Rating: 
Summary: If you beleive that you are drawn to books for a reason...
Review: This book takes you, at its topmost level, on a journey over a magical sea and wonderful landscapes. In reality it takes you on a journey through vision and viewpoints. How do you see yourself in the world? How quickly does the "forest" close in on your life?I came away from this book wondering what hit me. And it was a great feeling.
Rating: 
Summary: Book as Revenge
Review: This is a great book for about the first third of its passage. I get the impression that like a musician with a few good tunes but not an entire CD worth of them, the idea of a cohesive theme is abandoned for the sake of size.
A book of the parallel trips of Mr.Raban and Cap'n Vancouver was enough for me had it been researched more deeply. I got the impression that he was bored with his own topic after firing off some initial brilliant ideas.
The hard right turn into the extensive description of the death of his father belonged in another book as did the wind up which feels essentially like he's using the merits of the rest of the book and his status as a writer as a weapon to dump on his wife and her decision to separate. If that's his way of dealing with the situation then it's not surprizing that the separation happened.
We all have these bizarre fragmentations in our lives; the public humiliation of his wife just makes me feel worse than when I started the book and I was left with the impression that I was [pulled] into a cheap shot.
Rating:
Summary: An American Classic
Review: This is a lovely,lyrical book,written with humor and intelligence. It's a treasure trove of ideas:legend,literary quotes,sea-faring tales.Never boring,Mr. Raban writes refreshingly and honestly about America - and brings the North-West alive. Everyone in Alaska and the North-West should buy this book,in order to learn more about our fascinating past!This awesomely impressive book should be at the top of every bestseller list! In addition,Raban writes respectfully about loss: the death of a much-loved father;painful marital breakdown - with heart-rending poignancy. All in all,this is a magisterial book,written by a master craftsman.We should all cherish Mr.Raban for his brilliant descriptions of the North-West. He so obviously loves this country,and does justice and credit to us all! I warmly recommend this book to all Amazon readers -it's an absolute treat!
Rating:
Summary: Travel writing, but so much more
Review: This is an extraordinary book by a master of the surgical mot juste, a work of vivid imagination, of chilling insight and wisdom, of seafaring history and lore so vivid that you can almost taste the salt, containing within its pages, almost incidentally, poignant evocations of two of life's most crushing passages: the loss of a parent, and the dissolution of a marriage. Until I read "Passage to Juneau," I considered Graham Greene's "Journey Without Maps" to stand alone in the genre, with "The Lawless Roads" not far behind. Raban's work measures up in every respect.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fine Book
Review: This was an engaging read for me. However, a bit heavy with the personal discoveries that seemed to have little to do with the inside passage or anything other than Mr. Raban. The waterways and early explorers and more recent residents of the region masterfully described. All in all I was very pleased with this book and weeks after finishing it's still in my head. I will seek out his other books.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent work of passage. travel and history reference
Review: This was excellent reading of detailed nautical -water- weather-tides-wind conditions of a man reading. navigating and interpreting. sailing and motoring the "Passage" with historic reference to Vancouver and that journey as well as really honest and well calibrated - thoughts of the natives encountered on his journey as well as those of past times. The story entails also his family history - much revealing - and a journey much surprising - an outstanding work for someone so superb in writing - and one who really is in touch. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: I got lucky again...
Review: Unlike several fine reviewers here at Amazon.com, I have not previously been exposed to the work of J Raban. As is often my style, I bought the book blind, being interested in the geographical setting of the story. I had half expected to immerse myself in a lengthy, technical and somewhat drowsy account of a sailing voyage conducted in the throes of a midlife crisis. I was very pleasantly surprised to find my preconceptions unraveled within the first three chapters. Raban writes with a depth and sincerity which belies his rather simple (and refreshing) use of narrative. The story of one man's journey on a surprisingly deep and sometimes threatening sea (right here in North America no less) becomes vital when wedded to the parallel journey Raban shares with us of his own changes and demons. The references to George Vancouver skillfully drew atmosphere over the skeleton of what, in a lesser author's pen, would have become a brittle tale of --on this day, I sailed to here-- gruel. Raban does a wonderful job of weaving a cohesive story from divergent threads including events relating to his actual sailing, his father, Northwest Native history and bloody ol' Captain Van. For 450 pages I had trouble putting this book down, and one morning woke up in Ketchikan... until my alarm clock rudely reminded me I was still in Orange County. Yes, it is a personal story, to the point of causing me to feel a little voyeuristic in places. I heartily recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Passage to Juneau: Evesdropping on Jonathan Raban
Review: Were it not for Mr Rabans wordsmithing talents, this book would have foundered ten feet from the dock. Simply, there is little here to make a story. A sprinkle of Native Northwestern lore, a fractured reading of Captain Vancouvers log and writings repleat with a smattering of psycoanalysis, and a sub plot of a marriage about to break up on the shoals of Mr Rabans self obsession just do not reward the reader for his efforts. This book gets three stars for Mr Rabans use of language, he's a skilled practicioner. Nevertheless, its a ponderous and tedious read in which not much of the promised transforming self discovery is delivered, and little is learned about this sea.
Rating:
Summary: Nice writing, but there are better Inside Passage books
Review: Wisecracking author grumbles up the Inside Passage trailing a wake of cigarette butts and the scent of stale smoke. Seems disconnected from residents and the realities of the passage. Significant portions of book devoted to his personal life that sounds similarly littered and antisocial. For a great book that's REALLY about the Inside Passage, seek out Byron Ricks.
| 
