I attempted to read "Unsinkable: A Young Woman’s Courageous Battle on the High Seas” by Abby Sunderland and Lynn Vincent. Unfortunately I could not finish the book. Try as I might, I just could not force myself to like it. “Unsinkable” came to me through BookSneeze.com and was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
The idea of the story was very promising. I thought this would be a great book of adventure and courage. Sixteen-year-old Abby Sunderland tries to be the youngest person to sail all the way around the world. I have to say that by the end of the first chapter I was unhappy with the book and the fact that her parents would even let her attempt this dangerous mission.
In my opinion, the writing was dry. The vocabulary used is difficult to understand for anyone who is not a sailor, and the book is not set up for a reader to fall in love with Abby or the others involved. I would have started with a little background and shown that Abby was well prepared for this journey. Instead, the book begins with her being in trouble. As a mother, I just couldn’t handle that Abby’s parents would allow for her to be placed in harms way with no support at hand.
If you are a reader who is versed in the ways of sailing or have previously heard of Abby Sunderland’s tale and was impressed, you may like this book. There is a glossary at the end and a diagram of the boat with explanations, but I did not come across this until I decided to give up on the story and skim the rest of the book looking for a part to grab onto and enjoy. I am sorry that I cannot give this book a positive review.
3 comments:
Was this book written by her? That might explain why there was so much nautical terminology in there if she's grown up using these terms - she may not necessarily realize these aren't "everyday" terms.
The book WAS written by the girl, but I think the editors should have caught that. Then again, I could just be grouchy right now. That is pretty likely. ;-)
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