I love Winchester's work, but this book just petered out towards the end. I wasn't a huge fan of how he structured the overall narrative, but I went with it anyway. The last 2-3 chapters, however, just felt meandering and a little confused. Granted the book was written in 2010, but I was still surprised at the skeptical tone he had as we wrote about climate change. Has the science really improved that much in 7 years? I suppose so. ( )

Entertaining and mostly very readable but not up to his previous books in my opinion. I think that may be because the Atlantic really isn't one subject and the various topics don't necessarily connect. ( )

Like all of winchester's books, I found it interesting and well written. Had more breadth than depth, but with the immensity of the topic, perhaps unavoidable ( )

Part science, part history, this ambitious non-fiction includes almost every aspect of the Atlantic Ocean. It covers a diverse array of topics such as its origins, discovery of the gulf stream, early inventions for maritime navigation, explorations, famous shipwrecks, piracy, the slave trade, maritime battles, migration, commerce by ship and air, artistic and literary references, information dissemination, global warming, and predicted lifespan. The author includes many of his own anecdotes from his travels and time as a journalist.

The book has its ups and downs. The amount of material covered is staggering. Certain sections are illuminating, while others are less successful. The author took a shotgun approach to relaying the material, and it was easy to get lost in the minutia. I was occasionally tempted to disengage while he cited various statistics. Listening to the audio book enhanced my enjoyment of this book that might otherwise have been a bit dull. Simon Winchester is an excellent reader with a mellifluous voice. Overall, I learned a great deal about the Atlantic and recommend the audio version to those interested in the science and history of the earth’s bodies of water. ( )

This was a fun read--as always with Simon Winchester there was a total over-abundance of detail but he had a ton of personal anecdotes which were interesting. A little overwhelming on audiobook--would probably recommend as a regular book. ( )