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forestsfernsfries's review
5.0
I'm so glad that someone in my book club picked this book. It took a while for me to get into her writing style, but once I was about 25% in, I couldn't put it down. Liz Clark offers adventurous tales with a perceptive nature and self-awareness that made me feel like I could understand her as a person. Throughout reading this book, I was grateful for her self exploration and desire to better herself because through her insights I was able to change my own thinking on certain things. This went from a book I was trying to get through for book club, to a book that really resonated with me and helped me through some of my own emotional baggage. What a truly special book. I recommend this to anyone who is willing to push past the first awkward portion of her story to the parts where she really dives in to her personal truths. I'm so sad it's over, and just in awe of how great it was.
yodamom's review
4.0
What an adventure she had. She was in school, working at a bar when she met a mentor that would encourage her to live her dreams, not only that he was willing to help get her going. She gained funds from family and friends and got moving on her goal, to sail around the world. It seemed simple, but as she worked through it the details were nearly overwhelming. She never quit, she may have crumpled a few times, but never quit and it got really hard. Being a woman, mostly alone in a world were men view women as less really scared me. She took chances that made me scream internally. How many times did she walk down these deserted roads in foreign countries with her surfboard ?! She was very lucky to have met so many kind open and loving people, there was a one truely craptastic one that left his mark. All this time alone gave her time to become more, to think more and she became a different person by the end of the book. The writing is rough, raw and honest.
I grew up much like the main character of this book. I sailed every weekend with my family to Catalina, I dove, I surfed, anything in the water. When I read the blurb I knew I would enjoy the story. She ended up doing what I only dreamed of and never had the guts to do. Bravo to this incredibly strong and brave soul. I would recommend this to anyone that loves the ocean, they who dream of true freedom with difficult choices. Be warned she is extremely open about everything, if you feel the need to control others this is not the book for you.
I grew up much like the main character of this book. I sailed every weekend with my family to Catalina, I dove, I surfed, anything in the water. When I read the blurb I knew I would enjoy the story. She ended up doing what I only dreamed of and never had the guts to do. Bravo to this incredibly strong and brave soul. I would recommend this to anyone that loves the ocean, they who dream of true freedom with difficult choices. Be warned she is extremely open about everything, if you feel the need to control others this is not the book for you.
kellyxmen's review
3.0
The Good: informational, honest, author is somewhat self-aware, at times funny and adventurous (mostly in the first 3/4), encourages the reader to remain faithful to soul urges, the cat is likable
The Bad: the last quarter is incredibly repetitive and whiny; most of her revelations are platitudes; self-indulgent whilst putting on airs of being motivated by a noble cause (as if this journey is anything but self-serving)
But that privileged-white-person-on-gap-year-pretending-to-be-a-self-chosen-noble-knight-here-to-educate-people-about-following-dreams-and-environmentalism attitude is rampant in this genre/lifestyle. It's not just her. It's normalized.
By and large, it was just ok.
The Bad: the last quarter is incredibly repetitive and whiny; most of her revelations are platitudes; self-indulgent whilst putting on airs of being motivated by a noble cause (as if this journey is anything but self-serving)
But that privileged-white-person-on-gap-year-pretending-to-be-a-self-chosen-noble-knight-here-to-educate-people-about-following-dreams-and-environmentalism attitude is rampant in this genre/lifestyle. It's not just her. It's normalized.
By and large, it was just ok.
squeakfan's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Abortion