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jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
This is my 2nd in a row Caribbean novel for young people and I’m amazed by the similarities: striking out alone to survive, the pull of grandparents who are deeply connected to the island, the corruption and financial/moral struggle of their parents’ generation, the love of the sea and its healing powers, the hard lives of the young people. I wish Lloyd’s chapters were written in 1st person instead of 3rd; I wanted to be closer to him. The corruption of the ocean and the increasing violations of the laws of the sea were strong themes in this beautiful book about a boy’s love for his grandfather.
truenicks's review
4.0
Diana McCaulay’s Gone to Drift tells the tale of Lloyd, or Lloydie as he is affectionately called in his community, who when he realises that his grandfather, known as ‘Maas Conrad’, has been out to sea longer than usual, even for a seasoned fisherman, grows anxious and questions whether he is okay. While the community shares in his worry, no one seems to be too preoccupied with looking for the old man. Fishermen go missing sometimes, it’s part of the risk involved being out on the open water. They council Lloyd to wait. If his grandfather is alright he will return. But as Lloyd asks around he finds himself suspicious about the events surrounding his grandfather’s ‘disappearance’ and decides that he has to find him himself, sooner rather than later.
Gone to Drift is not an action packed thriller. It’s a quiet, contemplative story that tells several stories at once. A story of how greed can compromise the soul of man, making him willing to ‘make ends meet’ at any cost. A story of community knowledge, practices and skills and how they were quietly passed down through generations but are now lost to a way of life that once was. It’s a story of the forever ongoing disregard human beings have had for the environment.
But most importantly, it’s a story of family ties particularly between grandparents and their grandchildren, as Lloyd’s love for his grandfather is what motivates him to take risks to find him.
You can read the rest of my review at https://criticsmaylie.wordpress.com/2021/06/25/diana-mccaulay-gone-to-drift/
Gone to Drift is not an action packed thriller. It’s a quiet, contemplative story that tells several stories at once. A story of how greed can compromise the soul of man, making him willing to ‘make ends meet’ at any cost. A story of community knowledge, practices and skills and how they were quietly passed down through generations but are now lost to a way of life that once was. It’s a story of the forever ongoing disregard human beings have had for the environment.
But most importantly, it’s a story of family ties particularly between grandparents and their grandchildren, as Lloyd’s love for his grandfather is what motivates him to take risks to find him.
You can read the rest of my review at https://criticsmaylie.wordpress.com/2021/06/25/diana-mccaulay-gone-to-drift/
the_fabric_of_words's review
5.0
We picked this one up on a "library run," and my 16-year-old daughter, who happened to be reading Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea for high school English, pointed out many parallels.
She loved this story about how dolphin rustlers almost kill the MC's grandfather. The old man must survive the open sea on a tiny little rock until his stubborn, persistent, nature-loving grandson defies his parents and comes to save him.
Powerful stuff, wrapped in an eulogy of how rich, diverse and powerful the sea used to be in the Caribbean.
Thank you, Diana McCaulay. My daughter wishes there was something we all could do to restore it to its glory of 100 years ago.
Visit my blog for more book reviews, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
She loved this story about how dolphin rustlers almost kill the MC's grandfather. The old man must survive the open sea on a tiny little rock until his stubborn, persistent, nature-loving grandson defies his parents and comes to save him.
Powerful stuff, wrapped in an eulogy of how rich, diverse and powerful the sea used to be in the Caribbean.
Thank you, Diana McCaulay. My daughter wishes there was something we all could do to restore it to its glory of 100 years ago.
Visit my blog for more book reviews, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
daniellestarredpages's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Review to come
dusk's review
4.0
Gone to Drift is a story about the people whose lives are centered around the sea- those who love and care for it, and those that only care about what it brings to them. The sea is the setting, the creatures within it are a focus and it seems to soak through every page. The fishing culture of the caribbean is practically a world away from my own but, with each page-turn, I experienced it.
