In the Teeth of the Northeaster

by Marlin Bree

Interwoven with legends and lore, this story chronicles one man's adventure on Lake Superior, one of the world's most dangerous bodies of water.

214 pages, Hardcover

First published March 12, 1988

Reviews

[Mr. Wakiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how the author met with people and discussed them on the book.

I also like how he revisited some of these folks in the epilog for the paper back release

[R. Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting read, but a bit dry. Of course, he starts out in the middle of the Northeaster, and you think it will be a thrilling novel. But then he pauses, starts at the beginning of his trip. and you never really seem to return right back into it. He had several other harrowing days/nights with bad weather, but I was not sure it was ever connected to the first event he described. I read this to my 8 year old, and shockingly he didn't demand I put it down. But we did vacation on Lake Superior recently, so maybe that connection kept his attention. Glad we finally finished it!

[Stephanie A. Cain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up while vacationing in South Haven, Michigan, and it was exactly the book I needed to read after a cruise on the Friends Good Will. This made me appreciate the difficulties inherent in sailing and all the dangers. I thought the author was crazy at times, and obviously so did some of the people he encountered. His book is a great combination of his sailing experience, the history and geography of Superior, and the fascinating people who inhabit the shores of the lake. I did have to go back and reread chapter one when I finally got to that moment chronologically. I would have appreciated at least a recap of events I had read 100 pages earlier. And the language is a bit stilted--not enough contractions and too many "thats"--but a small complaint. The voice is largely conversational and makes for a fast, engaging read. I appreciated the 1993 epilogue, despite that some of the news it imparted was unhappy. I'm interested to learn if Marlin Bree has done more sailing and more writing in the 20 years since then.