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A review by louisekf
The Alaskan Laundry by Brendan Jones
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.