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A review by eileen9311
The Lost Boys of Montauk by Amanda M. Fairbanks
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!