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ohhek's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
janiswong's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
A book I borrowed that I would have never bought myself. I really enjoyed how the author emersed themselves into ship life and it illuminated the hardship of working on a ship as well as how much effort is needed to get a parcel or item from one place to another. It made me reassess how much I take for granted when it comes to ordering things or buying them from shops. A timely read given that the pandemic has forced us to make our purchases online and having them shipped from all over the world.
chalicotherex's review
2.0
The travelogue about life on a modern cargo ship was interesting and informative. Same with the stuff on whales and modern piracy. But the author's scattershot survey of all the seafaring narratives she's read was often too digressive. I wanted to read about depressed Filipinos and forlorn Norwegians and shit, and instead I'd get bogged down by numbers or the story of Julius Caesar being captured by pirates or that about the neglect of the merchant marines in WWII.
Also repeatedly listened to Icebreaker International's album Trein Maersk: A Report To The NATOarts Board of Directors while reading this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSMbtc6PsKo
Also repeatedly listened to Icebreaker International's album Trein Maersk: A Report To The NATOarts Board of Directors while reading this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSMbtc6PsKo
thekatedit's review
5.0
A fascinating book on a subject that I thought I knew a little more about than the man on the street; however, it kept me hooked. Rose George covers so many different aspects of shipping that I’d never even considered, such as the impact on marine life, the role of ships’ missions and the dangers of piracy. I kept on stopping to read bits out loud to anyone who would listen to me.
avid_d's review
3.0
A very interesting and informative read, if not quite what I was expecting.
My mistake was to expect a book based upon the author's experiences at sea. In fact, the book is more a series of chapters on aspects of the merchant navy e.g piracy, environmental impact, employment pratices etc, with her spell on board a large shipping container ship merely the framework.
My mistake was to expect a book based upon the author's experiences at sea. In fact, the book is more a series of chapters on aspects of the merchant navy e.g piracy, environmental impact, employment pratices etc, with her spell on board a large shipping container ship merely the framework.