Books

Desperate Voyage
Goodbye to a River : A Narrative
A House Somewhere: Tales of Life Abroad
Dear Exile : The True Story of Two Friends Separated (for a Year) by an Ocean
The Bone Man of Benares : A Lunatic Trip Through Love and the World
Two Wheels North: Bicycling the West Coast in 1909
Lone Traveller: One Woman, Two Wheels and the World
The Cruise of the Snark
Plum Brandy: Croatian Journeys (Terra Incognita Series, 7)
A Journey of My Choosing: Traveling the Creative Path of Life
Life on the Mississippi (Bantam Classics)
Jambo, Mama
Single in Saudi
In the House of My Fear: A Memoir
Dangerous Beauty - Life and Death in Africa : True Stories From a Safari Guide
It's All Greek to Me! : A Tale of a Mad Dog and an Englishman, Ruins, Retsina-and Real Greeks
My 'Dam Life: Three Years in Holland (Lonely Planet Journeys (Travel Literature))
A Way to See the World: From Texas to Transylvania With a Maverick Traveler
One Foot in Laos
Castaway in Paradise: The Incredible Adventures of True-Life Robinson Crusoes
Detours: Life, Death, And Divorce On The Road To Sturgis
Living With the Dead: Twenty Years on the Bus With Garcia and the Grateful Dead
Between the Fences: Inside a U.S. Immigration Camp
20 Hours, 40 Min: Our Flight in the Friendship
The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil in Southern France

Average customer rating:

Excitante lectura
Rivetting! A wonderful tale of one man against the sea!
Unbelievable read
I'm late for work!
Sea Adventure

Desperate Voyage
John Caldwell
Manufacturer: Sheridan House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Once is Enough
117 Days Adrift (World of Cruising)
Survive the Savage Sea (Sailing Classics)
A Voyage for Madmen
Rescue in the Pacific: A True Story of Disaster and Survival in a Force 12 Storm

ASIN: 0924486201

Book Description

In May 1946, John Caldwell was stranded in Panama after the war and set out single handed on a 9,000 mile journey aboard the 29ft Pagan to rejoin his wife in Sydney.

Customer Reviews:

Excitante lectura.......2007-05-03

Un relato extraordinario. Te quitará horas de sueño y alimentará tus sueños. (¡Y tus pesadillas!) Aunque no es una lectura recomendable para quien no tenga ya un buen nivel de inglés, la naturalidad y sencillez del relato te atrapa con su ritmo y su fiebre. Desde luego, peca de evidentes y numerosos excesos y fantasías completamente inverosímiles, como pescar y subir a bordo a un tiburón vivo de varios metros que termina destrozando el barco o comer cuero de zapato frito con aceite de motor, lo cual parece un poco excesivo incluso para el proverbial mal gusto culinario que atribuimos a ingleses y sajones. Pero la tensión y la viveza del relato es tal que eclipsa cualquier defecto. Gran viaje y gran libro. Apaga la tele y disfrútalo.

Rivetting! A wonderful tale of one man against the sea!.......2007-03-06

This is a true story that is more engrossing than pretty much any novel you are likely to find. After the end of the Second World War, the author's Australian wife is ten thousand miles away, and it is impossible for him to book passage from the States to Australia, what with the war just having ended and available shipping tied up for years. So he decides to do a solo sail in a small sailboat from Panama to Sydney.

Therein lies a tale of hardship, resourcefulness, courage, and (may I say it) at least one part bad judgment, as the author single-handedly crosses the better part of the Pacific Ocean in a small and primitive, but plucky sailing vessel. I am sure that I am not giving anything away when I tell you that the author stares death and starvation in the face on more than one occasion.

The author knows how to tell a good story, and I was unable to put this one down once I got past about the first chapter. I was up until 3 in the morning trying to finish it, unable to put it down or go to sleep. This is a terrific story with equal parts humor, desperation, and audaciousness.

This is a classic mariner's tale that anyone who loves boats or the ocean will want to read, own, and read repeatedly. Highly recommended.

Unbelievable read.......2006-10-11

Please get yourself comfortable, settle in and be prepared to be separated from your surroundings while you read this book from cover to cover. You will not be able to put it down. His story will transport you to a far away place and when you are done, you will have a hard time coming back! His story is just a fantastic adventure, reading it will make you feel like you are there. I was swaying to rhythm of the sea as I read. A wonderful modern day adventure story that left me very unsatisfied with my own life adventures so far. Eye opening and thrilling! Best read I've had in a long time. Highly recommended for anyone who can read, old or young.

I'm late for work!.......2005-09-03

I know there are already enough 5 star reviews, but I just finished the book and need to say, "Oh my gosh this book is great!" I allowed myself one chapter per night before lights out, and broke my own rules every time. I'd stay up so late I'd sleep in and be late for work. Now exotic imaginations are racing through my mind and heart. What a treasure. A book full of life in our time when so much entertainment celebrates destruction and degradation. This book renews the spirit and restores a sense of adventure. I'm 56 years old but feel like a 20 year old about to embark on an adventure, if only I can persuade my wife to sell all and head out to sea, after she reads the book! Oh Oh, maybe I should let her read it once we're out of sight of land.

Sea Adventure.......2005-07-28

Highly entertaining true narrative of an incomplete sailor attempting
a trans ocean voyage in a small sailboat, Some of the exploits described are difficult to believe, but this does not detract from its entertainment value. Target audience for this book is the amateur and
professional sailor who can best critique this story.

