Kirkus Reviews
Greenlaw (Fisherman's Bend, 2007, etc.) returns to the Grand Banks in search of swordfish. Writing bestsellers and pulling lobster traps out of the bay off her island home in Maine couldn't "fill the void left in the absence of true, hardy, saltwater adventure," so when opportunity knocked to skipper a swordfishing longliner to the blue water, Greenlaw jumped. She landed on the Seahawk, a vessel of such rank dilapidation the crew soon rechristened it the Shithawk. The crew also had varying degrees of mechanical problems-kidney stones, a severed thumb-but the author draws them affectionately as a stalwart bunch, who gravitate toward museums and Internet cafes during shore time. It's a pleasure to be out once more on the water with Greenlaw, like hooking up again with a favorite fishing guide. Readers may have heard a few of the stories before, but the author is such an unvarnished old hand, they're fun even in the retelling. Who can tire of sharks gnashing and thrashing around on a confined deck, or the rhythmic beauty of laying out 30 miles of line baited with 800 hooks, or heavy weather on a small boat in the big blue? The dialogue can be wooden at times, and there is a certain ripeness to some of the passages-"the diving night splashed light onto the opposite horizon, which swam like spawning salmon up the riverlike sky"-but Greenlaw speaks with unquestionable authority when fashioning the salty atmosphere of swordfishing life. A vanishing slice of life caught with ardor and freshness. Agent: Stuart Krichevsky/Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency
Publishers Weekly
After a 10-year hiatus from blue-water fishing, Greenlaw (Hungry Ocean) went cautiously to sea, seeking a payday and perspective on her life. Thanks to The Perfect Storm phenomenon (both book and film), she was celebrated as America’s only female swordfish boat captain. She was now also a mother and an author who relished a new challenge, traveling 1,000 miles from her Maine home with an eager crew of four guys—three of them experienced sailing buddies—looking for swordfish on the 63-foot, six-and-a-half-knot steel boat Seahawk on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. It was a 52-day trip—and a sensational misadventure. Nearly everything that could go wrong, did, including her arrest for illegally fishing in Canadian waters. Greenlaw chronicles it all—a busted engine, a malfunctioning ice machine, squirrelly technology—with an absorbing mix of nautical expertise and self-deprecation. After inspecting the Seahawk, Greenlaw calls it rough, but stable and capable. Then she writes, “Although I was referring to the boat, I couldn’t help thinking the same could be said of her captain.” From mishaps to fish tales, Greenlaw keeps her narrative suspenseful. Between bad luck and self-doubt, she moves from experience to wisdom, guiding both crew and readers on a voyage of self-affirmation. (June)
JUNE 2010 - AudioFile
Maine boat captain Linda Greenlaw starts off this chapter of her life story with the thoughts running through her mind while she was held in a Newfoundland jail. She describes her emotions in unflinching detail, but her crime? One just has to keep listening to Greenlaw's story of her ill-fated return to the sea. Greenlaw holds one’s attention as she delivers her account with bluntness and contemplativeness. The lure of the sea is made real with her voice. The author has an innate sense of timing and the drama of the situation that will keep listeners hooked, even after they've figured out what happened: She drifted into Canadian waters without realizing it and was caught fishing there. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
