The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey
by Linda GreenlawSign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
everyone who loves the water
A woman to be admired
Linda Greenlaw captained an American sword boat. By itself, this is an accomplishment worthy of respect. More than that, she became one of the most successful captains in the fleet. And as "The Hungry Ocean" attests, she is also an accomplished writer with a fine eye for detail. I don't say things like this often, but this is a woman who "walks the walk", AND "talks the talk." A woman to be admired.
Forced by internat...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Mike by:
Meisje (& Adam....?)recommends it for: Cape Anners
I suppose that Linda Greenlaw's account here is sort of like a complementary compendium to books like Sebastian Junger's Perfect Storm.
Unfortunately for The Hungry Ocean, I find his narrative to be far superior to Captain Greenlaw's. I kind of wish it weren't so, and that the two books were more closely comparable.
But I find that they are simply in different leagues.
Nevertheless, Captain Greenlaw has a couple great passages strung throughout her narrative. Some of my fa...more
Unfortunately for The Hungry Ocean, I find his narrative to be far superior to Captain Greenlaw's. I kind of wish it weren't so, and that the two books were more closely comparable.
But I find that they are simply in different leagues.
Nevertheless, Captain Greenlaw has a couple great passages strung throughout her narrative. Some of my fa...more
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Read in January, 2000
Best feminist book (previously said "novel" in error) ever. Linda doesn't talk about doing a man's job, she has always just gone out and done it. Her monologue on why she is a fisherman and not a fisherwoman sums exactly why I think most feminists are not worth listening to.
"... and shook my head at his use of the word fisherwoman. I hate the term, and can never understand why people think I would be offended by being called a fisherman. I have often been confus...more
"... and shook my head at his use of the word fisherwoman. I hate the term, and can never understand why people think I would be offended by being called a fisherman. I have often been confus...more
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Read in May, 2008
This book is a slice of life memoir by Linda Greenlaw who, had skippered a 90 long-line swordfish boat with a crew of nine out of Gloucester, Massachusetts.
It is the story of one month-long cruise, with flashbacks and related tales relating to the fishing banks off the eastern U.S. and Canada -- George's Bank, the Grand Banks, etc.
On this cruise, there are crew problems, boat problems, weather problems, problems with finding fish, and problems with other fishing boats. C'est normale, in...more
It is the story of one month-long cruise, with flashbacks and related tales relating to the fishing banks off the eastern U.S. and Canada -- George's Bank, the Grand Banks, etc.
On this cruise, there are crew problems, boat problems, weather problems, problems with finding fish, and problems with other fishing boats. C'est normale, in...more
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Read in January, 2008
The Hungry Ocean gave an interesting glimpse into an unusual lifestyle and the author did a good job of chronicling the every-day lives of fishermen, but that was part of the problem; there was no climax to the story. It seemed as if something would almost happen, but then didn't. Their catch of fish was neither remarkably high nor low; the crew, while surly on occasion, didn't do anything drastic, and there were no unusual dangers.
I plugged through this book until the end was because a...more
I plugged through this book until the end was because a...more
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After seeing the movie and reading the book, The Perfect Storm, I became very interested in reading more about the captain of the Hannah Boden, (sister ship of the Andrea Gail) Linda Greenlaw. When I found out she was a writer, I immediately jumped on-line to get one of her books. This book is her first. She writes about a specific fishing trip she commanded and all the trials and tribulations of getting a good catch and bringing it home. Although she down plays the fact that she is a female...more
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Read in July, 2008
This is definitely worthwhile, but it has its problems. She is a terrible dialogue writer, for one thing, all conversations just sound wrong. It is her first book, and parts are awkwardly written. But the fish stories are pretty good, and it has great little details about working on a fishing boat. The good thing about the book is it isn't all about being a female swordboat captain, it's just about being a swordboat captain. She really gets into details of one trip out to sea. Some of the techni...more
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This is one grand lady who redefines the definition of that term. Fiercely loyal, courageous, yet feminine, she is not confined to societal expectations of what feminity is. If anyone has spent time in the open ocean on a boat, her achievements are even more impressive.
She wrote a fun book basically because of the attention she received from the novel and film, "The Perfect Storm". Everyone wondered "who is this woman" "Is she for real?" She is indeed.
She wrote a fun book basically because of the attention she received from the novel and film, "The Perfect Storm". Everyone wondered "who is this woman" "Is she for real?" She is indeed.