This book begins a a slowburner: quiet, unflashy - not groundbreaking, but special nonetheless. It is filled with a deep love for the sea and the importance of protecting it. It is about people, too, and their past and worries and desperations. It doesn’t demonize those who hurt the sea and the people that love it: just mourns them, in its own way. I particularly liked all the descriptions of the wildlife around the sea. Lloyd’s side drags a bit for the first hundred pages, but I found myself enjoying the grandfather’s POV even when it did. They balanced each other out well. The characters felt very layered and I appreciated their lack of flatness. They all felt real: real experiences, real memories, real emotions. It reminded me of the beauty of the sea and gave me a newfound love for the creatures - and people - that call it home.
No questionable content. Do I recommend it? Only to some, only if you can appreciate a slower pace and can enjoy the journey. I came in skeptical, but I found myself enjoying it.
4.5 stars.
This book begins a a slowburner: quiet, unflashy - not groundbreaking, but special nonetheless. It is filled with a deep love for the sea and the importance of protecting it. It is about people, too, and their past and worries and desperations. It doesn’t demonize those who hurt the sea and the people that love it: just mourns them, in its own way. I particularly liked all the descriptions of the wildlife around the sea. Lloyd’s side drags a bit for the first hundred pages, but I found myself enjoying the grandfather’s POV even when it did. They balanced each other out well. The characters felt very layered and I appreciated their lack of flatness. They all felt real: real experiences, real memories, real emotions. It reminded me of the beauty of the sea and gave me a newfound love for the creatures - and people - that call it home.
No questionable content. Do I recommend it? Only to some, only if you can appreciate a slower pace and can enjoy the journey. I came in skeptical, but I found myself enjoying it.
4.5 stars.
nkei's review
4.0
Lloyd, if ever I am lost I would want you to look for me. Lloyd’s determination, grit, bravery in this story was fueled by the love for his grandfather who was lost at sea (“gone to drift”). The author skillfully developed this plot via two different voices: Lloyd’s whose plot was told in 3rd person as he ventured to find his granddad (this method she was able to develop a great story which sometimes mask the age of the Lloyd who was only twelve as he made some mature decisions) and his grandfather’s plot was told in 1st person and this aided the plot development of Maas Conrad (Lloyd’s grandfather) life from childhood to an adult as a fisherman. Though this story was for young adults I truly enjoyed it and a great attempt of using fiction to also bring awareness of the overfishing, and how it could affect our environment and the challenges or rather thin line of securing one’s livelihood and ensuring marine life continue to exist. I love this book and look forward to more of this author’s work.
amylandranch's review
3.0
The setting of Jamaica makes for an interesting backdrop to the story of a boy, his love for his grandpa, and what happens when his grandpa gets lost at sea. The chapters alternate between Lloyd and his grandfather (as he remembers his life while lost). It is a slower story with bits of action, and it has a lot of information about how fishing has changed along with the hard lives that some people lead. The dialect took me a little to get into but once I did it flowed. There is some mention of drugs, drinking and some mild violence. 6th grade and up.
podie's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of a young boy and his quest to find his grandfather lost at sea. Simple enough and yet it cut so deeply. I'm not sure if it was because I related so much to the place and people, them being my people, but I felt like I was right there alongside Llyodie as he traveled around the island on his journey to rescue his grandfather.
This truly was a touching story, it gives insight into the lives of people living in fishing villages and the struggle they have to go through. It also sheds light on the terrible fact that our seas are now terribly over-fished and not only can people no longer earn a decent living from the seas, but the inhabitants of the sea themselves have a hard time living there because of what we as humans have done to it.
I liked the relationship with the grandfather and the sea, especially his connection with the dolphins. It truly was a lifelong relationship and one that was so woven into his fate.
This was an excellent read and one I would recommend to anyone that has a love for the sea and the creatures that inhabit them.
This truly was a touching story, it gives insight into the lives of people living in fishing villages and the struggle they have to go through. It also sheds light on the terrible fact that our seas are now terribly over-fished and not only can people no longer earn a decent living from the seas, but the inhabitants of the sea themselves have a hard time living there because of what we as humans have done to it.
I liked the relationship with the grandfather and the sea, especially his connection with the dolphins. It truly was a lifelong relationship and one that was so woven into his fate.
This was an excellent read and one I would recommend to anyone that has a love for the sea and the creatures that inhabit them.
loubilou's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
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