ever had the misfortune (or "fortune," depending on your seamanship and attitude)of being caught in a squall or monster Noreaster on the open sea will appreciate Junger's gripping account of souls lost on the turbulent Atlantic. I personally can take up to five months reading a book, but this one was finished in under a week (others have told me three days was all it took them). From very early in the first chapter you become immersed in the art of swordfishing: its rewards, its hardened, risk-packed lifestyle ("there's countless ways to 'buy it' on a sword boat"), and most importantly, the unique personality of those disciplined in the trade (and one might simply sum that up in one word: insane). One of the more intriguing facts about this book is how an outsider--and a very fresh, young author--like Junger softly penetrated a fairly private fishing community like Gloucester, Massachussetts to uncover such an incredible tale at Sea. The details of the lives that were lost in the Perfect Storm of '92 are spellbinding, and we receive their account through the eyes of the family and friends they left behind. Junger is not one of them, which benefits the reader in receiving a hard and objective look at the hardened lifestyle of a swordfisherman, the perils at sea, and death by drowning. If you find a good portion of your week is devoted to watching the Weather Channel, the science behind this colossal force of nature and the anatomy of a 100 foot "Rogue Wave" will keep you reading til two in the morning. My only criticism of this book is that it kept me wide awake the night after I finished it, still haunted by the account of the child of one of the lost, who cheerfully retold how his deceased father had visited him and explained all that happened that fateful night. Just plain creepy. Read this book. Now.
Rating:
Summary: Ever been caught in a storm?
Review: If you've ever boated or fished for a reasonable amount of time, undoubtedly you have been caught in storm that you'd wish you weren't. And if fog accompanies the storm, the terror that you experience can only be minor to what these fishermen and rescue squads must have experienced. Having grown up on Cape Cod, I know fishermen who have had friends and relatives that have died at sea. Now I travel to Gloucester and know the layout of the town. The Perfect Storm is quite accurate in its descriptions; my name even appears in the book and Mark Simonitsch (pg. 85) is from my home town. But the true thrust of the book is not so much to prove technical accuracy as some readers have criticized, but to give the average layman (and landlubber) an idea of what these men must have experienced. To those that are able and really want to know what the author is trying to inspire, the next time a hurricane hits the east coast, go to Gloucester or the Cape (Cod) and stand as close to the water as you dare during the full fury of the storm. Then double what you are experiencing in terms of wind speed and try to imagine what a 100 foot wave would look like; the book will then be put into perspective!
Rating:
Summary: A hard boring read
Review: I purchased this book because of the many positive reviews. However, I just couldn't make it through the whole book - it was just so plodding and dull that I couldn't force myself to finish it. I finally started skipping ahead to see if I could find an interesting part. I also thought I would like the book because, in my past, I worked on small boats offshore. But the book and I just never connected.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating subject matter, but slow to build
Review: My interest was peaked when I heard an NPR interview with Mr. Junger. The story was riveting and I rushed out to buy the book. Though I wasn't disappointed, there are some changes and additions to the book that would make it an easier and smoother read. The only diagram was a hand-drawn map of the affected area. It would have been much more informative to have diagrams and/or pictures to further explain the more technical aspects. Also, photos of the people, town, and boats (if available) would have helped personalize the story.
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