biographies

Linda Greenlaw does a fine job of reading her terrific, gripping story of swordfishing off Newfoundland with her five unique crewmen. In a mere seven hours one can hear rather than read this book about commercial fishing and all of its exciting twists and turns. Greenlaw expertly weaves background details about herself into chapters that she fits among the main story chapters, calling these contextual pieces, Mug-ups. She successfully conveys the excitement and anticipation of awaiting the outcome of a day's fishing, life on the boat, including its many hardships, the crew's problems and virtues, and her love-hate relationship with her boat's owner.

As a former summertime mate on a party fishing boat, all I can say is "What a book!" I can almost feel, again, the continued rocking on dry land I used to feel following a day at sea.

I plan to listen to this one again.

One gains genuine admiration for Linda Greenlaw when reading her tale of fishing for sword fish. What a genuinely courageous and strong-willed woman she is! Despite the directional and technical details that are a bit confusing to the average land lubber, Greenlaw's biographical tome relates the amazing facts involved in the dangerous job of commercial fishing. Greenlaw's boat and crew, absolutely modern and up-to-date in all meters and communications, still rely on the ultimate on-site management skills of the captain with the crew, who all stand to sink or swim in their month long fishing trip. There are laughs along the way as Greenlaw relates previous experiences and excitement reigns as she and her crew make each haul. The economics of the operation present some surprising facts and create new appreciation in the reader. Greenlaw's book would make a great parallel text in business management training. Her enthusiasm for her job is inspirational. Her varied crew stands as a microcosim of a larger business operation of any kind.

This book isn't life-changing or even inspirational--in a good way. I was hesitant initially because I thought the book might work a 'girl-power' angle as Greenlaw is one of, if not the only, female swordfish captains in the world. Instead, it does a fantastic job of describing a world most of us will never know--the inner workings of a fisherman's (woman's) life: the politics involved in pleasing a demanding boat owner and restless crew, the tedious waiting game where instincts and electronics seek the elusive fish many days away from shore, and the excitment of the non-stop work when the fishing is good. It even gives an account of the finances involved including a breakdown of the market price of fish and how it affects everyone's pay. I had no idea of the immense costs each fishing trip takes in equipment, food, and gas. It is a great look at the day-to-day life. Where it falls short is addressing some grander issues such as the environment and the history and future of fishing. Greenlaw does have a few sentences sprinkled throughout and it's clear that from her viewpoint that the environment hoopla about overfishing is overblown and while these statements do make the reader long for more knowledge on the topic, I guess the authenticity of the book is that we get the raw one-sided opinion of a true fisherman (woman) and not some policy wonk. A very good read.