May 2, 2013

Once Upon a Gypsy Moon by Michael Hurley

Wonder what it's like to take off on a sailboat for two years, alone, sailing from port to port, from the U.S. down to the Caribbean islands? Here is a memoir of a writer's journey, a spiritual quest as well as a physical challenge.

It was not the dreary weather, or being alone, or the sixty-mile stretch of ocean from Beaufort to Masonboro Inlet that concerned me. On the open sea at night, the Gypsy Moon is as cozy as a warm fire and rocks like a baby's cradle as she rises and falls over the waves. It was the unknown that troubled me, and the worry that I was about to do something rather foolish (again) and potentially very expensive (again) that I would regret (again). (ch. 12; quote from an uncorrected proof; final copy may differ)
Publisher's description: Michael Hurley's world unraveled in the wake of divorce and failure. In August 2009, short of money, out of a job and in need of perspective, he took to the open seas in a 32-foot sailboat, Gypsy Moon.

The story of his 2-year outward odyssey, complicated by rough weather and mechanical troubles, combines keen observation and deep introspection with excellent prose. Once Upon a Gypsy Moon presents a unique point of view on this spiritual-journey narrative. It offers a love story inside a rollicking sea tale, but it also has something important to say about relationships, faith and disbelief, life and death, love and marriage, and what really matters.

Title: Once Upon a Gypsy Moon: A Memoir: An Improbable Voyage and One Man's Yearning for Redemption by Michael Hurley
Published April 16, 2013; Center Street
Source: ARC review copy

6 comments:

  1. This sounds like it may be a really deep book. Of course the stories, whether real or fiction, of a person who has come to a crossroads midlife after facing hard times is not a new one. I think though that there is still plenty of potential to learn from such narratives.

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  2. This sounds like a wonderful book, Harvee, that takes readers on a physical and spiritual journey. The title matches this sort of quest as well!

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  3. I think I'd enjoy this book very much! I love being on the water, but wouldn't want to take off on a trip by myself!!

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  4. Thanks for posting this.This is awesome!!

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  5. I have seen Once Upon a Gypsy Moon around, and the premise sounds good.

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  6. Reminds me of Wild. The nonfiction recommended by Oprah.

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