Row for Freedom

Crossing an Ocean in Search of Hope

By: Julia Immonen, Craig Borlase, Bear Grylls - introduction

Narrated by: Jay O'Shea

“When you’re in the middle ofthe adventure, you just have to live it. When you’re on an expedition, you putyour head down and battle through. Storytelling happens after the finish line.. . . now that time has come [and] Julia can tell her story. The full story.”

—from the foreword by Bear Grylls

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An incredible account ofone woman’s record-breaking row across the Atlantic

Thirty-two-year-oldJulia Immonen and four other women take on a challenge completed by fewerpeople than have climbed Mount Everest or gone into space: row three thousandmiles, unaided, from the Canary Islands to Barbados.

Row for Freedom chroniclesthat dramatic journey, detailing the grueling, peril-filled crossing,which broke two world records, as it weaves together Julia’s search for hopeand purpose against a background of relationships scarred by violence.

As Julia’s physical andemotional treks unfold, you also learn about the plight of the thirty millionvictims of the modern-day slave trade that serves as the motivation for herrow. Be inspired by Julia’s self-discovery and her team’s triumph in one of themost formidable physical quests ever undertaken.

Rambling.

I can't tell if the narrator needs to learn pauses for better effect or if the author created rambling storylines. It's probably both. The story itself is decent, but overall it lacked a passionate/triumphant/challenging/overcoming the odds feel that I would have thought would be the central feel of a story like this. Every bit seemed rushed, no real feeling in it, just a list of what happened. Again the narrator doesn't help this.