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Read in September, 2007
One of those books that I would never have read without the friend recommendation. Swordfishing woman? Intriguing. Her account of one full voyage and several snippets of other adventures. She told us how she came to love fishing and it was magical in this aspect. She also shared her profound emptiness at not having family time or time for love. She had to balance this with her love for the sea. She proved to be both strong and vulnerable. Thank you for sharing that piece of yourself.
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Read in January, 2002
I wanted to post a review for this book because I remembered it this morning while thinking of my favorites of all time. This is in the top 10. Linda is an incredible woman-she has an amazingly difficult job/life. The book is an insider's look at how she maintains her crew as captain of a fishing crew. This particular book takes place at the same time as "The Perfect Storm" (which was also a good book).
Such a fascinating life, but not one that I would ever enjoy.
Such a fascinating life, but not one that I would ever enjoy.
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Read in January, 2002
I adore Linda Greenlaw. She spoke at my school during the hype in 2000 over this book, and I handled a book signing she did earlier this year for Slipknot. She's funny, witty, and pretty upfront about things (or, if she's not, she fakes it damn well - both times the crowd loved her), and that comes through in this book.
As captain of her ship, she didn't take shit from anyone. And it made for a great read.
As captain of her ship, she didn't take shit from anyone. And it made for a great read.
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Read in May, 2008
Very descriptive and informative, well-written and interesting. No one cared about Linda Greenlaw until after they read (or, more likely, until after they saw) "The Perfect Storm" but she tells her stories in her own voice and they are fascinating -even if you have no interest in swordfishing at all.
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Read in June, 2006
recommends it for:
fisherwomen
This is a sister story to The Perfect Storm. Linda Greenlaw is a woman swordfisherman and rubbed elbows with the men who sailed the Andrea Gail. There are meticulous descriptions about fishing and being at sea for long periods of time, which can sometimes be tedious, but it's really interesting, especially since this is a very dangerous occupation that so few women participate in.
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Read in December, 2006
Overall an interesting account of real-life swordfishing tales, however I felt the writing was painfully slow. No hook (pardon the pun). I think that a real author could have done so much more with this, still sticking to the facts. I didn't feel in the moment and I easily put the book down after just a few pages every night. It took me a while to finish this.
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This is by the captain of the Hannah Boden, sister ship to the Andrea Gail, which went down in the Perfect Storm. Much quieter story, full of interesting details about swordfish fishing, the month-long journey to find and catch the fish and the race back to port to sell before another boat gets there or the price of swordfish drops.
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Read in December, 2007
This was more interesting than I thought it'd be! It's an extremely detailed account of a commerical swordfishing boat journey told by it's female captain. I learned quite a bit. But I remember liking her book about lobster-trapping better. Maybe because I like to eat lobster (I've never had swordfish, actually).
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Greenlaw tells a good tale of her adventures at sea, but I find myself wondering at times where her editor was. Still, I like her hutzpah and approach to life. I was just in Mass and Maine and have long had New Foundland and Nova Scotia near the top of my travel list.
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Rich & I were cleaning "his" Buick room and came across this book. He had read it a long time ago and then it got buried. It's author is a female fisherman on a swordboat. I enjoyed learning about a "typical" swordfish trip out of Gloucester.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
I bought this book after I read The Perfect Storm because Linda Greenlaw was out in the same storm and her boat was refered to. It was a fascinating look into the life of a female swordfish fisherman and a quick read and well-written book.
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Read in March, 2008
Account of one trip, with flashbacks to others, of a captain of a swordfishing boat. I learned a lot about fishing (North Atlantic), the fishing profession, and about the joys and challenges of managing a crew. Interesting book.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.82 (337 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.75 (327 ratings) number of reviews: 52
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quote
"...anyone who chooses to make fishing his occupation solely for the money is in the wrong business. If no thrill is experienced in catching fish, no satisfaction in going to sea and returning to shore, no pride in exclaiming "I am a fisherman," then a life on the water will be unfulfilling, perhaps even unbearable. Among the unhappy with whom I am acquainted, perhaps the most miserable people are those who fish out of necessity rather than out of a love of the sea and the seafaring life. I have always maintained that when I no longer feel a thrill, satisfaction, and pride from fishing, I will start a new career. (pp. 248-249)"
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