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fbroom's review against another edition
5.0
UPDATE: three years later and I still think that this is the most romantic book I've ever read.
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I’m not a surfer and I don’t know anything about surfing but I found this book to be absolutely charming and genuine. I just loved hearing the author talk about those waves. It was a relaxing book for me and my long commutes.
The first part was about William’s childhood in Los Angeles and Hawaii.
The second part was about his traveling around the world surfing at many spots.
The third part was about coming back home from traveling around the world and settling down but still surfing.
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I’m not a surfer and I don’t know anything about surfing but I found this book to be absolutely charming and genuine. I just loved hearing the author talk about those waves. It was a relaxing book for me and my long commutes.
The first part was about William’s childhood in Los Angeles and Hawaii.
The second part was about his traveling around the world surfing at many spots.
The third part was about coming back home from traveling around the world and settling down but still surfing.
mrs_bonaventure's review against another edition
5.0
This was the book of the summer for me - every time I picked it up, it felt as if I dived into the sea, and cane away drenched and salty. I can’t surf, I’ve only tried it twice and although I loved it, I’m coming very late to the party and I’m not sure my runner’s knees would stand very much of it. However this is much more than a surfing book - it’s more like a meditation on life, a document on mastery, at practice, and the ineffable, the sublime touched only now and again during that lifelong practice. Taking in Hawaii, California, Indonesia, Australia and New York, from the 60s to the 2000s, and with an acute political sensibility and sense of place, I loved this from the moment I entered the water.
tintinintibet's review against another edition
5.0
Here's how I think this gets scored. +1 if "off the beaten track" is a good thing, -3 if that's pejorative. +0.5 for interest in each of the following: South Pacific, Hawaii, Malibu, San Francisco, South Africa, Portugal. Give another point if you've lived in any and another if you've driven cross country. +2 if you like the New Yorker, +2 if you're a surfer, -1 if neither applies. +2 if "camping" sounds annoyingly fancy, +1 if it makes you think of a bear canister, -1 if it means a kitchenette in the room. +1 for actually doing that math, since you'll probably also be willing to go along for the ride in this book.
davidlane47's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25