This book is more a memoir of Jean Silverwood's experience of going to sea with her family than it is a true seafarer's adventure story. Having read many of those, as the wife of a sailor, I expected there to be more about the sailing conditions, details about the boat, and the disaster alluded to in the title. (Sea disasters usually end up with survivors floating for days in open rubber life rafts, thirsty, hungry, and sunbaked before they are finally rescued.) So if you are looking for the typical disaster yarn you will be disappointed. However, if you want to hear a first hand tale of what it's like to live aboard with 4 children and a marriage that is just barely holding together, this is the book for you. ( )

Black Wave combines true-life adventure on the high seas with an intimate portrait of family life under stress. Jean Silverwood does a great job maintaining suspense, as she intersperses the harrowing survival story with character-revealing flashbacks. Her unflinching honesty proves the courage shown during the shipwreck. Jean had my heart racing and a few tears flowing.
I also enjoyed her husband John's more analytic reflection in 'Book II.' He provides a fascinating historical comparison to another shipwreck - on the very same reef - in 1855. While not the page-turner of Book I, this account provides context for an equally intimate window onto his examination of conscience: How could I have lead my family into this crisis? We're also privy to his wrenching search for redemption amidst human limitation.
This is a generous book, and a great read!

Is this book a must read? Not in my opinion. I think it could've been written a little better. I did enjoy it somewhat though. The challenges they faced and the choices they made kept my attention and made me think. The family has been through a lot which is sad yet a little inspirational. I think the story had potential of being a big hit had it been put together in a more readable way. ( )

I enjoyed this book, though I felt it was stretched a bit to fit into a book, otherwise, well worth it. ( )

A good story is a good story, even when something is lost in translation. Good stylists don’t always have good stories to tell, and vice versa: the pairing of the two aspects usually results in Great Literature.

Black Wave is a good story told — well, just *told*. Which, considering that the storytellers participated in the disaster in the subheading, is disappointing.

Full review is posted here:

http://www.jasonpanella.com/2009/07/27/black-wave-by-john-and-jean-silverwood/ ( )