amy1980's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
medium-paced
4.0
Enjoyed this a lot
iuanto's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
4.75
Hell and High Water is the story of Sean Conway's epic swim from one end of Britain to the other. With very little experience and limited preparation, Conway took on the near-impossible challenge and achieved something no-one else had.
I don't usually read books like this, but something about Conway's story appealed to me - so much so that I could barely put it down, and finished it in two days.
The story is brought vividly to life by Conway's warmth, humour and self-deprecating style. He has a gift for storytelling that brings you into the adventure, so that you're almost there in the water with him. You feel the pain of every setback and a warm glow with every triumph (and dram of whisky).
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and, while I'm not about to swim the length of Britain, it has given me more confidence to tackle my own infinitely more modest challenge.
I don't usually read books like this, but something about Conway's story appealed to me - so much so that I could barely put it down, and finished it in two days.
The story is brought vividly to life by Conway's warmth, humour and self-deprecating style. He has a gift for storytelling that brings you into the adventure, so that you're almost there in the water with him. You feel the pain of every setback and a warm glow with every triumph (and dram of whisky).
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and, while I'm not about to swim the length of Britain, it has given me more confidence to tackle my own infinitely more modest challenge.
clairegam's review
4.0
Sean Conway deserves five stars - he is inspirational and achieving this feat when many doubted he could deserved to be commended! I couldn't however give the book five stars - it's a definite page-turner and made me laugh but the writing was at times a little simple and repetitive and I would have liked some more detailed maps to follow the route and story. That being said, this book is short and succinct enough to appeal to all audiences and I can appreciate why it has been kept brief. This book has made me want to start planning my next adventure - saw this quote on Sean's Instagram and I think it sums up his swim and exceptional outlook on life...
"Boredom is a disease. You catch it by doing the same, being the same, as everybody else.But the cure is simple. Be true to yourself. Life's too short for compromise."
"Boredom is a disease. You catch it by doing the same, being the same, as everybody else.But the cure is simple. Be true to yourself. Life's too short for compromise."
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