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Title: The Perfect Storm : A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger ISBN: 0-06-097747-7 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 06 October, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.06 (834 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: odd structure
Comment: In October 1991, meteorological conditions combined to create the worst nor'easter of the Century--"the Perfect Storm". Junger tells the exciting story of those who faced the fury of that storm at sea and of the men who tried to rescue them.
The book is genuinely thrilling, as the reader gets caught up in the various survival struggles and rescue attempts. Throughout the book, Junger regales us with tales of storms past & explains the physics of the storm & the Sea. All of this is wonderful.
However, I have one major complaint with the structure of the book. He has built the story around the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat out of Gloucester, MA, & her crew of six. But as he tells us in the opening section of the book, the crewman are basically drunken louts who work the boats because those are the jobs available to them. They go to sea to make enough money to fuel the lives of dissipation they lead ashore. They just aren't very interesting people.
Moreover, the Andrea Gail, as we know early on, was lost with all hands, so Junger is forced to imagine what may have happened to them. This leads to an abundance of "they must"s & "inevitably"s & "one imagine"s. It's pretty unsatisfactory.
Meanwhile, the pararescue jumpers (rescue divers) & the Coast Guard & Navy helicopter crews are genuinely fascinating. Their dedication to their dangerous work is wondrous to behold and their feats of heroism are amazing. Yet they are shunted to the side in the book & we are left wanting to know more about them & their work.
Now I know that other folks I've talked to have not been much bothered by this & I still enjoyed the book very much, so I wouldn't let this criticism deter you from reading it. It just bugged me.
GRADE: B-
Rating: 5
Summary: More than just a story!
Comment: By now most have seen the movie... so we have the gist of the story of the men of the Andrea Gail and their friends and family back in Gloucester.
Their doomed battle against nature out over the Flemish Cap is described in much more detail than even the graphics of the movie could convey. But what I liked most about this book was the impressive research Sebastian Junger put into this true story!
With splendid clarity, he describes the physics behind water wave mechanics from tiny wind-generated capillary waves to powerful towering monsterous walls of green water. He also describes in morbid detail what really happens to the human body when it drowns, and it isn't from getting water in the lungs!
The author does all this without getting into difficult scientific jargon that the laity may not appreciate. Many parts of this book read like an exciting field course in oceanography! Junger really takes care to provide the reader with a strong understanding of just how amazing the unification of those 3 storm cells was... the kind of power it generated!
A well-written book that I've seen as mandatory reading material for university geomorphology courses because of its finer details!
Rating: 5
Summary: Vivid and moving
Comment: Very detailed and moving account of the sinking of a ship off the coast of Massachusetts. Paints a very clear picture of the power and unpredictability of the sea and the weather, and what options humans have when they become caught in it. Occasionally overdid the technical information, but overall, a very vivid and good book.
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Title: Head to Head : The Coming Economic Battle Among Japan, Europe, and America by Prof. Lester C. Thurow ISBN: 0446394971 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1993 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by JON KRAKAUER ISBN: 0385494785 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 19 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: The Hungry Ocean : A Swordboat Captain's Journey by Linda Greenlaw ISBN: 0786885416 Publisher: Hyperion Pub. Date: 07 June, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Lobster Chronicles : Life On a Very Small Island by Linda Greenlaw ISBN: 0786885912 Publisher: Hyperion Pub. Date: 11 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title:The Perfect Storm ASIN: B00003CXJD Publisher: Warner Home Video Pub. Date: 01 June, 2004 List Price(USD): $14.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $13.03 |
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