Customer Reviews

Last Voyage (The mariner's library)

This book moves from Ann Davison's experiences raising goats to retrofitting a boat for sailing around the world. As the title implies, Davison's attempt to sail turns out to be star-crossed.

The author does an excellent job creating an atmosphere and detailing people, places and events. She also tends to get a bit lengthy in her descriptions, and sometimes makes ambiguous references to specific people or places that are difficult to follow - given that the events take place in post-war England and the people referred to lived in England at that time. Hard to follow if you are a 21st century American reader. I would have liked a bit more information from the author to give me some reference, and therefore have better comprehension of the context of her writing.

All in all, I would recommend this book to the reader who enjoys adventure stories or tales of endurance. Davison's account of the last few days spent on the Reliance are especially riveting. I would also recommend it to anyone who is contemplating making a fundamental change in their life or lifestyle that will involve considerable financial outlays or change in circumstances. This book could help point out some pitfalls to keep in mind.

To the reader who is willing to dedicate the time and (slight) effort towards reading this book, I think they will find it both enlightening and gripping.