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55th out of 128 books
—
91 voters
Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938
by
R.A. Scotti
In the tradition of "The Perfect Storm, Sudden Sea" harkens back to a natural disaster that struck terror in the hearts of many. In this narrative, readers experience The Great Hurricane of 1938, the most financially destructive storm on record.
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
August 24th 2004
by Back Bay Books
(first published 2003)
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I was completely impressed by this detailed and gripping story of the famous but little known about hurricane (outside of NE, that is) that hit on the eve of the Great Depression..No one saw it coming except a few because it was thought New England was too far north to get hurricanes...Images such a Jamestown school bus full of children being sweep away only to have an 11 yr old boy survivor die 7 years latter during a WW2 battle will never leave me...His little sister's dying words of "Dont get...more
I had never heard of this hurricane before and, being from the Northeast, I was curious about this. Much of the book was interesting, and I did like the various stories. The organization, however, did not always seem the greatest; I wasn't always sure what the logic was, and I sometimes forgot who the people were the author was referring to because of the skipping around. There were also parts that were redundant or boring, especially in the first quarter of the book. Scotti gets into the scienc...more
Aug 01, 2009
Kirsti
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Kirsti by:
Jan McGill
A really interesting and compelling book. I had no idea the hurricane of 1938 was so devastating and led to so many changes.
"Experienced from below, an extreme hurricane is an explosion of wind and water. . . . Town by town, the Northeast darkened and was silenced. The brilliant inventions of modern life were knocked out. Phones failed. Lights failed. Cars flooded. Buses and trolleys stalled. Trains derailed. Long Island could not alert Connecticut. Connecticut could not alert Rhode Island. Each...more
"Experienced from below, an extreme hurricane is an explosion of wind and water. . . . Town by town, the Northeast darkened and was silenced. The brilliant inventions of modern life were knocked out. Phones failed. Lights failed. Cars flooded. Buses and trolleys stalled. Trains derailed. Long Island could not alert Connecticut. Connecticut could not alert Rhode Island. Each...more
Growing up in Connecticut, I never thought about hurricane threats until August of 1976 when I was newly married and mother of an eight-month-old baby. Even though we lived 50 miles inland I remember listening to the weather report with great alarm, taping our windows and battening down the hatches, and waiting for the arrival of Hurricane Belle. She turned out to be a non-event.
Nine years later, in September of 1985, Hurricane Gloria arrived. By then we were living in a shoreline town, so we de...more
Nine years later, in September of 1985, Hurricane Gloria arrived. By then we were living in a shoreline town, so we de...more
When the hurricane swept into New England on September 21, 1938 there was no warning, no idea that the winds were anything more than a normal “noreaster” common in the fall and winter. Most people would not have known the word hurricane, or realized that powerful hurricane’s had hit the New England coast before. Massively high tides and surges of water obliterated entire beach communities, sweeping houses, cars, and inhabitants away and leaving an empty beach behind. This book was written in 200...more
Jul 31, 2009
Jan C
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Disaster readers; people who live in hurricane areas
Shelves:
disaster
This was great. A lot of science was thrown in here. I found out more about hurricanes than I probably ever wanted to know.
Many personal stories in here. I had previously seen a PBS documentary on the storm. And it told in detail the story of the Moores and their wild ride on the roof of their house ... after it came loose from the house. It is a terrifying story. You don't usually think of hurricanes in Rhode Island or even Long Island.
There is one horrendous story after another. My kind of bo...more
Many personal stories in here. I had previously seen a PBS documentary on the storm. And it told in detail the story of the Moores and their wild ride on the roof of their house ... after it came loose from the house. It is a terrifying story. You don't usually think of hurricanes in Rhode Island or even Long Island.
There is one horrendous story after another. My kind of bo...more
A horrifying read. Again, not good timing for me. I live thirty miles from Galveston and hurricane season has just begun. Very hard for me to read.
I've heard all my life about the storm of 1900 that devastated Galveston, but I've never heard anything about this storm. It was the only category five hurricane to hit the mainland of the United States.
The book is well written, with stories from the storm you'd never believe if they were sold as fiction. The photographs were powerful and shocking.
R...more
I've heard all my life about the storm of 1900 that devastated Galveston, but I've never heard anything about this storm. It was the only category five hurricane to hit the mainland of the United States.
The book is well written, with stories from the storm you'd never believe if they were sold as fiction. The photographs were powerful and shocking.
R...more
I got interested in this hurricane after finding reference to it in one of my mother's letters to her mother living in Massachusetts at the time. Luckily, the hurricane bypassed them to the west, going into Vermont and New Hampshire instead, but doing the most damage to Rhode Island. Got a little tedious at times, but it may have been the strongest hurricane to ever hit the US with winds over 200 mph. Because climatology was such a new science, it was dismissed as scientists thought it would tur...more
On September 21, 1938, the fastest hurricane on record caught the Northeast by surprise and left a wake of death and destruction across seven states. Travelling at record speeds, the storm raced up the Atlantic coast, reaching New York and New England ahead of hurricane warnings and striking with such intensity that seismographs in Alaska registered the impact. Winds clocked at 186 miles per hour stripped cars of their paint. Walls of water fifty feet high swept homes and entire families out to...more
I thought that overall this book was alright. It had its interesting moments, but for the most part it was kind of a boring documentary, and I wasn't too fond of that. This book mostly talks about the damage that the hurricane did on the whole east coast, but at the same time what it did was follow a few different families letting you know their experience during this time. Since I have a house right where this book is located, that is why i thought it was interesting, but otherwise it was prett...more
A well written book, with good documentation and eye witness accounts. Up to the time of reading this book, I had never heard of this storm and its impact on Rhode Island. The stunning speed of the storm hitting the inhabitants along the coast with no weather warnings was the main reason for the large loss of life.
