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readersincealways's review
5.0
Evocative of The Perfect Storm. Deals mainly with the downing of the Wind Blown during a horrific storm, but also, poignantly, details the fall out from trauma for those left behind.
shadira78's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This Book did not disappoint. I could tell that the author did an exhaustive amount of research that went into this book. In addition there was an excellent review of the cultural, social, and economic history of the East End of Long Island. Some have commented the book jumps around too much and is disorganized. I did not find this to be a problem as different characters and family members were focused on at different times so a neat chronological sequence in the book was not possible. Additionally, the pieces of the story came together for me easily, first the tragedy and then the whole backstory.
Journalist Fairbanks debuts with a deeply reported and moving account of how a tragedy has affected a Long Island fishing community. In March 1984, the four-man commercial fishing boat Wind Blown disappeared in a nor’easter between Montauk Point and Block Island. Fairbanks sketches how Montauk and other Long Island villages became playgrounds for wealthy New Yorkers who spent summers there, and shows that by the 1980s, soaring property rates pushed commercial fishermen to go farther out to sea in pursuit of more profitable catches. She notes that commercial fishing has “a fatality rate twenty-nine times higher than the average for all other occupations,” and describes the psychological toll on local families through in-depth interviews with relatives and friends of the Wind Blown’s crew members, whose bodies have never been recovered. She notes that all four men had troubled relationships with their fathers, and unearths a family secret that compounded the grief of captain Mike Stedman’s wife and three sons after his death. Fairbanks skillfully folds the socioeconomic issues into her narrative, and brings her subjects, especially Stedman’s widow, Mary, to vivid life. The result is a memorable portrait of loss
The author’s genuine desire to provide an accurate account of the history of the Wind Blown and the lives of its crew members is evident in her extensive research and attention to detail, making this a no-brainer for fans of The Perfect Storm and similar books.
A riveting man-vs.-nature story and compelling tribute to those who perished.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Journalist Fairbanks debuts with a deeply reported and moving account of how a tragedy has affected a Long Island fishing community. In March 1984, the four-man commercial fishing boat Wind Blown disappeared in a nor’easter between Montauk Point and Block Island. Fairbanks sketches how Montauk and other Long Island villages became playgrounds for wealthy New Yorkers who spent summers there, and shows that by the 1980s, soaring property rates pushed commercial fishermen to go farther out to sea in pursuit of more profitable catches. She notes that commercial fishing has “a fatality rate twenty-nine times higher than the average for all other occupations,” and describes the psychological toll on local families through in-depth interviews with relatives and friends of the Wind Blown’s crew members, whose bodies have never been recovered. She notes that all four men had troubled relationships with their fathers, and unearths a family secret that compounded the grief of captain Mike Stedman’s wife and three sons after his death. Fairbanks skillfully folds the socioeconomic issues into her narrative, and brings her subjects, especially Stedman’s widow, Mary, to vivid life. The result is a memorable portrait of loss
The author’s genuine desire to provide an accurate account of the history of the Wind Blown and the lives of its crew members is evident in her extensive research and attention to detail, making this a no-brainer for fans of The Perfect Storm and similar books.
A riveting man-vs.-nature story and compelling tribute to those who perished.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
melovestoread's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.25
An interesting story told in a confusing way. Lots of names and jumping around time periods that made it hard to follow at times. My heart goes out to those who lost their lives at sea and for their family and friends.
msmouse's review
3.0
This book is a meditation on how one incident can impact a life, or in this case many lives. Its inciting incident isn’t really a mystery: a bad storm and a badly designed, some said unsuitable, boat. Four lives cut short and the people they left behind. But death at sea leaves lingering questions and a lack of closure. What does that do to those left behind?
Despite calling this a narrative nonfiction, the author tends to jump from person to person, interview to interview, trying to answer that question. I enjoyed the book, but at times I found the structure trying. Occasionally, I’d lose track of how this person’s story relates to the larger affair. 2.5 stars, but I recommend the book overall.
PS: this isn’t important to the main story, but there’s something SO uniquely American when someone calls a person a “druggie” because he smokes pot with his wife sometimes. It’s so jarring
Despite calling this a narrative nonfiction, the author tends to jump from person to person, interview to interview, trying to answer that question. I enjoyed the book, but at times I found the structure trying. Occasionally, I’d lose track of how this person’s story relates to the larger affair. 2.5 stars, but I recommend the book overall.
