( 6 reviews )
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Posted: Oct 21 2007
I like some of Ms. Cohen's ideas. However, they seem to fall into the category of well heeled east coast people of a certain professional niche. There is money, intelligence, and status. The snobbery of this life is shown very early on page 24, in which she summatively categorizes and dismisses other people's names for boats (She has no words for someone who would name their boat 'Murray' --why not? Perhaps it is the boat owner's deceased father?) She does, however, approve that her husband named her boat after her. The book is somewhat reductionist, enough that it is sometimes hard to find the point. There are a lot of mixed metaphors to sort out: one fish shakes his head like a terrior but vomits like a roman banqueter. That's a wealth of imagery, for sure. It's cliche-laden: page 25 -- 'Names are a million times sharper and more deadly than sticks and stones.' Really? A million is a whole lot! This tells me that she's never actually been hit by a stick or stone. The book retains an ootsy superiority about the author's marriage, as we are let into her perfect sex life, her husband's perfect fidelity, a lack of alcoholism and other monsters, as far as we are told, and we are allowed to visit their 'perfect island.' People aren't told what to do if their island is not so perfect. A handy list of the to-do list sort is provided in the back for people who want to live like Sherry and Larry. Can I vote myself off this particular island?
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Feb 11 2005
I stumbled on this book in a dusty used-book store downtown and have treasured it since. The title is slightly misleading. Rather than a how-to book, it's a beautiful celebration of the author's marriage. In this ambling, true-life love story, she grows into her husband's passion for fishing. And from it, she learns important lessons on the policy and practice required for a fulfilling fishing life and a strong and truly happy marriage. This humorous, thoughtful and excellently written book should be distributed to all couples who dare to want and reach for more...
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( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jul 11 2002
That about says it all! I loved this book. It's one of the many I read in the year that I was engaged, and I've given it to many of my friends as wedding gifts. Cohen's is a wise and witty woman, and her bits of advice are so simple and so true. The book reads like a set of short stories about Cohen's marriage and the lessons she learned from those stories.
