Rating: Summary: Great Reading - Get ready for two days Review: This is a great book to escape into for a weekend(2-3 days).A fairly richly detailed reconstruction of a real event, the author takes you through the preparations of a final voyage, the voyage and the significant peripheral events which surround it. A stunning description of life on the high seas (literally and figuratively), if you want real-life action, this is the next best thing. Having said all of that, however, there are some problems with the author's writing style which can be overlooked but would have enhanced the story that much more. In all, a wise investment for your entertainment dollar. Forgo one sub-par movie this summer and get this book.
Rating: Summary: Remarkable Review: I picked up the book after seeing a part of it in Outside magazine. I was not disappointed. Sebastian Junger's portrait of the fishing industry from history to present day life of the people who live it moved me to appreciate a segment of America that before I never gave much thought. When we landlubbers breath a sigh of relief when I storm "heads out to sea" we are wrong to assume that all will be well. This book opened my eyes. I wished only that there were more diagrams. I must have flipped back to the single one at least 20 times to get my bearings as the story unfolded. I could read it again to fully appreciate the character descriptions early in the book because as the drama unfolds you feel at one with the characters and their families. No fiction here!
Rating: Summary: Fantastically researched and hauntingly written Review: Sebastian Junger puts you right where you don't want be in this reconstruction of the storm that no-one could believe had happened. For a first time novelist it is a superb effort and an absolute must for anyone remotely interested in fishing, or the oceans.
Rating: Summary: A Watery Snoozefest Review: Following a trip to the top of Everest in "Into Thin Air," I immediately plunged right into "Perfect Storm," naively expecting the same kind of drama. How wrong I was. Like many other reviewers listed here, I found the author's annoying attention to technical detail to be very distracting from the story at hand. And many times, I forgot which boat I was on, who owned it and why we were being asked to care about it. All in all, a major disappointment. Better luck next time.
Rating: Summary: fascinating & engrossing reading-a real page turner Review: The author manages to give an intimate look into the lives of the men that perished & the people who were involved with them. The book is filled with interesting & little-known facts about weather, professional fishing & rescues @ sea. I couldn't put it down & have given the book to several people; all of whom have been as impressed as I.
Rating: Summary: A wonderful, exciting story! Review: I cannot believe that a book about a storm could be so riveting! I could not put this book down. I did not expect to even like it, much less love it as much as I did. I felt like I knew the characters, and surprisingly, understood most of the meteorologic discussion. I will recommend this book to everyone.
Rating: Summary: Excellent investigative reporting, research Review: Junger--a journalist--paints an engrossing and vivid picture of a subject he freely admits knowing little about (as do most reporters first setting out to cover a fresh story). Kudos to him for tackeling a huge fact-finding task involving commercial fishing, meterology, boating history, and geography! And by combining this vivid research with a grounded supposition of the crew's fate, he put me too on that sinking boat and in that downed helo.
Rating: Summary: Intense Review: Get through the first couple of chapters with the excellent background information and perfect stage setting....then hold on!
Rating: Summary: SCARY, INTERESTING, MAKES YOU THINK Review: I ENJOYED THE BOOK, BUT THERE WAS NO WAY IT COULD live up to it's hype.
Rating: Summary: I woke up in a sweat thinking I was aboard the doomed ship!! Review: Superb sea story! The backround, technical detail and history make this a real treat to someone with any fantasy of seagoing life. Junger exquisitely captures the life of the modern day swordfisherman; the boat, the towns, the bars and the relationships. The tragedy is horrifying and mind-capturing. A must read for anyone who loves the sea...and it's bound to make a land lover of you!
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