Not as lyrical and inspiring as some ocean travel or adventure stories, but it sure gives you the feel of the life of professional fishermen aboard a swordfish long-liner. If you took notes you could fit out your own expedition. Great read about something you wouldn't want to actually DO for two days staight, let alone a month! The book gives a new appreciation for the next swordfish or tuna steak you eat.

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Linda Greenlaw can not only fish, she can tell a tale like no other. I have immensly enjoyed reading several of her books thus far. This book tells of one particular fishing trip aboard The Hanna Boden, the ship that Linda captained for years, and as many know was also the sister ship to The Andrea Gail, the ill faited longliner featured in Sebastian Youngers The Perfect Storm. Anyone who enjoys adventure, comedy, drama, fiction or nonficiton will find something to enjoy here, as Linda details the ups and downs of life spent longlining for swordfish on Grand Banks of the Atlantic ocean.

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A lot of this book focuses on the author as being a female in an almost exclusively male field. Stories aren't that fascinating and I found myself wandering a lot.

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Super book about a woman who captains a fishing boat. Really interesting!

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I very much enjoyed reading this book. I find it enjoyable to read and live vicariously through the author. It is the ONLy way that I would want to experience what she does!

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I enjoyed this book quite a bit. From the publicity of the book and movie "A Perfect Storm" I was familiar with the author, and I knew before I opened this book that it was written by someone intensely familiar with the subject matter, basically the fishing industry. While Linda Greenlaw was already an interesting character in my mind, this book confirms that. The book is basically a documentation of a typical fishing trip with a few flashbacks to her unique and I would say almost idyllic childhood as well as her early career as a fisherman. When she tells her story of this current fishing trip, it is obvious that she knows what she is talking about. What is surprising is her talent for writing - even someone unfamiliar with commercial fishing will be able to follow her description of the entire process of a fishing trip, and appreciate the technical, scientific and human relations sides of this amazing job.

All in all, a very well-written book about an intensely interesting subject. I;m looking forward to reading her other book, "The Lobster Chronicles"

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This book really caught my attention. First, like most people, I was familiar with Capt. Linda Greenlaw from the book and movie The Perfect Storm. The second is the fact my family had a long heritage in commercial fishing, in particular seine fishing in Alaska. This was a world that I did not have a lot of interest in when I was younger (when I saw the long days and hard work involved, I opted to go to college instead). As I grew older, I became more interested in stories of fisherman and stories of the sea, parts of the life I could have led. I knew nothing of longline fishing or sword fishing, so I thought it would be a great read for me.

The Hungry Ocean is a book you really have to take it for what it is. It is basically a diary of a month long journey out to sea to catch swordfish. The book also contains snippets from throughout Capt. Greenlaws career that spice up the book some, but in the end, it is a diary of a fishing trip. There is not a lot of white knuckled action, people are not dying in storms, and the fishing is not always good. However, what the story does tell is how people interact when confined in close spaces and the problems you face as a result, how long line fishing is done, how fish are processed and stored, what goes into making a successful fishing trip, and how the crew is paid in the end. I even picked up a fishing tip or two from the book. Overall, the book gives a remarkable view of what it is like to be a fisherman on the East Coast.

I thought this was a great book as the subject interested me and it was one I could personally relate to. I was quite surprised at Capt. Greenlaws writing abilities. She was really able to make a book about a month at sea with its short bursts of excitement and long stretches of monotony into a really great read. She was able to bring the reader into her world and make the reader feel the excitement of fighting a 400+ pound swordfish and feel the crushing blow when the crew finds out they have to spend one more day on the ocean when they are so ready to go home.

Overall, this was a worthwhile read. It is not a print version of the Deadliest Catch, but rather a great narrative of a sword fishing journey. I would highly recommend it to someone who was considering hopping a plane to Alaska and trying to find a fishing job after watching too much Discovery Channel so they can get an idea what they are about to get themselves into. Id also highly recommend it if the topic of commercial fishing is of interest to you. You will not be disappointed.

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It's been several years since I read this book but I enjoyed it greatly!

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Linda is an incredible author. Her story is totally captivating. I couldn't put this book down (and I hate fishing!). Consequently, I am now working my way thru all of her books.

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Great companion text to The Discovery Channel's new series: "Swords: Life on the Line"

Cpt Linda Greenlaw has been there and done that for many many years, and tells her story.

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This was a very good book. I liked the fact that Linda is doing a job in a male dominated industry. You go girl!!

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A good read, she's not Hemingway, though.

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