Fantastic descriptions of what happened, and of the aftermath. The only criticism I would have would be of some of the minor technical aspects concerning hurricanes in general, this m...more
Fantastic descriptions of what happened, and of the aftermath. The only criticism I would have would be of some of the minor technical aspects concerning hurricanes in general, this m...more
I saw this on Wendy's list and the title stuck with me. When I was scrolling through the library list for a new book for my Nook I came across it and remembered Wendy had read it.
The story was fascinating and terrifying. Ryan's grandparents beach house was purchased after the Hurricane of 1938. It landed beyond the dunes in Pt. Judith and no one knows where it came from. Ryan's grandfather purchased it years later and fixed it up.
The story was fascinating and terrifying. Ryan's grandparents beach house was purchased after the Hurricane of 1938. It landed beyond the dunes in Pt. Judith and no one knows where it came from. Ryan's grandfather purchased it years later and fixed it up.
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Although everyone in New England knows how the 38 hurricane turned out, this is a gripping tale of destruction and survival, and packed with information on tracking methods. It was a good story, well told. My mother claims that the sky that day was the exact shade of yellow that is shown on the book cover, very scary indeed. This is a must for anyone who wants to find out how the National Hurricane Center came about.
My neighbor lent me the book! After living in the area now for several years, the book is a bit haunting! I've been through 2 hurricanes, but they were largely non-events when you sit and think about it. The stories of survival and what really happened that day from all perspectives is wonderfully laid out and shared by the author. I'm not much of a non-fiction gal, but this book was captivating!
New England doesn't come to mind very often when discussing Hurricanes, but one of the most powerful to hit the US was the 1938 Long Island Express. Conditions were perfect to deflect this Hurricane up the coast to New England where it wrought havoc on the unsuspecting states there.
The interest in this book comes largely from the historical context. Forecasting Hurricanes in 1938 was a very different deal from today, as was the preparedness for such storms - at least in this part of the world. T...more
The interest in this book comes largely from the historical context. Forecasting Hurricanes in 1938 was a very different deal from today, as was the preparedness for such storms - at least in this part of the world. T...more
Along the lines of "A Perfect Storm" this well written and researched account of the 1938 unnamed hurrican that struck Long Island and New England is riveting. Photos add to the experience. The storm occurred prior to all our scientific equipment and caught many by surprise (considered to be a cat 3). Even Katherine Hepburn was not spared its wrath.
Slow start but picked up after the 2nd chapter. I found this really intriguing, my husband grew up in Connecticut, near the Rhode Island border so I'm familiar with many of the of the locations mentioned.
What I found the most interesting is the fact that when the hurricane hit, it hit so hard that seismic monitors were triggered in Alaska. I can't even begin to imagine that.
What I found the most interesting is the fact that when the hurricane hit, it hit so hard that seismic monitors were triggered in Alaska. I can't even begin to imagine that.
not overwhelmingly well-written; felt poorly organized, jumped around in chronology from place to place. A fascinating story, but the book could have benefitted from some tighter editing, or maybe just more focus - Scotti writes about multiple locations, in what feels like no particular order, including too many details about places that are clearly of less interest to her than the coastal Rhode Island communities she attempts to place at the center of the book.
A very riveting read! It follows the lives of many who lived and many who died during the unexpected hurricane of 1938 which hit the New England coast. The hurricane of of 1938 was truly a "perfect storm" as it came in so quickly, and without warning to the people if New England.
A good book that puts you right in the middle of one of the worst hurricanes in the history of the United States. This was before hurricanes were tracked like they are today. The people in this new England town were caught totally off guard. Many people died because of it.
I love natural disaster books and this one tells the account of the 1938 Northeast Hurricane. This book tells various accounts of the different areas that were hit and should be required reading for anyone who thinks that hurricanes don't hit the northeast!
The 2nd chapter deals with what's in and what hasn't come upon the scene yet in the 30's. It talks of current events of the day. The Great Depression was on. Sudden Sea contains science as well as historical facts. I have relatives who remember that storm; its effects reached Lowell, Massachusetts.
I live in Connecticut and sail around these waters every summer. This was a good book if you are interested in learning about the 1938 hurricane. Especially interesting in light of current weather forecasting technology and the recent storms here.
Interesting topic, a devastating hurricane that leveled southern New England and about which I hadn't heard much. Author's research is a bit spotty, partly because it had been long enough that she didn't have much in the way of first-person accounts.
I read Sudden Sea to commemorate the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season of 2005. I especially loved the author's vivid descriptions. Hurricanes fascinate me, so reading the story behind this storm was enthralling.
Another excellent read focusing on the 1938 Hurricane. Tells numerous stories related by survivors, while explaining enough about the workings of the weather bureau to explain why events unfolded as they did.
Good story about the Hurricane of 1938 and how it affected people on Long Island, Rhode Island and along the Long Island Sound. Recommended reading by & for management of a regional insurance company in New England.
Couldn't put it down! may give you nightmares, but totally worth reading. unbelievable story. interesting insights into US meteorological studies and paints a nice picture of life in the 30s.
Interesting book--great story, great telling of the story. Although she profiled a lot of different people they did not get lost in the shuffle. She set the time period really well and the action of the disaster as well.
I would have given this more stores but for some inaccuracies in the facts. Otherwise very well written. It was almost a thriller, if it had not been true. Someone who didn't know the locations would have given it a higher rating, I think.
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