Move Like Water: My Story of the Sea

Hannah Stowe shares her memoir of life at sea as well as nature writing about six marine creatures.

MOVE LIKE WATER: MY STORY OF THE SEA beautifully balances nature writing with memoir to tell Stowe’s story of becoming a marine biologist and her connection to the water. Her writing places the reader in the sailboat with her, experiencing all the wonderment and tribulations that come with life at sea. I loved learning more about the keystone creatures she discussed. There’s a depth to her words. She does not just spout off random facts, but offers meaningful associations between animals and humans, reminding the reader just how much impact our actions have on the world. This was a thought-provoking read.

I thoroughly enjoyed MOVE LIKE show more WATER: MY STORY OF THE SEA and would highly recommend it to fans of nature writing and memoirs. show less

This was an absolute triumph of a book. Hannah Stowe sets out to tell us something of the sea and of how she came to have a love affair with it. This really comes across as you read. In fact, the book reads like a poetic love letter to the sea and its marine inhabitants.

The book is divided into seven sections. Each deals with a particular animal that lives in or around the sea. Stowe tells us a bit about each animal and also about her life and how she came to appreciate the things she's educating us about.

Absolutely beautiful reading.

A nice book about my favorite book topic: a woman doing stuff. Something like the Bechdel test, I have a little test: whether it be fiction or non-fiction, I want a book about a woman doing stuff a) not related to a boyfriend or husband, nor related to finding a boyfriend or husband; b) not related to having a baby, having had a baby, nor wanting to have a baby; and c) not related to having been a baby. Preferably the woman should be partnerless and childless, although these aren't deal-breakers as long as she shuts up about it. In a nutshell, not about relationships. Just about a woman doing stuff.

Oh! So, the book. In this case, the woman Goes to Sea. She hires herself out on boats, and learns about whales and albatrosses. She suffers show more a terrible surfing injury, and mostly recovers.

The author grew up on the Welsh seashore. There is no author photo on the very charmingly designed hardcover. However I discovered a black-and-white photo hidden on the last page. She's beautiful, and now lives in Dresden, Germany, where she paints (art), and sails her own boat.

Sing huzzah for the life of a woman, show less