What do readers think of The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont? Write your own review.

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont

The Starboard Sea

A Novel

by Amber Dermont

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Readers' Rating (26):
  • Published:
  • Jan 2013, 336 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews

Page 1 of 4
There are currently 26 reader reviews for The Starboard Sea
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Duane F. (Cape Girardeau, MO)

The starboard Sea
This book was full of suspense, insight and it was beautifully written. The author gave us real characters with situations that felt authentic and whose reactions were believable. Once I started it, I could not put it down. Teenagers often are exposed to their awaking sexual beings at exactly the same time as they are at their most vulnerable and are experimenting new adult feelings. Most often, they feel strongly and act irrationally, a dangerous combination. These teens must face the dangers of being able to act as adults without any concept of the consequences. Some fail, some succeed. I applaud Ms. Dermontmore
Laura A. (Jupiter, Florida)

The Starboard Sea -
I thought about this book even when I wasn't reading it and couldn't wait to get back to it to read more. The story speaks of privilege and youth and how each of us must in the end answer for the mistakes we make. The main character in the book, Jason Prosper, struggles with the death of his best friend and his cruelty to his friend his death. As he moves on with his life and begins to form another relationship, he has no idea what the cruel behavior of other young men will do to change who he is and the path of his life. I highly recommend this book.
Bob S. (lawrenceburg, IN)

Voyage to the heart of light
I am a fan of first books--I find so many authors, including Jan Smiley and John Grisham, poured their authentic life into their first books and never surpassed them. Even if Amber Dermont publishes nothing else, "The Starboard Sea" is a gift for us all. She explores the heart's search for love, for forgiveness, for belonging with all the pain, joy, grief, and exaltation that journey involves. Jason steps through great love, devastating losses, and exalting triumphs searching fort hat rare treasure, his true self--something for which we all long and which so often eludes us. I know this young man in my heart andmore
Joyce K. (Conway, Arkansas)

The Starboard Sea
This story's setting begins by introducing us to the principal character Jason Prosper. He is entering into a new preparatory boarding school after being dismissed from another school despite his father's efforts to "bargain" for his retention. He has lost his best friend to suicide and is really struggling to deal with all the upheaval in his life.
The story deals with a number of themes of young adulthood including sexual conflict, fraility of relationships with both female and male friends, abuse of privilege and morality issues.
I enjoyed the book. I did not think it was a fast read but I thought it was amore
Arden A. (Lady Lake, FL)

The Offspring of the Privileged
This first novel, by Vassar graduate Amber Dermont, is a coming of age story for the advantaged, as opposed to the disadvantaged. No bootstraps to be pulled up among these kids. There are butlers to do that. It is a very well-written story, with flowing prose, and the characters are well-depicted, if somewhat hard to love. The novel takes place at a New England Boarding School, the school of last resort for obnoxious, over-indulged rich kids who have been kicked out of every other boarding school.

If this review sounds conflicted, it is. I enjoyed the book a lot, but have a hard time accepting the behavior ofmore
Randy

Roses with the thorns!
The artistry and intellect of Amber Dermont has me feeling a bit out of my league when it comes to reviewing her work. Through “The Starboard Sea”, I experienced a gorgeous landscape of reflections, insights, observation, emotion and passion, accessed through a thorny path of cruelty, narcissism, confusion, cynicism and compromise. I found myself bursting out in laughter on many occasions and there was sudden and unexpected sobbing in one spot. I found myself repeatedly underlining remarkable sentences and paragraphs.

More than a little of the book masterfully ushered me into the beauty of sailing; though I ammore
Ellen S. (Mundelein, IL)

The Starboard Sea
I am drawn to the coming of age genre, especially those such as this; in settings completely distinct from my own. While reading The Starboard Sea, I was oft reminded of A Separate Peace (john Knowles) - the frailty of human nature, unspeakable moral dilemmas, and ultimately, redemption. Having no sailing experience, I was unfamiliar with the nautical terms; and yet, I was mesmerized by the nautical metaphors of celestial navigation and the sea of tranquility. The inclusion of the lyrics of a favorite song of my own youth, Kodachrome (p. 54) struck a huge chord with me. I look forward to the film adaptation,more
Malinda N. (Wheeling, WV)

The Starboard Sea
I absolutely loved this book. I read it from cover to cover and wished there was more. I longed to know what choices Jason made in the future as I found him to be a faulted yet loving character. Dermont writes beautifully and creates a poignant story about adolescence. At the same time she creates an aura of suspense that keeps the reader riveted. I have to admit, however, that part of my attraction to the story was based upon the fact that I graduated from an East Coast prep school in 1986...just a year before this story takes place. I was easily able to relate to the prep school codes as well as the fashionmore

More Information

Read-Alikes

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)
by Clare Leslie Hall
A love triangle reveals deadly secrets in this thriller for fans of The Paper Palace and Where the Crawdads Sing.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant
    by Liza Tully

    A great detective's young assistant yearns for glory, but first they have learn to get along in this delightful feel good mystery.

  • Book Jacket

    The Original
    by Nell Stevens

    In a grand English country house in 1899, an aspiring art forger must unravel whether the man claiming to be her long-lost cousin is an impostor.

  • Book Jacket

    Angelica
    by Molly Beer

    A women-centric view of revolution through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton's influential sister-in-law.

Win This Book
Win These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas

"[An] atmospheric tale of unexpected hope." —Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author

Enter

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

W the C A the M W P

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.