PS: this isn’t important to the main story, but there’s something SO uniquely American when someone calls a person a “druggie” because he smokes pot with his wife sometimes. It’s so jarring
eileen9311's review
3.0
This involved an actual account of a fishing vessel that disappeared without a trace during a fierce nor’easter, in 1984. It’s an intriguing approach, in that the author offers a window into the lives and backgrounds of the four fishermen on board. Why were they drawn to this way of life, the author wondered? Two of the four had come from very wealthy backgrounds, attending prestigious eastern prep schools, an aspect I found particularly fascinating! Several family trees were provided in the front of the book, which would have proved helpful. However, I forgot they were there, and consequently struggled unnecessarily with the various generations!
Rounding out the picture, the author describes how Montauk evolved from an unpretentious fishing village to a tony summer retreat for the very wealthy.
‘Back in the nineteenth century, Montauk had an isolated, largely uninhabited beauty. Some have likened its rolling hills to the moors of Scotland and the South Downs of England. Although Montauk more than equals Manhattan in area and lies within easy striking distance of the city (Montauk is 125 miles from New York), its remoteness, especially in winter, when deer outnumber people, has drawn comparisons to Mongolia.’
The reader learns how businessmen with vision could picture Montauk’s Fort Pond Bay as a ‘future transatlantic port of entry for ships travelling to and from Europe’. In order to make Long Island accessible, the president of the Long Island Railroad oversaw the production of high-speed trains which would whisk passengers between Montauk and Queens in two and a half hours. Friday afternoon happy hour would commence as workers boarded the 4:06 Cannonball at Penn Station, and many passengers were quite mellow upon arrival at Southampton and Montauk! This facilitated the colonization by summer people, and thereby came the transformation.
The loss of the Wind Blown was a terrible tragedy which rocked the little community. While it happened nearly twenty years ago survivors are still grieving. Why did all the other fishing boats get back into safety in time? The author diligently sought to interview numerous friends and family members, as she tried to fit the puzzle pieces together. There were definitely some dysfunctional relationships in play. The captain of the boat and one of his crew members had come from wealth, and both young men were determined not to follow expectations regarding their futures. They almost resented their backgrounds and found their social status an embarrassment. The other two young men had grown up around the water and this is what they knew.
Drugs were in play. The wealthy boys had the leisure and the means to dabble in this trouble. Surfing had become a popular pastime, a strong distraction bordering on obsession.
I did enjoy up close look at that other world. Some of the relationship undercurrents left me incredulous, but then that’s part of why this was a good story!
Rounding out the picture, the author describes how Montauk evolved from an unpretentious fishing village to a tony summer retreat for the very wealthy.
‘Back in the nineteenth century, Montauk had an isolated, largely uninhabited beauty. Some have likened its rolling hills to the moors of Scotland and the South Downs of England. Although Montauk more than equals Manhattan in area and lies within easy striking distance of the city (Montauk is 125 miles from New York), its remoteness, especially in winter, when deer outnumber people, has drawn comparisons to Mongolia.’
The reader learns how businessmen with vision could picture Montauk’s Fort Pond Bay as a ‘future transatlantic port of entry for ships travelling to and from Europe’. In order to make Long Island accessible, the president of the Long Island Railroad oversaw the production of high-speed trains which would whisk passengers between Montauk and Queens in two and a half hours. Friday afternoon happy hour would commence as workers boarded the 4:06 Cannonball at Penn Station, and many passengers were quite mellow upon arrival at Southampton and Montauk! This facilitated the colonization by summer people, and thereby came the transformation.
The loss of the Wind Blown was a terrible tragedy which rocked the little community. While it happened nearly twenty years ago survivors are still grieving. Why did all the other fishing boats get back into safety in time? The author diligently sought to interview numerous friends and family members, as she tried to fit the puzzle pieces together. There were definitely some dysfunctional relationships in play. The captain of the boat and one of his crew members had come from wealth, and both young men were determined not to follow expectations regarding their futures. They almost resented their backgrounds and found their social status an embarrassment. The other two young men had grown up around the water and this is what they knew.
Drugs were in play. The wealthy boys had the leisure and the means to dabble in this trouble. Surfing had become a popular pastime, a strong distraction bordering on obsession.
I did enjoy up close look at that other world. Some of the relationship undercurrents left me incredulous, but then that’s part of why this was a good story!