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Title details for Black Wave by John Silverwood - Wait list

Black Wave

A Family's Adventure at Sea and the Disaster That Saved Them

by John Silverwood
Jean Silverwood
Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
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0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks

When John and Jean Silverwood, both experienced sailors, decided to give their four children a taste of life on the high seas, they hoped the trip would offer important learning experiences, not only about the natural world but about the beauty of human life stripped down to its essence, far from civilization. But the adventure that awaited them would surpass anything they could have imagined. Aboard their fifty-five-foot catamaran, the Silverwood family found its bonds tested as never before as they struggled with family and marriage dynamics in compressed quarters alongside the terrifying forces of nature. In the crucible of the sea, a stronger, tighter unit was forged. Then, just when it seemed that they had mastered every challenge, their world was shattered in a split second of sheer horror. Now the real test began, forcing them to fight for their very lives.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    July 1, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781481567480
      • File size: 215896 KB
      • Duration: 07:29:46

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      A two-year sailing trip for John and Jean Silverwood and their four children ends when they crash into a coral reef in the Pacific Ocean and are stranded. They have survived pirates, storms, and family arguments. Ironically, their boat's destruction brings them closer. Carrington MacDuffie expresses Jean's excitement at global scenic spots, her pride in son Ben's growing maturity, and her disappointment at her husband's slips from sobriety. Joe Barrett, as John, picks up the story with the aftermath of the crash, the amputation of his leg, and the story of an 1857 wreck on the same reef. Husky-voiced and volatile, John is obviously the more emotional of the two parents. Both narrators deliver foreign accents well, and their dual reading makes this loosely organized adventure tale special. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 14, 2008
      In 2003, after two years at sea, the 55-foot catamaran sailed by the Silverwoods, a suburban California family that chucked it all to sail around the world, hit a reef off the South Pacific island of Scilly (now known as Manuae), putting the life of Jean and John and their four children (ages five to 16) in peril. The first part of the book is written from Jean’s perspective as she opens with the wreck and then moves smoothly between the family’s fight for survival and the story of their journey. By juxtaposing the two tales, Jean illustrates how the children’s maturity and cohesiveness were not only a byproduct of the trip but also the keys to all the Silverwoods surviving their ordeal, especially John, who was critically injured by the falling mast. Jean wears her heart on her sleeve, and her writing about her marital problems or John’s alcoholic relapses is honest. John’s narrative is half as long as Jean’s, underscoring his straight-to-the point personality and writing style. The saga from John’s perspective lacks emotion, but his ability to interweave the story of the Julia Anne
      (a sailing ship that hit the same reef in 1855) gives an eye-opening account of how much and how little sea travel has changed in 150 years and accentuates the heroism of this family that overcame an extraordinary ordeal.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Funding for additional materials was made possible by a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.