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There are currently 22 member reviews
for The Alaskan Laundry
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Gayla F. (Longboat Key, FL)
Engaging summer read
They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but I often pre-judge by a title, and this is a fine title. I won't give away the reason it's fine (except that it's intriguing), but it's an excellent metaphor for life in Alaska and beyond. Tara, the protagonist, enters into the northern landscape and interacts with the cold, the waters, the grit, and the very air.
The strong Alaskan characters are authentic eccentrics who never become caricatures; my image of Tara, however, was not so clear. It seemed that time was compressed in an unlikely way, but the pace, combined with short chapters, made The Alaskan Laundry a book easy to pick up, put down, and pick up again.
As I got farther and farther into the book I found myself enjoying it more and more. It was well-written but a bit of a disappointment for me, lacking purple passages to be highlighted, underlined, reread, and savored. I would not describe it as literary fiction but as an enjoyable read and probably a good book club choice. I give this engaging book only 4 stars, but I would definitely recommend taking it to the beach or, even better, on a visit to Alaska this summer!
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Sue Ellen S. (Cedar Falls, IA)
"Getting All That Dirt Washed Out"
At one point in this book, Tara Marconi's new friend Newt tells her: "So we're all tumbling around in the Alaskan laundry out here. If you do it right you get all that dirt washed out, then turn around and start making peace with the other shit. Maybe even make a few friends along the way."
In this his first novel, author Brendan Jones utilizes first-hand experience of making a life for himself in Alaska as a commercial fisherman and tugboat owner. His metaphor of a laundry is apt as he describes Tara, a resilient, tough, determined nineteen-year-old from Philadelphia attempting to cut ties with her father and forge a new life thousands of miles away. The cast of rough and tumble characters she meets and the descriptions of experiences she acquires in the world of commercial fishing amid gorgeous surroundings make for enjoyable reading.
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Valerie C. (Chico, CA)
A good yarn with a strong female lead
A little slow to start, but then proceeded to gain momentum and grasp my attention. A good book, but I do question the reality of many of the scenarios. I look forward to this author's next book.
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Barbara K. (Brooklyn, NY)
Growing Up Ain't Easy
The detailed descriptions of Alaska and the Pacific/Alaskan fishing industry are background to the story of a young Philadelphia girls' adjustment to a new life. Tara leaves a pain filled life in Philly only to find struggles to overcome in her new environment, However, she is strong and determined to make it in this wild world.
How Tara overcomes adversity in the harsh Alaskan environment holds this well written story together and I would therefore recommend it.
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Sandra H. (St. Cloud, MN)
Not a tourist's Alaska
Tara Marconi is drifting through life. She has a boyfriend but isn't totally committed. She has lost the mother who was her lifeline and she doesn't get along with her father who blames her for his wife's accidental death. So Tara runs away to a life as far away and as different as a life in the big city could be. She is 18, feisty and scared but determined to succeed in a man's world working on fishing boats in Alaska. She first learned self preservation when her dad took her to a gym to learn boxing after she had been taken advantage of sexually. Now alone with no way to run home if life gets tough, Tara begins her education on Alaska's fishing boats where no one expects her to succeed. Yet she toughs it out and grows from being young and arrogant into a mature young woman.
I enjoyed this very different Bildungsroman and highly recommend it. I do, however, wish it had included the maps which will be in the publisher's final edition.
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Jan Z-R
The Alaskan Laundry
The author, Brendan Jones, has set up for himself a hard act to follow with this absorbing debut novel when he writes another book! I loved the weird, quirky Alaskan characters, flaws and all. I loved the main character, spunky Tara. And I loved the sensitive and beautiful descriptions of the Alaskan landscapes, weather, and atmosphere.
Tara leaves her Philadelphia home in sorrow, anger, and confusion to go to Archangel Island, Alaska to work and rid herself of the emotional demons following her. She was a boxer in So. Philly and I think this training gives her a confidence and dogged resolve which in turn helps her get by in the hard scramble world of men. Yet it also sometimes gets her in trouble relating to the circumstances of her existence and the people she meets.
I enjoyed watching her personal growth in the two year's scope of the novel - in her relationships with her father and boyfriend (both left behind), her Alaskan friends, and her responsibility to her adopted and rescued dog Keta.
I didn't understand all of the mechanical descriptions of the boats but this didn't subtract from my enjoyment of the book.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and engrossing read!
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Sandra L. (Delray Beach, FL)
The Alaskan Laundry
I enjoyed this book very much as I have long been interested in the 'Alaskan' way of life and the fishing industry. The author has put his reader right in the midst of a novice's struggling efforts to find a place of her own in this unorthodox and challenging of places.
Mr. Jones' descriptions of the woods and wildlife are very well done; the area takes on a life of it's own. I particularly like his depictions of the Tlingit natives and their folklore. There is much to be gleaned from this novel.
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