Review of Skinning Out

[Peace Odii]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Skinning Out" by Phil Saul.]

---

2 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Have you ever read about ships and seamen? Skinning Out by Phil Saul is a book that narrates the story of Phillip and his work as a steward in the catering department of ships alongside other seamen. It starts with the one decision he made at age 15 and a half and his strong decision to fulfill his dreams against his parents' will. Do dreams come true? Phillip's story would answer this. He begins at the young age of 15 and a half and not long after voyaging the deep sea, even before age 18.

Even though Phillip thought of himself as a shy person, most of the decisions he made in the course of his career were a play of courage and intelligence. And this was inspiring. It made me rethink my life and learn how to make certain decisions with self-confidence and wisdom more than anything else.

The book was written in the first-person narrative style, which allows me to relate well to Phillip's story. The narrator, Phillip, is honest about certain opinions, and he doesn't fail to express this in his words throughout the book. I liked this about the book. This is also evident in the way he refuses to be gay, even when he is surrounded by quite a number of them in his workspace and personal life.

As much as I found the book a good read, I found a lot of profane words in the course of the book. While this is not a challenge to me, most readers would consider it a challenge. Younger readers may avoid this book due to the degree of explicit content.

The contents weren't well arranged, especially in the aspects of paragraphing and spacing. I found the font size too tiny for me. Chapter 13 appeared twice in the book, and I believe this was a mistake on the author's part. The book still seems professionally edited. I also found out that some ingredients of a standard book weren't in this book. They are the issues I considered negative about the book.

Judging from a proper perspective, I would rate Skinning Out 2 out of 4 stars. The book was a good read, and the story of Phillip's voyage as a crew enlightened me on ships and the way of life of seamen. If only the negative aspects could be looked into, it might reach a rating of 3. I still recommend this book to those who are interested in acquiring more knowledge about shipping and seamen. It promises to be a great read and a source of enlightenment.

******
Skinning Out
View: on Bookshelves

[Aisha Yakub]

Sounds insightful and adventurous. Thank you for the review.

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

Going against your parent's wishes can be extremely daunting and discouraging. Phillip stayed true to his dreams. I hope he attained the fulfillment he wanted. Awesome review!

[Vidhi Adhikari]

Although I don't really enjoy self-help novels, I'm intrigued by the profession of the author and would like to know more about his work and how his decision making ultimately affected his work. Thanks for an informative review.

[Avishi]

Apart form editing mistakes, the story is quite interesting. Through Philip 's eyes the life in living in ship is picturised here . Good review

[Mbenma Esther 080]

Dreams to my knowledge do come through when it is guided in the right direction. Thanks for the review.