The Hungry Ocean
Written by Linda Greenlaw
Narrated by Linda Greenlaw
4/5
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About this audiobook
The term fisherwoman does not exactly roll trippingly off the tongue, and Linda Greenlaw, the world's only female swordfish boat captain, isn't flattered when people insist on calling her one. "I am a woman. I am a fisherman. . . I am not a fisherwoman, fisherlady, or fishergirl. If anything else, I am a thirty-seven-year-old tomboy. It's a word I have never outgrown."
Greenlaw also happens to be one of the most successful fishermen in the Grand Banks commercial fleet, though until the publication of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, "nobody cared." Greenlaw's boat, the Hannah Boden, was the sister ship to the doomed Andrea Gail, which disappeared in the mother of all storms in 1991 and became the focus of Junger's book.
The Hungry Ocean, Greenlaw's account of a monthlong swordfishing trip over 1,000 nautical miles out to sea, tells the story of what happens when things go right—proving, in the process, that every successful voyage is a study in narrowly averted disaster. There is the weather, the constant danger of mechanical failure, the perils of controlling five sleep-, women-, and booze-deprived young fishermen in close quarters, not to mention the threat of a bad fishing run: "If we don't catch fish, we don't get paid, period. In short, there is no labor union."
Greenlaw's straightforward, uncluttered prose underscores the qualities that make her a good captain, regardless of gender: fairness, physical and mental endurance, obsessive attention to detail. But, ultimately, Greenlaw proves that the love of fishing—in all of its grueling, isolating, suspenseful glory—is a matter of the heart and blood, not the mind.
"I knew that the ocean had stories to tell me, all I needed to do was listen."—Svenja Soldovieri
Linda Greenlaw
Linda Greenlaw is the author of the bestsellers The Hungry Ocean, All Fishermen Are Liars, and The Lobster Chronicles. She is the world's only female swordfish captain and was a primary source for the book, The Perfect Storm. She has been listed in Vanity Fair's "Hall of Fame," and is currently featured in the Discovery Channel's Swords: Life on the Line.
More audiobooks from Linda Greenlaw
The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All Fishermen Are Liars: True Tales from the Dry Dock Bar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for The Hungry Ocean
18 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I made it 15-minutes and quit listening thanks to the incessant foul language that I consider completely unnecessary to have a good story line. If you don't mind listening to something that sounds like it was written with the foul mouth of a junior high brat then this book may very well be just fine. If you don't care for a lot of foul language then don't bother with this book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Linda keeps your imagination right on board the whole voyage. Grabbing pizza for breakfast whilst holding a gaff after 4 hours sleep. An intriguing portrayal of the colourful lives of those called to haul fish from the blue desert.