What readers think of A Pearl in the Storm, plus links to write your own review.

I knew I would love this book from page one. How could I not? The book's first line reads, "Let's face it: normal, well-adjusted women don't row alone across oceans." This memoir held no surprise as to the final outcome of the quest, as the cover indicates the author was the first woman to row alone across an ocean. (This was the second indicator that this was to be a delicious read.)

You'll discover her motivation to take on this challenge through flashbacks to Tori's childhood. The times where she is compelled to defend her younger handicapped brother are heart breaking. When reading this book you will come to know the author as a force to be reckoned with; she earned degrees from Smith College and Harvard's Divinity School, has completed wilderness training in Alaska, and skied hundreds of miles to be one of two women reaching the South Pole. She built her boat, the American Pearl, and earned a law degree as well as making her two trans-oceanic voyages. I finished the book thinking there is nothing Tori Murden McClure cannot do.

This is my kind of book. It's not only that I live vicariously through adventures such as this but that I also get a bang out of the determination, strength, and discipline exhibited by women such as Tori Murden McClure. Her goal; to be the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic. Building, determining supplies, and preparation of The American Pearl are interesting to read about. Fitting her 6ft frame into the confined space of her sleeping chamber, which she describes as the width of two coffins and not high enough to sit upright and the thought of people deprivation (at least 100 days alone and phone that malfunctions) made me a bit edgy but didn't seem to faze McClure. Repairs, storms, finding dead squid on deck were more than I could dream of handling but most seemed to be all in a day's row for her. One thing that did throw her into a tizzy was reaching for a chocolate power bar and finding apricot instead.

As much as I was fascinated by the actual diary type journey as Tori rowed across the Atlantic, this could have gotten boring as each day was repetitious out of necessity. I think she knew she had to give us a bit more so rowing days are broken up with chapters about her early life, particularly with stories about her mentally disabled brother, Lamar. Lamar and often Tori, were the brunt of the cruelty that only kids can inflict making Tori her brother's keeper in the true sense of the word, defending him against rocks and slurs. She was a fighter and this caused many problems particularly with her mother. If you believe life's knocks make you stronger, you can see how Tori became the woman she did. Not only a superior athlete she became an excellent student and graduated from Smith, went on to Harvard and after passing the bar eventually becomes the first non-catholic woman president of Spalding University.

Back to the rowing and her goal. That Tori fails in her first attempt and goes on to try it again and succeeds is incredible. In the end though, I still feel there is much that McClure left out; back story that she chose not to share. She mentions many friendships but she keeps the details of these to herself. Her mother, her father; no clue as to what happened to them. Her grandfather told her when putting her story down on paper that it should be a romance. Tori does find love and marries before she attempts the second crossing but other than his help in the project and some butting of two strong personalities we don't hear much about the marriage leaving me to believe the true romance here is The American Pearl.

Despite what I think was lacking, there really is a lot to the whole. Pearl in the Storm is in the end an uplifting memoir. It is a good pick for high school readers, fans of books about strong women, and anyone who likes to read about a winner and how they get to be that way.

While Tori Murden writes a fascinating description of her personal journeys (inner and outer), she fails to share with us the causes of her emotional torments. Reading between the lines, it looks as though this woman grew up feeling unprotected, unsupported, and very probably unloved. Who beats up their daughter and throws her into a dog kennel to teach her a lesson? Because she constantly feared corporal punishment, she was unable to seek help from her parents during her most vulnerable years. As readers we need to know that through her journeys, she was able to come to understand her behavior by facing what happened to her as a child. That appears to be entirely missing from her read on her own experience. Surely, the book cries out for the real explanation as to why she was so driven and why she felt so worthless.

Being a person that doesn't really like being in or on the water, I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this story. I was pleasantly surprised. The author is very gifted in story telling. It took me on an adventure I wouldn't have been able to take other wise. My only complaint would be that I was irritated with the authors need to keep reminding me that she is intelligent. I'm sure there are better ways to express that in writing without having to come out and say it.

It's well worth reading. I would have given it a rating of 5 if not for my one complaint.

I truly enjoyed the writing style of this author - it was the type of book you put down and looked forward to getting back to. The story was extremely fascinating and kept me wanting to know more. This is definitely a book I would consider for our book club - I think there would be some great discussions about it.

The author's memoir of her trip in a rowboat across the Atlantic is a vivid stream-of-conscious that gives insight into her mental and physical state. At the same time, she reveals what in her life brought her to this point. People who enjoy adventure stories will get a vicarious thrill from this book. I enjoyed her honesty about herself and the way she was able to gain insight into what is really important in life as a result of the challenges she set for herself.

This is a great book for people who like to read about extremes. I do – I’d never do what Ms McClure did, or climb Mt. Everest, but I enjoy the vicarious pleasure. This is an adventure story, not a great literary piece. If you can keep yourself from asking questions like, could anyone possibly be this self-deprecating and, could anyone possibly be this obtuse, you’ll like this story as much as I did. I tolerated the moral spoon feeding because I figured she had earned the right. While I’m shaking my head in disbelief, I admire her for what she did, and I got a kick out of reading about it.

I really enjoyed the book. I was skeptical at first. Just given the subject of the book would make you think you pretty much knew everything about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. Well, reading this book made me rethink that assumption. Even though it is fiction, it really made Eve more of a normal woman rather than the woman who made Adam sin. She had real doubts and wants and needs and insecurities. Just like the rest of us. Adam also came alive for me. He was just a normal guy going about life the best he knew how. Elissa made the characters come alive in a way that you have to remind yourself that parts of the story are indeed fiction. It was a very enjoyable book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes really good novels.