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Song of the Sirens Paperback – May 15, 2000

by Ernest K. Gann (Author)

24 customer reviews

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Product Details

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Sheridan House (May 15, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1574090925
ISBN-13: 978-1574090925
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,124,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #195 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Sailing > Narratives
- #2837 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Boating
- #8411 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Water Sports

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Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars

5 star		79%
4 star		17%
3 star		0%
2 star		0%
1 star		4%

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Top Customer Reviews

When The Sirens Sing

By loblollyboy on April 18, 2004

Format: Paperback

Ernest Gann has written a memoir of what happens when you hear the Sirens singing and follow them. I loved this book as the sea-going counterpart to his marvelous memoir of flight, Fate Is the Hunter; there's the same wrily witty, compassionate observations on the vicissitudes of the sea and those who sail upon it, particularly himself, the same amused humility in the face of the perversities and miracles of chance, whether they be a failing engine at the height of a tempest, intransigent bureaucrats of the Panama Canal, a balsa raft costing less than sixteen dollars which can leave a scientifically designed catamaran in its wake, or a wild voice singing in the Greek Islands. Whether recounting desperation in a great storm off the Oregon coast, or the nostalgic reminiscenses of his earlier sailing boats and shipmates, or the languid monotony of a long tropical ocean passage, or the nature and the workings of what he terms the 'Dock Committee' (which has membership worldwide), even the time he was masterfully conned by a crafty old sailor on the wharves of New York, Gann maintains a close and humorously affectionate eye on the sometimes clear, sometimes problematical, but always interesting relationships between the mundane acts of everyday and the greater universe which lurks behind every common act and thought.
Above all, there is in Sirens, as in all his books whether fic or nonfic, a love of the sea, of boats, of living fully in and of the world and of us frail, fallible and funny humans in it. In Fate Is the Hunter, it is the world of the air and those who fly; in Song of the Sirens, the sea. A wonderful read.

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A masterfully written true adventure.

By Gary Messerli on March 17, 2001

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

Ernest K. Gann is, quite simply, a great writer. In Song of the Sirens he writes about his adventures aboard the many ships he has owned. His writing skill takes the reader, even a landlubber like me, along with him to experience what it is like to ride out a storm 50 miles off the coast of Oregon in a fishing trawler or to sail across the Atlantic Ocean with an old, rusty, leaky training boat with a suspect engine. The book is slanted more for the boating afficionado. While he does explain some of the technical terms, a lot of them are obviously for someone who knows sailboats. There are no pictures, either. Pictures of the ships (not boats because, as he explains in the book, a boat is carried by a ship)would have been helpful. All in all, though, this book will greatly appeal to Ernest K. Gann fans, those who enjoy adventure stories, and those who enjoy sailing stories.

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A witty, gripping account of Gann's adventures at sea.

By A Customer on November 30, 1998

Format: Mass Market Paperback

I'm a frequent reader of Gann's aviation fare but I was equally captivated by this account of his adventures at sea. I read this book when I was about 16 years old and was moved by Gann's vivid description of life on the ocean amid both fair weather and foul. Gann's love for the beauty and vagarities of ships and the sea permeates this fine novel.

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Excellent book; excellent way to get to know E. K. Gann.

By A Customer on March 22, 1999

Format: Mass Market Paperback

When Ernest K. Gann wasn't flying or writing, he was sailing. This is a beautifully put together set of vignettes of the various boats and ships he loved and his voyages on them.

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The nautical side to E.K. Gann

By Pat E Weston on April 26, 2001

Format: Paperback

I've read several book by Ernie Gann and being a pilot I was in awe of Mr. Gann's story telling ability in "Fate is the Hunter" and thought this is surely the best autobiography ever written. Now having read "Song of Sirens" I have to re-evaluate this opinion. It makes you want to run out and buy a boat!

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An impassioned account of sailing and seafaring.

By A Customer on March 16, 1998

Format: Mass Market Paperback

This is one of the most impassioned accounts of seafaring you will ever read, and all the more enjoyable because it is beautifully written. Gann's love of seafaring (especially sailing his beloved square rigger ALBATROS) is told in a style which is authentic, witty, obsessive, intelligent and charming. Gann eventually sold ALBATROS, which met a tragic end as portrayed in the movie WHITE SQUALL. An altogether captivating book, a must for anyone who loves the sea and sailing.

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Gann's song is every bit as compelling as any siren's

By Thomas Callan on August 15, 2015

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

If you love boats, if you love sailing, if you love the sea, then you won't understand why you haven't read this book before now. Gann loves, really loves, all three and it shows in this tale of his enchantment with each boat he has ever owned. They say the best two days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. For Gann (and me), it's every day you remember your love affair with it. That can last a lifetime and Gann makes the reader a part of his affairs. All the world does love a lover, and Gann is a lover who shares the most intimate moments of his relationship with each of his "Sirens." Ulysses had to be bound to the mast to survive the sirens' song. Gann is unbound and drawn to his passion for his lovers as he exposes his amorous nature shining through each craft. If you are a true romantic you will love each word of this affectionate adventure and the men and women who dare to embrace the sea and its sirens.

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I was fascinated with this book for the fact that ...

By Mike3746 on December 4, 2014

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

I was fascinated with this book for the fact that it represents a huge aspect of Gann's life which I think he never wrote enough about. Gann is one of the writers ever. He makes you feel as if you are standing right next to him all the way. His small stories of the incredible people he meets along this fascinating journey will make you laugh and cry. You feel absolutely drawn in by Gann's incredible personal style of writing.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Great story

Fantastic read, typical Gann prose. He takes you to the sea like no one else can.

Published 6 months ago by J. Gann

One Star

for sailors only.

Published 11 months ago by James H. Ecker

Loved the book

Loved the book. Writing style had me engrossed in the adventure. If you every wondered what cruising on an ocean was about, Gann shares why individuals are drawn to the sea. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Creative

For us people who love sailboats and yachts big and small

For us people who love sailboats and yachts big and small, a wonderful set of stories of various boats that Ernest owned and sailed.
A true adventurer!

Published 13 months ago by Chippiechris

Captivating.

The title is actually Song of the Sirens. A captivating book that is as enjoyable the second time around as the first. One of EKG's finest works.

Published 15 months ago by Mike

Gann was one of the best. He loved flying and sailing and really knew...

Gann was one of the best. He loved flying and sailing and really knew how to express those loves. Great writer.

Published 21 months ago by Frank O'Neil

Great read

I got this for a friend that recently retired and has a boat. This book pulls you in from the first chapter, so don't expect to take long reading it. Read more

Published on March 12, 2014 by Slbear

Great Sailing

SS is like Fate is the Hunter, except on water, in boats. SS is for sailors, Fate is for flyers. It's non-fiction, wh/I think is Gann's stronger suit. Read more

Published on December 3, 2012 by S. Smith

A Man Needs a Boat...Like a Fish Needs a Bicycle

Earnest K. Gann is better known for his aviation books than as a sea writer, but in "Song of the Sirens" he proves to us, his posterity, that he has as deft a mastery of the sea... Read more

Published on April 9, 2012 by A. Steven Toby

sea dog

Had boat of my own when younger, this book brings it all back,Was also in the merchant navy .Good days good book.

Published on March 13, 2012 by Tont