Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting and well written!
Review: I enjoyed reading this book very much. I had expected a little more adventure, however, after really getting into the "meat" of this book, the reader realizes that it is not meant to be an adventure story. It is meant to illustrate man's struggle against nature and how sometimes we just have to let mother nature have her way becuase she is far more powerful than any ship. Junger shows this point well and drives it right home. I felt the descriptions were very good, this guy really does his homework. I particularly appreciated how much time Junger spend describing the private lives of the fishermen and the trauma their families went through back at home. It had a few flaws, however, I enjoyed the book so much none really stick out in my mind. Good job
Rating: 
Summary: An involving, insightful look into a world apart
Review: One of the finest non-fiction books I've read. The author gives a fascinating account of the world of seamanship and commercial fishing. From the bravery of the fishermen through moving accounts of their lives and the natural forces that converge upon the fleet, the reader experiences a world foreign to most of us
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but very flawed narrative of nature gone berserk
Review: Though there was an incredible amount of detail (albeit some is wrong) the book suffers from jungers fascination with the crew of the swordfishing boat, to whose story he can ultimately not do any real justice, as they failed to survive the experience. The fascinating stories of <i>survivors</i> of the storm are given decidedly short shrift. Though i finished the book i have to confess i was disappointed that the stories that had closure were treated as a real afterthought
Rating: 
Summary: One sided view of the evacuation of the sailboat Satori
Review: I am the son of Ray Leonard, the captain and owner of Satori. The Coast Guard "rescue" of the crew and captain of Satori, as described in part of this book, is based on one crew member's account and doesn't give an accurate impression. The captain never wanted a rescue attempt. He knew that the small, solid boat could withstand the conditions it was in. The crew, in contrast, were very frightened and apparently issued the mayday call. When the Coast Guard came to the boat they ordered everyone off. Even after she was abandoned, Satori continued through the storm with no damage, eventually being recovered from a Maryland beach. Another sailboat, the Stafka I, also sailed safely through the same part of the storm. The author never contacted Ray Leonard, even though he devotes many pages to the "rescue" from Satori
Rating:
Summary: An all around good read
Review: An excellent book, though it was not the nail biter I had expected after reading the other reviews. While Junger's description of what probably happened aboard the Andrea Gail was excellent, I thought the accounts of the rescues at sea were the highlight of the book.
The hidden gem in The Perfect Storm is Junger's encyclopedic knowledge of the sea, how it behaves, and the men and women who work on it
Rating:
Summary: Cancel my cruise reservation...
Review: Vivid description of true events leading up to the loss of life in a fierce storm in the north Atlantic. The writers style is brisk and sparse, describing in a hard-to-put-down manner, the fate of six fisherman: Men with an uneasy feeling in their guts about the impending voyage, but, due to money or sense of loyalty, ship out anyway. The author describes the meteorology of violent storms, the geography of the North Atlantic fishing banks, the craft and people in commercial fishing as well as the conlict between the ecology and business sides of commercial fishing. There are also interesting asides on the true-life activities and profession of Coast Guard and National Guard rescues. A thoroughly enjoyable read, it leaves the reader with thoughts about the daily hazards facing the men that bring swordfish steaks to our dinner tables.
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Summer Adventure Book -- read it on dry land
Review: This is a gripping tale of young men with bleak lives and the sea. While the hurricane (the worst in a 100 years)that takes the lives of six fishermen is at the core of the book, the book's subtext is equally compelling: Men with no future and a bleak present who go out in the treacherous waters of the North Atlantic to earn a living in the country's most dangerous profession. Two segments stand out in the relatively short book. The minute details of death by drowning will make you gulp for air in your living room chair. And the chapter of the crash of the rescue helicopter is one of the most compelling pieces of nonfiction I have ever read. This book is a triumph of imaginative reporting married to a whale of a tale
Rating:
Summary: Powerful book, but much of the meteorology is all wet!
Review: As a professional meteorologist this book was a frustration. The story itself is taut and exciting, but much of the meteorological information was simply wrong. The description of the forecast process was confused (the LFM is a computer forecast model not some kind of observational system) and description of the storm was inadequate at best. This was not as big a storm as the book implies..
Rating:
Summary: Hits like a hurricane
Review: Usually, books about the sea and the men who make their living on it are romanticised nonsense. Not so here. Junger is the only writer to capture what commercial fishing is all about-the work, the life, the people we (and I am speaking as a New England commercial fisherman) leave behind.
I am told that he spent three years researching for this book. It shows. I found nothing, absolutely nothing that strays from the truth.
He draws the fishermen and those around them true to life, with a photographic clarity and powerful images that put you on deck with them working gear in a running sea or in a seedy bar on the Gloucester waterfront, waiting to set out for a month on the Grand Banks.He shows you the strength of the men who go out there beyond the horizon and the way the land no longer fits their feet.
Read this book. You may begin to understand the love and fear and hate and comfort we find offshore. What takes us back out there. And you will never look at the sea in the same way agai
Rating:
Summary: True knowledge more compelling than fiction.
Review: "To know that we know what we know,
and that we do not know what we do not know,
that is true knowledge."
-- Confucius As a young person, reading Melville's classic Moby Dick was a tortuous and torturous process. The experience occasionally had me wish that I could join Captain Ahab on a one way trip to the deep. Forty years later, I find that a new account of life and death at sea with many parallels to Melville's tome may be the perfect summer read. In late October of 1991, there was a remarkable confluence of two storms on the fishing grounds of the North Atlantic. The whole was more than just the sum of the parts -- it was, the meteorologists tell us, "The Perfect Storm." Sebastian Junger's book by the same name is an account of that storm and its impact on those unlucky enough to have been in harm's way and their friends and loved ones back on shore. Along the way, you'll learn about the biology of the swordfish as well as the manic-depressive life of the men and women who fish it. You'll learn about the meteorology of storm formation, the physics of waves, naval architecture, the practice and economics of commercial fishing, and the hydraulics of sinking ships. Most incredibly, through Junger's words, you'll experience the terror and serenity of death. All of this is strictly non-fiction -- Junger insists to have not invented a single word of dialog -- yet it reads like an action packed, page-turner suspense novel. In attaining this surprising and apparently contradictory result, Junger has confirmed the wisdom of Confucius. WARNING! If you read this book, you'll never again eat a swordfish steak without contemplating its cost in human misery. You'll likely hesitate before boarding a boat headed for the open sea. Perhaps like me, you'll contemplate giving Melville a second chance now that you're on more intimate terms with the sea. Then you might also voice the Spice Girls lament -- "Will this deja vu never end?"
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