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The Perfect Storm: A True Story of a Man Against the Sea
 
 

The Perfect Storm: A True Story of a Man Against the Sea (Hardcover)

by S Junger (Author) "ONE midwinter day off the coast of Massachusetts, the crew of a mackerel schooner spotted a bottle with a note in it ..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (208 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co. (24 April 1997)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 039304016X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393040166
  • Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 15.5 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (208 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,010,191 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Perfect Storm is the tale of a doomed ship caught in the middle of what some meteorologists have called the storm of the century. At its heart is a gripping narrative about struggling for survival in a tempest of ferocious winds and 100-foot waves. But rookie author Sebastian Junger does more than simply spin a good yarn. His account of how fishermen ply their trade and lead their lives in the 1990s is fascinating. The same goes for his descriptions of storm formation, wave physics and the terror of drowning. Anybody who enjoys Jon Krakauer's work or "Drama in Real Life" from Reader's Digest will appreciate The Perfect Storm. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Synopsis
Presents a vivid account of a history-making storm that hit the New England coast in October 1991 and the lives it changed, weaving together the history of the fishing industry, the science of storms, and personal accounts.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
ONE midwinter day off the coast of Massachusetts, the crew of a mackerel schooner spotted a bottle with a note in it. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

208 Reviews
5 star:
 (123)
4 star:
 (49)
3 star:
 (17)
2 star:
 (15)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (208 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars "What was the final moment? What was the final,final thing?", 11 Feb 2006
By Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)   
Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm is a masterpiece of "disaster writing," written in a crisply paced, masculine style while still incorporating much scientific detail about the meteorology of this "perfect" storm of October 28, 1991, and the physical forces it unleashed on the Andrea Gale, a seventy-foot commercial boat, fishing for swordfish at the end of the season, near Georges Bank. The result is the gripping story of Capt. Billy Tyne and five Gloucester fishermen who ran into the "perfect" conjunction of three major storms and never returned.

Junger begins his story with the maritime history of Gloucester, Massachusetts, a city from which over ten thousand men have perished at sea since the fishing industry began in 1650. Gloucester fishermen and their families are extremely close, and The Crow's Nest bar, vividly described here, is their "homeport" between trips and in times of emergency. To gain insight into the character of Gloucester and its fishing fleet, Junger lived above the Crow's Nest in Bobby Shatford's room while he did his research, became friends with Bobby's mother, who was a bartender at there, came to know and like the regulars, and gained confidences shared with few "outsiders."

As Junger introduces the six men aboard the Andrea Gail, he shows their both their lives and their motivations for going out on one last trip, which would bring thousands of dollars to each crew member, if successful. At the same time, he also presents technical information about fishing boats and how they are engineered, the changes in the center of gravity which occurred on the Andrea Gail with the addition of a "whaleback" storage area on deck, the science of long-line sword-fishing, and the daily lives of the men aboard.

Six other boats in the same area off Cape Cod at about the same time as the Andrea Gail report on their boats' terrifying behavior during this unexpected storm, allowing the reader to imagine the various tragedies that might have happened aboard the Andrea Gail. The Coast Guard rescue of three crew members from a large sailboat (which almost cost the lives of three rescuers) shows the ferocity of the storm and the near impossibility of rescuing the Andrea Gail's crew, even if they had been found in time. Filled with the kind of detail which brings this "perfect," hundred-year storm to heart-pounding life, The Perfect Storm is a gripping story which honors these fishermen without exploiting them or their families--a classic story of maritime disaster. Mary Whipple

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars John A. McPhee of the sea., 15 Aug 2005
By bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)      
Just as John A. McPhee outlines the history of oranges in the book "Oranges", Sebastian Junger outlines "Men Against the Sea."

In the very beginning of the book Sebastian Junger tells you that this is not a novel or a fictionalization of the events of the last moments of the Andrea Gail. He believes if you read any fiction that you would doubt the parts that are real facts. To this end He has includes many pieces of information about men against the sea; He describes the sea, equipment needed to deal with the sea and the lifestyle of the men who deal with the sea.

Now some people may find his writing style has a feeling of tedium, tedium, and t-e-d-i-u-m. I find it just being through enough to not leave out any piece of information to tie this all together. How ever you may have to make an effort to continue through it.

Also Like John McPhee, Sebastian Junger actually was writing about different dangerous jobs and magazine articles when he sold this book before it was put together. He struggled to balance this between a sort of documentary and thrill of the story. I think he did a good job.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars John A. McPhee of the sea., 13 Jul 2001
By bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)      
Just as John A. McPhee outlines the history of oranges, (ISBN: 0374512973), Sebastian Junger outlines "Men Against the Sea."

In the very beginning of the book Sebastian Junger tells you that this is not a novel or a fictionalization of the events of the last moments of the Andrea Gail. He believes if you read any fiction that you would doubt the parts that are real facts. To this end He has includes many pieces of information about men against the sea; He describes the sea, equipment needed to deal with the sea and the lifestyle of the men who deal with the sea.

Now some people may find his writing style has a feeling of tedium, tedium, and t-e-d-i-u-m. I find it just being through enough to not leave out any piece of information to tie this all together. How ever you may have to make an effort to continue through it.

Also Like John McPhee, Sebastian Junger actually was writing about different dangerous jobs and magazine articles when he sold this book before it was put together. He struggled to balance this between a sort of documentary and thrill of the story. I think he did a good job.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Unsentimental, Inexorable, Factual
The book ably reconstructs the terrifying facts, feelings and tragedy of the fishing boat Andrea Gail and her six-man crew, which disappeared during a killing storm of mythic... Read more
Published 11 months ago by M. BRINSLEY-MOTTO

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended even if you don't like swordfish
This book was the inspiration for the 2000 film of the same name. The book follows the ill-fated fishing trip made by the Andrea Gail in October 1991. Read more
Published 22 months ago by A. Gothorp

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget the film
This is just so much better. The best book i've ever read about the sea. And fishing. And air sea rescue. And the weather ! Read more
Published on 12 Jul 2007 by Secret Squirrel

5.0 out of 5 stars "What was the final moment? What was the final,final thing?"
Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm is a masterpiece of "disaster writing," written in a crisply paced, masculine style while still incorporating much scientific detail... Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2006 by Mary Whipple

5.0 out of 5 stars A Heart Wrenching Read
Read it and weep! This book puts you out there on the turbulent seas with all that endured the storm, and makes you feel the pain of those waiting on shore. Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2004 by baby_boo_boo

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lost Ship Grips You In Pounding Waves of Drama
This book takes a natural disaster, a storm of the century, and builds it into a compelling clash of man against nature with man having little or no chance. Read more
Published on 24 May 2004 by Professor Donald Mitchell

4.0 out of 5 stars Make sure you enjoy your next swordfish steak
I thoroughly reiterate what other reviewers have said, but the book doesn't get the full 5 from me. Both my girlfriend and I read this book, and I got more out of it than her, we... Read more
Published on 8 Aug 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars spectacular and gripping
I have just finished the Perfect Storm, and found it to be so very informitive and descriptive,to the point, that I was right there in the storm with the men and they were my... Read more
Published on 18 Jul 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A humbling account of the awesome power of the sea.
An account based on observable facts of the most likely happenings on a swordfish boat that was unfortunate enough to be at the centre of the worst storm of the century. Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A sensitive & brilliant story of how & why people die at sea
Read this book. Whether you are an engineer or an artist, an adventurer or a suburbanite, this fascinating, gut-wrenching tale of tragedy manages to both captivate with its... Read more
Published on 7 Sep 1999

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