maplegrey's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sonia_reppe's review against another edition
4.0
The fated events of this cruise vacation are told through three view-points: a chef, a musician, and a passenger named Christine who is vacationing with her friend. I think I liked all three viewpoints equally. Each of their arcs was interesting, although Christine's life decision near the end seemed abrupt. The ending of the book itself seemed abrupt. I felt like the blunt ending could have been tempered and even made really powerful in the hands of a different, more masterful author. I feel bad for saying that, because Christensen's writing is fun, but that is what I thought right after reading the last sentence.
Central to the plot is the poor conditions of the workers and the greediness of the cruise owners.
They are mostly from other countries and get paid poorly. In this book, the only American workers were in management or entertainment. (Probably how it really is).
The ship is an old vintage one, and the author uses this to imagine things going wrong, which is then exacerbated by the greed of the owner.
I believe this could be recommended to a variety of readers. There is the workers rights issue, the multiple viewpoint that are male and female, the diverse characters; those that like music elememts will enjoy the string quartet parts.
Central to the plot is the poor conditions of the workers and the greediness of the cruise owners.
They are mostly from other countries and get paid poorly. In this book, the only American workers were in management or entertainment. (Probably how it really is).
The ship is an old vintage one, and the author uses this to imagine things going wrong, which is then exacerbated by the greed of the owner.
I believe this could be recommended to a variety of readers. There is the workers rights issue, the multiple viewpoint that are male and female, the diverse characters; those that like music elememts will enjoy the string quartet parts.
lola425's review
4.0
Read in prepub. Due out July 2018. Christensen creates interesting, fully formed characters that do interesting things and this book was no exception. In an author less skilled than Christensen the story could have traveled a typical thriller type path. All the elements are there: action takes place on a cruise ship making its final voyage, characters from different walks of life thrown together, a crisis, but Christensen uses these elements to tell a story about the characters that resists cliche and the ending doesn't take the easy way out. Good stuff, add it to your TBR list.
pharmdad2007's review
3.0
Interesting and thought provoking, this book is an incomplete look at what can go wrong when you depend on a hundred disgruntled workers to get you safely across the world's largest ocean. Very open-ended, leaving the end result to the imagination.
sherylcat's review
2.0
Had to listen to the last 2 minutes of this book twice. Hmmmm not sure what to think.
leawyo's review
4.0
Almost 5!!! This book took me in and didn’t let me go until I was done. I’ve been in my car hiding from life so I could finish!!
scottflanary's review
3.0
My friend Mel thought I’d like this book for its slightly eerie tone, engaging characters, and open ended ending. She was right! I used to work on cruise ships and the way the author describes life (the cliques by country; the crew bar; how crew saves their pay; the way they interact with passengers; the below-deck lifestyle and description of crew quarters) is all spot on! This led to a more interesting read for me. If you’re interested in that below-deck life, the first half of the book will fly by.
What kept me at 3 stars was how the plot started off as one thing but then shifted away from that focus near the conclusion. There was a very quick “romantic union” as well which just didn’t work for me.
Like my friend, I was left thinking about these characters between readings, so overall I enjoyed the novel.
What kept me at 3 stars was how the plot started off as one thing but then shifted away from that focus near the conclusion. There was a very quick “romantic union” as well which just didn’t work for me.
Like my friend, I was left thinking about these characters between readings, so overall I enjoyed the novel.
bethreadsandnaps's review
2.0
I’ve been on three cruises. My first cruise started with a fire in the engine room a few hours after departure, and we had to turn around, which put a damper on the whole cruise experience, but nothing like this one.
I was a bit befuddled by what this novel was trying to be. A retiring cruise ship leaves Long Beach for one last nostalgic cruise to Hawaii, and everything goes completely wrong at the same time almost halfway through the novel: fire, no power, no water, worker strike, norovirus. Is it supposed to be a character study? A satire on cruises? A history lesson? Worker uprising tale? A survival story? Unfortunately, it doesn’t find its footing (or sea legs) and becomes not much of anything.
There are three main characters: a housewife Christine from a farm in Maine and her friend who got her to come on the cruise, a violinist Miriam who is part of a string quartet, and chef Mick.
I feel the author had too many threads going and should have selected just a few. Also, I was disappointed that the setting wasn’t explored more. A cruise ship can have a claustrophobic, almost gothic, setting, and little was done to create that atmosphere.
I was a bit befuddled by what this novel was trying to be. A retiring cruise ship leaves Long Beach for one last nostalgic cruise to Hawaii, and everything goes completely wrong at the same time almost halfway through the novel: fire, no power, no water, worker strike, norovirus. Is it supposed to be a character study? A satire on cruises? A history lesson? Worker uprising tale? A survival story? Unfortunately, it doesn’t find its footing (or sea legs) and becomes not much of anything.
There are three main characters: a housewife Christine from a farm in Maine and her friend who got her to come on the cruise, a violinist Miriam who is part of a string quartet, and chef Mick.
I feel the author had too many threads going and should have selected just a few. Also, I was disappointed that the setting wasn’t explored more. A cruise ship can have a claustrophobic, almost gothic, setting, and little was done to create that atmosphere.