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sceadugenga's review against another edition
4.0
This is quite a remarkable first book, I started reading it because it was set in Alaska and involved the fishing industry but finished it because of the characters and plot.
The people Brendan writes about are so real, even minor players spring to life and you think... Yes! I know someone just like that.
The people Brendan writes about are so real, even minor players spring to life and you think... Yes! I know someone just like that.
patsaintsfan's review against another edition
5.0
WOW! I just went on one of the best adventures in bookland! I absolutely loved this novel. Who knew I would fall so deeply in love with a book surrounded by fishing. A lot of fishing! This book hit me in deep ways, and I couldn't put it down until I absolutely had to. Then the wait to return was almost painful. I felt such connection and affection for so many of these characters! Beautiful book!
sweetloladoo's review against another edition
2.0
I received this ARC through a Goodreads giveaway.
I found this book really boring. I struggled to connect to Tara, the main character. The author's acknowledgements were by far the most compelling part of this book.
I found this book really boring. I struggled to connect to Tara, the main character. The author's acknowledgements were by far the most compelling part of this book.
cellyp's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a great read for me! I could not put it down, and I felt like I was with Tara in Alaska, struggling to adapt and fit in as well! I highly recommend!
vnesting's review against another edition
4.0
Tara, a fierce young woman in need of a fresh start, arrives in Alaska to work in a salmon hatchery. She is running away from the death of her mother, her father's wrath, and her own personal demons. The writing is elegant and completely absorbing -- evoking both the harsh beauty of the place as well as the interior battles Tara is fighting. A real gem.
louisekf's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
I decided to read Alaskan Laundry after spending two weeks in Alaska this summer and loved our too-short stop at Sitka. The author seems to have really brought his life experience to this novel, although the main character is female. The descriptions of the landscape, the hard work of various aspects of the fishing industry (hatchery, processor, fishing/crabbing boats) and the people who live in the fictional Port Anna (modeled after the real Sitka) are vivid and eye-opening in many ways.
The main character, Tara, runs off from Philadelphia to Alaska after high school, to get away from some “bad stuff”. She meets up with a variety of interesting characters and has to prove herself over and over again, particularly as Alaska and its fishing industry are considered a man’s world. All the while, she’s coming to grips with her history and her relationship with the guy back home. I would have preferred a bit more personality, not just the “former boxer tough girl” persona that author presents.
I did wind up skimming some of the more detailed descriptions of the various fishing processes, how to tie different knots, fixing engines, and so forth. There was too much of that.
I decided to read Alaskan Laundry after spending two weeks in Alaska this summer and loved our too-short stop at Sitka. The author seems to have really brought his life experience to this novel, although the main character is female. The descriptions of the landscape, the hard work of various aspects of the fishing industry (hatchery, processor, fishing/crabbing boats) and the people who live in the fictional Port Anna (modeled after the real Sitka) are vivid and eye-opening in many ways.
The main character, Tara, runs off from Philadelphia to Alaska after high school, to get away from some “bad stuff”. She meets up with a variety of interesting characters and has to prove herself over and over again, particularly as Alaska and its fishing industry are considered a man’s world. All the while, she’s coming to grips with her history and her relationship with the guy back home. I would have preferred a bit more personality, not just the “former boxer tough girl” persona that author presents.
I did wind up skimming some of the more detailed descriptions of the various fishing processes, how to tie different knots, fixing engines, and so forth. There was too much of that.
bufally47's review against another edition
4.0
Talk about a portal into another world. This novel follows Tara Marconi, a young woman from Philly, as she tries to escape grief and trauma by working the fisheries in Alaska. Her resilience is staggering. But just as prominent are the hodgepodge, rough-and-tumble communities that make up Port Anna and its surroundings. Jones really seemed to have a handle on Philly but he also managed to capture the attitudes of not only native Alaskans but also that of a chatty Appalachian with a treasure trove of southern aphorisms. I even loved getting lost in the rhythm of the work being described. Everything is so unknown to me – the terminology, the processes – that it was thrilling to learn it vicariously through Tara. And I like that Jones made her tough but flawed, competent in her work but a bit quick-tempered and sometimes callous. Considering the claustrophobic nature of the community I was worried that monotony might creep in, but Jones managed to keep it fresh with little surprises sprinkled evenly throughout the novel.
pennyriley's review against another edition
4.0
What a find this book was! Even more remarkable this is a debut novel, but Brendon Jones knows both his subject and his art. With time to spare, I am challenging myself to read books I would not usually choose, and young woman finding out who she is, having escaped her urban life and moved to the fishing industry in Alaska, is not one I would usually pick up. The characters are tough, reflecting the hard lives they live. Near the end you will find out the reason for the rather cryptic title. It is the ending which dropped a star for me; it was a book that demanded an ending - everything else in the book was sure, certain and without hesitation, so the lack of a firm ending jarred. I really recommend this!
sophronisba's review against another edition
Could not get into this book at all and ultimately abandoned it. Tara felt like a cliche to me and the dialogue was awfully stilted to my ear. Maybe people more interested in the Alaskan fishing industry will have better luck with it.
piepieb's review against another edition
Not quite sure how to rate this. It sounded interesting, I really like the "Alaskan laundry" metaphor, and I loved the northern lights scene. I loved Keta the wolf dog, and I loved the friendship/romance between Connor and Tara. But the very-detailed scenes of fishing and working eventually became really dry and old. I don't think Tara was a very likeable character. In the end, I slogged through it anyway.