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The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea
by: Sebastian Junger |
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 974.45 EAN: 9780061013515 ISBN: 006101351X Label: HarperTorch Manufacturer: HarperTorch Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 320 Publication Date: July 01, 1998 Publisher: HarperTorch Release Date: June 03, 1998 Studio: HarperTorch
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| Customer Reviews | ||
 - The Storm Of The Century and the people caught up in it. An educationI watched the movie of this book before I read the book itself, and I have to say that the movie has taken some liberties with the story and the book is still better than the movie despite its great storm special effects. Nobody can say exactly what happened to the swordboat Andrea Gail but this book does a credible job of describing what probably happened based on knowledge of swordfish fishermen, the fishing industry, the ocean, storm behaviour and the rescue services involved. Having read this book I now feel I know a lot more about swordfish and the fishing industry than I ever believed I would. I also feel I've been given a reasonable education in storm and wave behaviour around the Grand Banks and northern fishing waters. You have to have some patience with this book as the Storm of the title doesn't really start to play a part in its story till half way through the book. Up till then everything is mostly background material about the fishing industry. However, even if you know nothing about the sea, this book covers so many topics in so much depth that it keeps you moving along till the tragedies and triumphs of the storm and its human costs are played out. A recommended read if you like your stories factually based but not debased to the point of being "based on a true story". Rating:  - But you already saw the movie...Well that is what I thought too, but decided to read this on a trip and found it hard to put down. First, much of the movie and book (the part about what happened on the boat) is pure speculation, but it is the other parts of the book (not in the movie) that made the book so good. Mr. Junger did a great job educating the lay person on the rigors of being a swordsmen, the rigors of working in the northern Atlantic and (the part I found most interesting in the book) the challenges faced by the rescue personnel put out to sea during conditions that make up the "perfect storm". He also writes about the steps to taken to become, not just a north Atlantic fisherman, but also the rescue personnel who go after them and others when in trouble. Where the movie ended, I found the book got the most interesting, because for me that part was based on fact. The whole book was good, but it is rare that you find a book that really finishes stronger than it started and with this subject and story you would think it was even harder. Well Mr. Junger did it and it is worth reading. Rating: - a facinating readwell researched, beautifully written true story of a huge storm and the swordfishing boat that didn't make it through. Shows you the dangerous job of fishing, explains how many ways the sea can sink a ship, and gives you a feeling of what it means to drown. I found it all interesting, especially learning about waves and the details of the rescue swimmers and their incredible training. Dense with details but gripping and ultimately frightening. Gives you new respect for the ocean and the rogue waves that are out there. Rating: - A MasterpieceThis book was extremely well researched and very detailed and descriptive...I couldn't put it down, and quite frankly learned so many things from it that I was not aware of regarding the risks taken every day by commercial fisherman everywhere, nautical terms, all about charts, weather tracking and patterns, rescue protocall...just sooo many new things. If you are looking for a romanticised version such as the movie portrays, this is not it....this is the hardcore truth that places it in a non fictionary way. No overblown speculated plot, no bull (don't get me wrong, I adore the movie too!) ...just the truth and actual accounts given by all the writers sources...the 'real' words from the 'real' folks that actually lived through this devistating storm of the century. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was quite sad when it was done. It left me wanting to know more about these hearty, brave and strong people. They look death in the face everyday without fear, never knowing if they will return to port or not, while those who love them wait on shore never knowing if that goodbye exchanged at the dockside may have been the last time they would ever see them. For those who like a good read with all the technical terms in place to better explain, you will love this book. Rating:  - The Not So Perfect Storm*I recently got this book while on vacation to have for a good summer read. While not completely disappointed, I would have to say I am not at all a fan of this book either. A mistake I made was that I saw the movie before I read the book and while reading it felt unaffected by what I read due to the over the top action and tear jerking in the movie. I expected the same in the book and just didn't get it. Also, while interested in fishing and the ocean in general this book failed to keep my attention. The random explanations of weather patterns and useless historic journal writings of seventeenth and eighteenth century ship captains and seamen interrupted the story for me. I felt that the only times the book got good was when the author told the story about the men on the Andrea Gale, which was limited and rare. Of course, the writing is speculative and journalistic but there wasn't much other than that that really stuck with what I thought the book was about. There was no in-depth biography of the six seamen lost (who really am I reading about), the story jumped around too much from weather to a fish boat captain in Florida to one in Massachusetts, back to weather and a little smidgen of the Andrea Gale thrown in and then back to the 1800s, it was also just too technically exhausting, no pictures of the seamen and/or the Andrea Gale and once I began understanding what was being said about storms and currents Junger either ended the chapter or jumped to something else to discuss. I really wanted this book to be good and I did begin reading it with an open mind, however by somewhere in the middle it lost me and I felt the potential for something great had sunk. Maybe if it had been written by someone else it could have been more but unfortunately for me it wasn't. For an example of how the story of the Andrea Gale and the six seamen who went down with her should and could have been told, while not along the same subject but still telling a story it has to tell like it should, check out Richard G. Fernicola's Twelve Days of Terror. *This review is based on the Harper Torch paperback edition. |
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