Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting, a clear picture of a long sail.
Review: My family currently owns the boat written about in the book, the Hei Tiki II, so it was interesting to see some of the voyages of the family and the boat. Susan writes as a woman who has almost no sailing experiance thrust into a long voyage at sea. She recounts how the various experiances changed her, her family and saved her shaky marriage. She tells how a long time at sea effects the attitudes of the people involved. At first it is easy to feel sorry for her, having no boating experiance but being coerced into it by her husband, but it quickly shows you the enormous strength this woman must have to cope. The tales of exotic ports of call, friends gained and lost, and stormy seas are all secondary to the story of the family. The book is subtitled "A Family's Passage At Sea," and this is what the book is really about, the family.
Rating: 
Summary: Romance Novelist goes to sea?
Review: My wife & I are considering such a trip in a few years, and are reading as much as possible about others' experiences in the mean time. My advice is to skip this one (glad I only checked it out of the library...). What you get is the story of how a couple lacking in seamanship skills (yes, even her "Capt. Bligh" of a husband) and trapped in a dysfunctional marriage manage to survive 9 months in the Bahamas & Caribbean...with a graphic, poorly written "romance-novel" style sex scene every 25-30 pages or so. It all comes off as some sort of strange exhibitionism.I have sailed and otherwise travelled to many of the places she describes, and find her descriptions mostly on the level (although I hold Provo in higher regard than she does.) The rest of the book should serve as a cautionary tale on how NOT to do it.
Rating:
Summary: Romance Novelist goes to sea?
Review: My wife & I are considering such a trip in a few years, and are reading as much as possible about others' experiences in the mean time. My advice is to skip this one (glad I only checked it out of the library...). What you get is the story of how a couple lacking in seamanship skills (yes, even her "Capt. Bligh" of a husband) and trapped in a dysfunctional marriage manage to survive 9 months in the Bahamas & Caribbean...with a graphic, poorly written "romance-novel" style sex scene every 25-30 pages or so. It all comes off as some sort of strange exhibitionism. I have sailed and otherwise travelled to many of the places she describes, and find her descriptions mostly on the level (although I hold Provo in higher regard than she does.) The rest of the book should serve as a cautionary tale on how NOT to do it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Voyage, poor telling
Review: My wife & I have made this trip by sail and truly enjoyed reading about the familiar ports of call, however, despite our desire to share this type of story with others, I would not recommend this book to friends or family due to the pathetic marriage underlying the story, and the lack of focus. I wanted to puke when encountering the sex descriptions, given that the author is a door mat and the husband an self center jerk. There are better books out there on families at sea. Keep searching.
Rating: 
Summary: An adventurous account of following one's dreams
Review: Susan Hitchcock and her family did what many of us have only dreamed about: they followed their dream, and embraced a simpler kind of life. For them, their dream was sailing--and to forge stronger family ties. And in COMING ABOUT, that's just what they did. You don't have to be a sailing buff to read this book--although that is one reason this book will appeal to many. But you do have to be a person concerned about and wanting to focus on your family, one who's determined to work it out with each family member, despite the ups and down. This is a beautifully written book about a courageous woman who comes into her own--as mother, woman, sailor. I find the book to be an inspiration, and I loved its sense of freedom and adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: Captivating saga of a family sailing experience
Review: The book is interesting, and gives the reader an excellent notion of what it would be like to take a 34 foot sailboat trip with your husband and two young children. They sailed from Florida through the islands of the Carribbean, and back to Florida over a nine month period. It does seem, however, that the author feels overly compelled to inform the reader about personal problems and intimate sexual activities with her husband; most of these descriptions are far more personal than necessary.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good!
Review: This book is very good. It is a good story about the adventures, trials, and tribulations of a family at sea. Although I did like the book, it is written from a woman's point of view. Not that that makes it good or bad, but being a guy I couldn't help think that the author liked to constantly "put down" her husband...almost to the point of airing their dirty laundry in literary form. This book is well worth reading, even if you are a guy.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good!
Review: This book is very good. It is a good story about the adventures, trials, and tribulations of a family at sea. Although I did like the book, it is written from a woman's point of view. Not that that makes it good or bad, but being a guy I couldn't help think that the author liked to constantly "put down" her husband...almost to the point of airing their dirty laundry in literary form. This book is well worth reading, even if you are a guy.
Rating:
Summary: We sailed life back into our marriage and family
Review: We sailed the Caribbean -- a family with two small children, a marriage that had its problems, an old sailboat with a lucky charm. We sailed from Florida through the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Windwards and Leewards to Carriacou, north of Grenada, then back again, 3500 miles and nine months of sailing. The crystalline Caribbean provides the background to a book in which I chronicle how our marriage matured, our family came together, and I found new strengths and delights as a woman, a mother, a lover, a wife, a sailor. The book looks out -- as we do laundry in Luperón, D.R.; celebrate the holidays in Virgin Gorda, B.V.I.; dance through carnival in Carriacou; collect shells, catch fish, revel in rainbows and shooting stars. It also looks in -- as I find equilibrium and intimacy with my husband, discover how best to teach my children to read and write and look at the world around them, and discover that even in my 40s, I have more to learn, to explore, and to enjoy. Should everyone go sailing? No. Should everyone dedicate time and energy to being together as a family? Yes. That's the point I hope every reader will carry home.
Rating:
Summary: Unexpectedly captivating!
Review: While planning for a sail away voyage myself, the last thing I wanted to read was another story about cruising. But a friend strongly suggested I read one more. And I am glad I did! Susan's story was interesting, compelling, and makes me want to leave on my trip even more. Good for sailors and non-sailors alike. I hope she finds her second boat and takes another trip!
|
