Official Review: Shipwrecked in Paradise by Julie Waterman

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any non-fiction books such as autobiographies or political commentary books.
Post Reply
User avatar
Helene_2008
Posts: 246
Joined: 24 Apr 2019, 19:43
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 40
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-helene-2008.html
Latest Review: Like A Mousetrap by Brandon Ellrich

Official Review: Shipwrecked in Paradise by Julie Waterman

Post by Helene_2008 »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shipwrecked in Paradise" by Julie Waterman.]
Book Cover
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


There were multiple people who told Julie Waterman she should write a book about her life, and those people would be right. Julie grew up in Cheltenham, England in a family of seven children raised solely by their mother, Ivy. Having to care for seven children, Julie’s mother was strict, and money was tight. For a while, Julie lived in a children’s home with one of her sisters to give her mother a break while mending from surgery. Despite being sent away for a short time, Julie remembers a sunny and happy childhood. At the age of seventeen, Julie was married, had a baby, and was living with her in-laws. Julie soon realized a traditional housewife role was not for her.

As time went on, Julie created a different life for herself that was anything but traditional. At the age of thirty-five, she had created a successful cleaning business with four hundred employees and was now selling it so she could pursue a dream to sail around the world. Julie’s story is an interesting and exciting one. Her life has tragedy, love, hard work, parties, some more love, and so much adventure. I enjoyed reading her story and seeing what it takes to leave your successful career to pursue a dream.

Julie’s story has a very intriguing premise, and it was one of the reasons why I selected to read this book. Who doesn’t think of leaving their job from time to time to pursue something more exciting? I liked that as I read Julie’s story, I found it takes some hard work to go after a dream. Also, it helps to be well connected and to be able to make an influential friend or two. Making a big life change is not for the faint of heart. My father loves sailing and is always talking about trips he wants to take someday. After reading this book, I want to recommend it to my father just so he knows what he is getting in to. Sailing solo is hard work and also seems like it’s physically demanding. It was also interesting to read how hard the navigation of the trip was at times. I can’t imagine being completely surrounded by water and having to stay on course so you don’t end up at some random body of land.

There really wasn’t anything that I disliked about this book. It was a light, quick read and engaging throughout. I only found one confusing sentence that seemed to be missing a word. Other than that, there were no other grammatical errors. I was glad Julie included a map of her sailing voyage, and I enjoyed the other pictures included in the book. While I like the title of the book, the story is more comprehensive of Julie’s whole life and does not just focus on when she is shipwrecked while sailing.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy sailing or nonfiction books about adventure. This book could be appropriate for anyone since there was very little foul language and no violence or sexual content. Due to the subject matter though, only adults would probably find it interesting. I give Shipwrecked in Paradise a 4 out of 4 rating. I won’t be leaving my day job any time soon, but it was fun to read about someone who did and has no regrets.

******
Shipwrecked in Paradise
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
User avatar
kandscreeley
Special Discussion Leader
Posts: 11755
Joined: 31 Dec 2016, 20:31
Currently Reading: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Bookshelf Size: 495
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kandscreeley.html
Latest Review: The Elf Revelation by Jordan David

Post by kandscreeley »

I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I think we all dream about leaving our jobs and doing something exciting. This would be a good book to live vicariously. Thanks so much for the introduction.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
That Reviewer
Posts: 572
Joined: 12 Feb 2020, 07:50
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 218
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-that-reviewer.html
Latest Review: Unspoken Things The Inlightenment by Wilfred Thomas

Post by That Reviewer »

I'm captivated and inspired by this story. This is proof that if you set your mind on something, you can achieve it.
Post Reply

Return to “Non-Fiction Books”