Review of Big Blue Society

[Emily Walmsley]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Big Blue Society" by Mark Cavanagh.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Big Blue Society by Mark Cavanagh was an interesting non-fiction book targeted towards men, subtitled ‘Fishtales and Mayhem.’ It’s centered around a group of friends who created ‘Big Blue Society,’ which is essentially a secret fishing club. This is a book about growing up, living life, making mistakes, and most of all, friendship. Although I am a woman, I really enjoyed reading this and getting a glimpse into a completely different perspective on life. I rate this 4 out of 5.
 
Something I enjoyed while reading this book was how genuine and authentic it all felt. The emotions were real, the characters were complex, and the situations were truly vulnerable. The authors held nothing back while writing this. For example, the scenes talking about Norm’s time in Vietnam really brought a lot into perspective; life can be scary and unpredictable, but it’s all about how you move forward and find faith. I also enjoyed the scenes about Sausage and Crash’s relationship because it added a sweet, wholesome feeling to the book. It was neat that four different friends contributed to this writing; it helped add to the different perspectives and paint a bigger picture of the Big Blue Society.
 
I had a few small criticisms about the writing. I felt like there were too many characters introduced at once, making it difficult to understand what was going on at times. I would have preferred a slower pace when introducing all the characters, or at the very least, introduce the characters with one name instead of switching back and forth between their real name and their nickname! There was a lot of initial confusion as a reader; therefore, I deducted one star from my rating.
 
I would not suggest any children or teenagers under eighteen read Big Blue Society without a parent’s permission. There was profanity, sexual content, and even some scenes of brief drug use. Because of the constant adult themes, I feel this book is better suited for people over the age of eighteen.
 
Overall, Big Blue Society by Mark Cavanagh was a captivating read. I’d recommend this book to adult men and even women, because it has a lot of interesting perspective and it’s extremely well-written.

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Big Blue Society
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[Onyemuwa-dave]

This is a wonderful and insightful review of Mark Cavanagh's Big Blue Society! It's fantastic that you, as a woman, found such genuine enjoyment and perspective in a book targeted towards men, particularly appreciating its themes of friendship, growing up, and navigating life's challenges.

Your points about the book's authenticity, genuine emotions, and the vulnerability shown through scenes like Norm's time in Vietnam truly highlight its depth. It's also great to hear that the multiple author contributions added to its richness. Your constructive feedback regarding the character introductions and name consistency is very clear and helpful for potential readers.

[Kibet Hillary]

Indeed, life is unpredictable and can often be scary and one has to be brave and courageous enough to move on and dare to take to risks. I am happy that the story is believable and that the main theme is on friendship. Many thanks for the review, @Emily Walmsley.