Average customer rating:

Desperate Voyage
John Caldwell
Manufacturer: Little, Brown & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ODWHJ0

Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls: True Stories of Castaways and Other Survivors

Average customer rating:

Fascinating and well-written
unforgettable and gripping!
Good book, readable and amazing
Where there's a will, there's a way
Great Content Packaged in Frustrating Format

Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls: True Stories of Castaways and Other Survivors
Edward E. Leslie
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Escape from a Siberian Labour Camp and His 3-Year Trek to Freedom
Castaway in Paradise: The Incredible Adventures of True-Life Robinson Crusoes
The Jungle is Neutral: A Soldier's Two-Year Escape from the Japanese Army
Two Survived
Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival

ASIN: 0395478642

Book Description

Here are the most remarkable stories imaginable of maroons, castaways, and other survivors from the 1500s to the present - their moral dilemmas, their personalities, and their influence on society, literature, and art.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating and well-written.......2007-02-18

This is a gripping account of how castaways and survivors struggle with nature and, sometimes, man. It is a huge book and I agree that the author could have eliminated the last section of the book. Actually, he should have written two books, one of them on the detailed survival of people like Alexander Selkirk and Herman Melville and the other book a short one on modern survivalists.

This is because the last section of the book is a different format than the first much larger section. On the last section, the author provides only brief synopsis of events and facts and most of them are WWII related nature-related survivals. I would have suggested that he expand one of two of the stories and save the others for another book.

However, what I enjoyed most about this book is the author's writing. He often used a turn of phrase that was unique, humorous and subtle. Don't get me wrong - the book is not humorous but the author has inserted a comment or phrase periodically that summed up someone's plight or segued into their next calamity. I found it very enjoyable and would mark the pages because I enjoyed that writing so much.

I enjoy this genre and know that well written books in this genre are a rarity so I gave this book 5 stars. Whether you like this genre or not, you will enjoy this book!

unforgettable and gripping!.......2005-10-26

this is one of the few books i've read that i can't get out of my mind. i keep thinking about the different stories. i lend it out far too often! you don't have to read it all at once; it's a great book to dip into.

Good book, readable and amazing.......2005-09-20

A very good book. The author writes in a way that holds your attention from the begining to end. Almost to the end, because he loses rhythm in the last chapter. But this does not reduce its value.

If you like knowing about how people behave under extreme situations, this is the book.

Where there's a will, there's a way.......2005-04-02

This book is a compilation (accounts and stories, some related in great detail) of the ordeals of survivors of shipwrecks, plane crashes, exploring expeditions, etc. The accounts are fascinating (who couldn't find survival stories like these fascinating: just wondering how each of us would fare in similar circumstances is compelling enough). That's not to say that they don't become somewhat repetitive after a while, which they do. Seagrave has a main hypothesis he tries to prove along with the intriguing stories: those who survived had the will to survive, and special knowledge might help, but plays second fiddle to the will. Interesting.

Great Content Packaged in Frustrating Format.......2004-10-29

Leslie functions through a method of story telling where he gives away his powerful punch-line, each time, right up front. This becomes wearisome by dissolving reader anticipation; however, the strength of his content does begin to overshadow this shortcoming. "Risk and Recreation: A Chronology" is undoubtedly the strongest aspect and worth the read entirely. A good composite of interesting survival stories.

Average customer rating:

Desperate voyage;
Rodolfo L Armstrong
Manufacturer: Dutton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Desperate Voyage : The Exciting Adventure of One Man Against the Sea

Average customer rating:

Desperate Voyage : The Exciting Adventure of One Man Against the Sea
John Caldwell
Manufacturer: Little Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KF2A1C

Desperate Voyage: A Novice Sails Alone from America to Australia

Average customer rating:

desperate voyage

Desperate Voyage: A Novice Sails Alone from America to Australia
John Caldwell
Manufacturer: Narrative Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Australia | Australia & Oceania | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 158976028X

Book Description

It's the end of WWII, the author is stranded in the United States, and he wants to return to his wife in Australia. So he buys a 27 foot cutter and sets sail across the Pacific. He survives 8,500 miles of variable seas, reefs, tropic islands, crossing the equator, languishing in the doldrums, and thrashing through hurricane seas - all single-handed. A charming (and terrifying) book.

Customer Reviews:

desperate voyage.......2001-11-01

Desperate Voyage takes the reader on a wonderful journey of discovery. This true life adventure takes place at the close of World War II and details the trials and tribulations of the author in his attempt to return to his wife in Austrailia. When he finds there is no transportation available, John decides to sail a small yacht the 8000 miles to Austrailia from Panama. Never mind that he has never sailed a boat before! His challenges are many and John learns many things the hard way. This book, which is hilarious at times and sad at times, keeps the reader always longing to turn the page and see what happens next.

Average customer rating:

Desperate Voyage 1ST Edition
R L Armstrong
Manufacturer: E P DUTTON & CO INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q14DIS

Average customer rating:

DESPERATE VOYAGE.
John. Caldwell
Manufacturer: Readers Union
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O8VVMY

Stanley in Africa: The story of his wonderful marches across the continent, voyages on the great equatorial lakes, perilous descent of the Congo, and desperate ... Samuel W. Baker and Commander V.L. Cameron

Average customer rating:

Stanley in Africa: The story of his wonderful marches across the continent, voyages on the great equatorial lakes, perilous descent of the Congo, and desperate ... Samuel W. Baker and Commander V.L. Cameron
Alexander Hyde
Manufacturer: Columbian Book Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0008ANB1M

Average customer rating:

Desperate Voyage
John Caldwell
Manufacturer: Sheridan House Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPUP8S

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