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ellemnope 's review for:
The Lost Boys of Montauk
by Amanda M. Fairbanks
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
In March of 1984, a rogue storm resulted in the loss of the Wind Blown and her four man crew. An experienced captain, his trusted first mate, and two young crewmen lost their lives to the freezing waters off Montauk, New York. The captain was skilled, but the seaworthiness of his vessel was questionable, and the town mourned the life that had been lost...it still carries the scars of losing fishermen at sea.
Fairbanks delivers the story of these men and their families, including their lives leading up to their fateful journey and the lives of those who loved them following their disappearance. There is a lot of great historical information and family history present in the pages, along with a very atmospheric description of the fishing life and the dangers that these men faced every day as they rode out to find their catch.
While the story is very obviously heavily researched and Fairbanks has to be given credit for the amount of background that she managed to obtain on these men's families as well as their chosen profession, the final product was unfortunately a bit lackluster for me.
There is a lot of information present, but not all of it is necessarily pertinent. There is a LOT of back history on prior generations and wandering anecdotes that sometimes paint extraneous characters in more detail than some of the four lost men. The story isn't told in any particular organizational style, as it moves from time to time, place to place, and character to character, without a lot of cohesive sense. This led to a bumpy and disjointed read that sometimes had me lost in the pages and confused about whose story was whose.
The writing itself was good and there were some great family histories told, but the organization seemed to be the sticking point. Though plenty of time was taken in the gathering of information, it almost feels as if the narrative was thrown together in a hurry to meet a deadline rather than following the painstaking detail that was taken with each individual piece.
Points for the information given, as I did learn a lot about the area, the profession, and the four men who disappeared. It just didn't hit the mark for me.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
Fairbanks delivers the story of these men and their families, including their lives leading up to their fateful journey and the lives of those who loved them following their disappearance. There is a lot of great historical information and family history present in the pages, along with a very atmospheric description of the fishing life and the dangers that these men faced every day as they rode out to find their catch.
While the story is very obviously heavily researched and Fairbanks has to be given credit for the amount of background that she managed to obtain on these men's families as well as their chosen profession, the final product was unfortunately a bit lackluster for me.
There is a lot of information present, but not all of it is necessarily pertinent. There is a LOT of back history on prior generations and wandering anecdotes that sometimes paint extraneous characters in more detail than some of the four lost men. The story isn't told in any particular organizational style, as it moves from time to time, place to place, and character to character, without a lot of cohesive sense. This led to a bumpy and disjointed read that sometimes had me lost in the pages and confused about whose story was whose.
The writing itself was good and there were some great family histories told, but the organization seemed to be the sticking point. Though plenty of time was taken in the gathering of information, it almost feels as if the narrative was thrown together in a hurry to meet a deadline rather than following the painstaking detail that was taken with each individual piece.
Points for the information given, as I did learn a lot about the area, the profession, and the four men who disappeared. It just didn't hit the mark for me.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *