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A review by shadira78
The Lost Boys of Montauk by Amanda M. Fairbanks
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.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