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Reviews
The Finest Hours: The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue by Casey Sherman, Michael J. Tougias
lazy_raven's review against another edition
4.0
Good retelling of when the Coast Guard rescued sailors for 2 ships that broke in half at the same time in the same area without modern technology.
the_schaef's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this short book. It gives you a great deal of respect for the brotherhood that must transcend the Coast Guard and the willingness to confront outrageous conditions to save the lives of men who have decided to make their living on the ocean.
lmh5235's review against another edition
3.0
This was a major heroic event, one of the largest and most dangerous rescues, but I feel the writing and style short-changed the story and left it kind of blah. It was difficult to keep myself engaged in the story.
notcolleen's review against another edition
4.0
Truly in awe of these Coast Guardsmen and their incredible bravery in rescuing the stranded crew of the Fort Mercer and Pendleton after both tankers split in half during a powerful Nor’easter off the coast of Cape Cod during February of 1952. This book details the strength of human courage when faced with the sublime power of the Mother Nature.
The vivid descriptions of the rescue are riveting, and the high stakes keep the pages turning. The humility of all these rescuers after the fact is amazing. I was especially captivated with the story of Bernie Webber, Richard Livesey, Ervin Maske, & Andy Fitzgerald, who fought against the odds and 70ft waves to rescue all but one of the crew members left on the Pendleton stern.
did find that this book (incorrectly) assumed I already had a lot of maritime knowledge. I found myself start-stopping-start-stopping to look up boating terms and getting easily distracted with some awkward pacing.
Ultimately, I did really enjoy this read and would recommend it. After all, who doesn’t love an underdog story?!
The vivid descriptions of the rescue are riveting, and the high stakes keep the pages turning. The humility of all these rescuers after the fact is amazing. I was especially captivated with the story of Bernie Webber, Richard Livesey, Ervin Maske, & Andy Fitzgerald, who fought against the odds and 70ft waves to rescue all but one of the crew members left on the Pendleton stern.
did find that this book (incorrectly) assumed I already had a lot of maritime knowledge. I found myself start-stopping-start-stopping to look up boating terms and getting easily distracted with some awkward pacing.
Ultimately, I did really enjoy this read and would recommend it. After all, who doesn’t love an underdog story?!
bailey_bea's review against another edition
2.0
It's like the author sat down and asked himself, "How do I time the pacing of this book in order to make this very interesting story as boring as possible?"
For every paragraph about the disaster and actual rescue, there seems to be five about the lives of the crew members and rescue team or some other tangential subject. A very human disaster deserves a very human face, but the plethora of mini-biographies quickly becomes wearisome and makes it difficult to pay attention.
For every paragraph about the disaster and actual rescue, there seems to be five about the lives of the crew members and rescue team or some other tangential subject. A very human disaster deserves a very human face, but the plethora of mini-biographies quickly becomes wearisome and makes it difficult to pay attention.
kimball_hansen's review against another edition
2.0
I'd give this a 2.5 star rating. The book seemed too scattered for me and I couldn't get into the story/characters and events.
I don't know why the Coast Guard is the blunt of all the jokes in the military. If anything they should be among the elite because the do everything other military factions do and battle elements of the ocean which produces the most lethal of natural phenomena.
I don't know why the Coast Guard is the blunt of all the jokes in the military. If anything they should be among the elite because the do everything other military factions do and battle elements of the ocean which produces the most lethal of natural phenomena.
in_and_out_of_the_stash's review against another edition
3.0
it is easy to forget that this is an adaptation for the youth market
justlily's review against another edition
4.0
I did this one backwards and saw the movie first. Thought it was amazing and wanted a deeper understanding. This was a thorough telling from multiple angles and kept my attention the whole way through. If you're into disaster non-fiction, I think this is a mandatory addition.