Customer Reviews

Return by Water: Surf Stories and Adventures

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book, and the words written within are unlike any stories you would find in the average surf magazine. Its nice to see an alternative for those who would rather read a great book and not a magazine full of ads.

The author uses a unique and descriptive style to take you into his adventures, as if he was telling you the story over a few beers at a bar, with colorful sarcasm and humour. You feel drawn in and itching to read the next chapter to see what hilarity, mishaps and strange charcacters the author will meet in the next journey.

Highly recomended.

For every Jon Krakauer there should be two Kimball Taylor's.Each story in this book is exceptionally written, but the beauty lies in the tales themselves and the inclusive vibe Taylor extends to bring the reader with him. Krakauer's life-threatening intensity is replaced by honest adventure that anyone can get themselves into. Getting out is another story completely, and Taylor tells it beautifully.

Return By Water is an engaging, humourous collection of stories that explore not only the adventures of surfing, but the world of fearless travel. The author has a wonderfully insouciant voice, vividly describing characters and settings that range from the wilds of Ecuador to the more pedestrian ( or so one would think!) Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Some of my personal favorites were 'El Brazo', a lovely tale about a little Ecuadorean boy living on the ranch/'hotel' where the main character stays while checking out the surf scene. He is rewarded with the protagonist's surf board at the conclusion of the story, but not without heretofore unforseen complications. 'Bachong and the Bemo' describes with a wonderfully fresh perspective the thoughts of an American abroad in Java during the events of 9/11.

Overall, these stories flow wonderfully from one to the next, and were a joy to read. I was throughly delighted with the book, and give this collection my highest recommendation. I sense this is the first of many books from this author.

The adventures found within this book contain every element of a great story. Just as easily read, and just as engrossing, as stories shared around a baja campfire with your friends, Return By Water is a remarkable offering from what seems to be a first time author. Like all true travellers, taylor knows that it is the jouney, and not the destination, that make a great trip, and these trips do not disappoint! It doesn't hurt that the destinations are places most of us only dream about though! I couldn't put the book down in between stories, and now I can't stop thinking about my next adventure. Great stories, can't wait for more from Taylor.

This book of short stories was great. Though I have just started surfing, I was a little skeptical when someone gave me "Return By Water" as a gift. In fact, while the stories all involved surfing in some form, they were more about life and were completely relatable to surfers as well non-surfers, such as myself. If anything, the second story in the book, "El Brazo" was one of the best stories I've ever read...it demonstrated extreme humanity and selflessness within unfortunate circumstances. I'm giving this book to some of my friends as Christmas gifts. I highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this book, it is filled with a lot of short stories that take place all over the world. As a surfer, many of the places are easy to recognize and the author writes in the fashion that is easy to visualize yourself there. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone - surfer and non - surfer.

I go to school in the desert, and while the sunsets are nice, my god I miss a good right! This book has a bunch of short stories perfectly designed to transport you from wherever you are doing nothing to wherever you wish you were doing nothing. After each chapter I got on the internet and started researching a boat trip or a surfari. 'El Brazo' was my favorite story. It's rad to read about the connections made on an epic trip, because let's face it, you can cross an ocean and still find it flat. This book gave me a better appreciation of my current situation and will definitely help me make the most of my next trip.

Wow! I loved this book! You don't have to be a surfer (I'm not) to enjoy great travel stories. In fact, this book might be better for those who don't surf, because when it comes down to it, the stories are about the experiences shared and people met along the path to the beach. The story about the Indonesian bus ride allowed me to experience something vicariously (and affirmed my aversion to rickety 3rd world transportation) that I know I would never do in reality. In all, this book is an easy, engaging, and inspiring read for anyone looking for an adventure you won't read about in your Fodor's guides.

AWESOME book! it was a pleasure to read...super cool stories. Short chapters which i love, easy to read, always gripping. It was so cool to just read about his adventures, and he always had some sort of moral at the end...haha something he learned. a few laughs and a few omg's.

Loved this book Kimball! I didn't want it to end.

Poppy