Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn

The plot of this often thrilling book moves along like a leaky TV barge, despite the numerous hardships, deaths, injuries, sweepings-overboard, and near-misses that occur in the vividly described and salty sea passages. The book ends with the words, "Descriptive brilliance laboring through the shoals of the routine."

Read during Summer 2007

Gritty and sometimes meandering but powerful by the end. James Pfieffer holds various jobs around the docks and eventually goes to sea on a scallop trawler. His father is a fisherman who wants something better for his sons. It sounds like the typical overly dramatic tale of father and son, learning life's lessons, but there is a tautness that keeps it moving forward and not drowning in sentiment. It is very grim at times, I had to skip over a few passages, but very well written and the final few pages really grabbed me. Another great book by one of my favorite authors.