Customer Reviews

Cork Boat: A True Story of the Unlikeliest Boat Ever Built

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A fabulous story of a childhood dream come true. This book is partly a family biography, partly an autobiography, partly the history of corks and rubberbands, partly a story of how Washington DC works, and an incredible story of the first trip of the cork boat in Portugal. Extremely well written. This is a good read for adults as well as teenagers. Hightly recommended.

I read the hardback version of this story last summer. It's the kind of tale that stays with you...I found myself continuing to thing about the author, the story, even the darn boat as the winter winds blew. I'm happy to hear there's a paperback version, with some photos, etc. Looks like I already know what I'll read...again...from my hammock this spring.

If you do not understand why anyone would leave a high paying, high profile job writing speeches for a person whom most would agree was the most powerful person in the world to go build a boat, then you should not read this book. You will not get it. If the corporate ladder holds no glory for you, then this is your book.

I give the author a lot of credit for having the nerve to do what most money hungry Americans would never understand. Pollack had a dream to build a boat of corks since he was a little boy. Now at the age of 34 he had decided to follow his dream, a crazy idea at best. Nevertheless, he chose to follow his dream. I wish I had his guts.

I highly recommend this to anyone that has ever had a crazy dream and is too scared to go for it. Pollack should be an inspiration to us all. Thankfully, he is also a witty and interesting writer. jay.

This is one of those stories you wouldn't think was true if you didn't see the pictures. That someone would take the time and energy to build a boat from wine corks is incredible, but to read what happens once the boat has been built is even more unbelievable. Although I'm usually too practical to support wackiness just for the sake of it, I couldn't help but be swept up in this adventure, if only because so few people take a childhood dream and run with it. The begining of the book, dealing with time spent in Washington DC, didn't interest me much, but once the boat began being built, I was on board.

In general, I enjoyed this book. Designing and building a boat from bottle corks is quite an accomplishment, even with an author who is more than slightly self-absorbed.
I believe that this work would have been much better served as a light-hearted and humorous discourse; as the author's political ranting contributed nothing to the content and in my opinion served to diminish the overall content. The boat was constructed on a whimsy and by taking advantage of an opportunity. And not, so near as I can tell, as a political statement.
Raised in the elitist environment of academics and political activism, the author is unfortunately unable to separate either himself or his boat from such. With the resulting narrow focus and rigid weltschauung, even a very good writer will too often end up sounding both condescending and cavalier. When the author launches his next monograph he might want to consider leaving his politics on the dock.

John Pollack has the unique ability to tell a story that both captures the heart and mind. As a wine maker, collector and consumer I couldn't help but to be captivated by his epic journey and the challenges he endured along the way. As fun as the book was and as entertaining the story, Pollack leaves his reader with a few nuggets of wisdom based on his life experience that alone make the book worth reading. For me, the quote I will ponder and carry with me always is, "The hard knocks are inevitable. The good times, the dreams, those you have to reach for." Thank you, John Pollack, for keeping your readers focused on the positives and reminding us that no matter how hard life may be our childhood dreams are worth pursing. If nothing else, we owe it to ourselves to know what is our potential.

I really enjoyed this book. It was great to hear about how the author (and his family & friends) came up with the idea and then worked through many challenges to finally build & launch the boat and then take advantage of an offer to sail it in Portugal.

I found the book to be worth reading. Particularly worthy highlights include the achievement of a childhood dream, the method of using wine corks for boat construction, the warmth of family relationships and participation, friend Garth and volunteers, and a testimony on what might be accomplished with vision and persistence. The author's wit and sense of humor compliment the author's writing skills. Needless detractions include the use of vulgar language and incorporation of the author's extreme political polarization views. Too, the author's description of the hardships encountered on a Portugal river are a bit of an embellishment (which pall compared to the voyageurs, Kon Tiki, the 1980's Krampmaken expedition, etc.)

I found this an entertaining book, read while traveling and on vacation. I will admit to being a kook about things like this, but it was an enjoyable read about someone excercising their passion and it becoming an adventure.

This is a fantastic book for any anyone who wants to be inspired to pursue their dreams! Cork Boat is a quick read and is well written. Anyone is sure to love it - perfect for a gift. I've bought this book for several friends, and everyone has raved about it. It's a sure thing!