Customer Reviews

Ten Degrees of Reckoning

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hester Rumberg tells the remarkable story of the adventurous Sleavin family. This extraordinary book will appeal to a wide range of readers, those looking for suspense and mystery. This book will hold your attention to the last page. An absolute page turner and without question, Hester Rumberg, in my opinion, is a very talented story teller. Because of the subject matter, I wondered if it would be difficult to read, but it was impossible to put down.
Another thing I might add: I grew up in New Zealand where a portion of this story takes place. The author has captured the culture of my birth country exceedingly well, and added an informative element, even for me.

I would highly recommend this mesmerizing book.

This book is so captivating I read it page by page throughout the night. My eyes were burning, but I couldn't stop reading. The author has told a masterful saga of family love, living intentionally, and how to struggle with the uphill battles of our lives. This is more than a book. This is a tribute to 4 people who's story you must know. Thanks to the author for this gift. She must have crafted the book out of her own familiarity with life's turnings and an uncommon insight into the hearts of others.

This superb book succeeds on at least three levels. As an expository work, it plumbs the deep, rich traditions of works by Michener, or more recently, "A Perfect Storm". I felt supremely entertained, even as I learned a great deal about offshore sailing. It also tells a gripping story, and it draws us into the life of a family and its individual members. I cared deeply about these people, as the author presented them to me through a variety of "lenses."

You likely would not be reading my words unless you are a lover of books. As such, you no doubt have experienced the bittersweetness of a story's end.....you want to know how it comes out, but at the same time you don't want to turn that last page. This is one of those stories.

Readers seeking "magical justice," where all is resolved fairly and neatly, will be disappointed. This is part of the poignance of Dr. Rumberg's effort.

I have sent copies of this book to friends, and I am recommending it to all the booklovers I know. Finishing "Ten Degrees of Reckoning" was an exquisite ending to a year of fine reading, and I hope you will consider starting out on the right "literary foot" for 2008 by discovering the treasures within these pages.

Like "The Perfect Storm" or "Into Thin Air", this book not only allows the reader to be an eyewitness to a horrific disaster, but also creates a vivid and personal portrait of a family that followed their dream to live life to the fullest. An incredible story, I could not put this book down.

Dr. Rumberg is a wonderful storyteller and this is truly a story that needs to be told. In her own words, using her own story and that of another's, Dr. Rumberg educates even the most novice of sailors to the potential joys and deep sorrows of circumnavigating the world.

The main story centers around an American family who set off on a five-year excursion. In the middle of the night, off the coast of New Zealand, tragedy strikes deeply, lives are lost, and the lone survivor descends into hell for many days.

Yet this is a story of love and redemption: a small, deeply protective community half way around the world and the strong woman who will not let anyone forget her family's tragedy. And it's the story of mystery and ethics: the exposure of a country unwilling to admit its culpability, a country who tried to manipulate and intimidate the victim of their crime.

This amazing story has been told with grace and perceptiveness. Bravo, Dr. Rumberg!

I have just finished Ten Degrees of Reckoning and found it wonderful, harrowing, uplifting, educational and, by all standards, a "good read." Hester Rumberg draws you into the Sleavin family so thoroughly that their tragedy becomes palpable and you long for some way to make things right! It's hard to put down and will stay with you long after you finish.

This is an odd book in-as-much as it really needs a good edit and probably a more organized narration. That being said, the story is compelling and disturbing, despite the constructional difficulties. I would absolutely recommend the read. Days after I read it, I found myself thinking about the contents and some particularly poignant lines. I even dreamed of a late family member whom I hadn't seen in my dreams in a while. Clearly it crept into my subconscious. For this, I am thankful and grateful. So worth the read, very good, could have been brilliant.

This is a story about survival against enormous odds. In reading this story I experienced the full gamit of emotions. Through Hester's descriptions, insights, detailed & factual research, I felt as if I were alongside Judy through the trauma and the re-building of her life. Thank you Hester for taking on such a huge challenge and bringing the full story to light. Excellant reading for both experienced, novice, & armchair sailors.

Ten Degrees of Reckoning grabs you from page 1. It is a captivating narrative about the Sleavin family; a story of adventure, love, loss and determination. Author Hester Rumberg artfully conveys the pleasures of long distance sailing as well as the hard work and preparation that goes into it. She gives just enough information so non-sailors can understand what is happening. But the book is much more than a sailing adventure. It is about how we choose to live our lives.

How grateful I am to have the privledge of experiencing the Sleavin's story through the eyes, ears, heart and words of Dr.Hester Rumberg. Superbly written with unending attention to detail, this story is everyone's worst nightmare. Yet through the graciousness and transparency of Judy Sleavin, it is a gift to those who read it. You can't help but be changed. God bless you Judy, Hester and all those who know and love the Sleavin family. Thank you, Jane Horton Mill Creek Wa.