If the Shoe Fits

by Rae Ellen Lee

Rae Ellen Lee is a writer and sailing enthusiast. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1574091182
• ISBN13: 9781574091182
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Sheridan House
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Leave the mountains and sail off to paradise - not quite

A great read. Two people choose to forsake the mountains of Montana and sail around the Caribbean. Great humor and insight into the two different mindsets of sailing. Tom the authors husband has the wild fearless viking outlook while Rae Ellen takes a more sober (when are we going to die?) outlook on the adventure. Her humor is great -the characters they meet along the way are colorful - even the plastic lizard mascot the author adopts adds humor. Though they never make it any further than the San Juan Islands area, the adventures and training for the paradise trip will amaze you. From hair raising docking experiences to holiday meals onboard - the book will entertain you from first to last page.

Messing About with Boats

Folks who mess about with boats should enjoy this book about a small town girl from land-locked Idaho (who had only viewed sailboats from a distance) who signs on as First Mate to sail the ocean blue with her husband Tom. They train for a dream trip to the Caribbean by sailing the challenging waters off Western Washington. Even though I plan never, ever to sail off into the sunset on a 37-foot Alberg bluewater cruiser like Rae Ellen Lee, I loved this book. As I chuckled and navigated through the pages, I read passages to my dearly beloved trying to sail off to sleep. Examples: "When we bought the boat in spring, the spec sheet told us the boat slept seven. This may be true, but only if they're toddlers and leave their diaper bags and moms at home." And, "Finally Tom yells, `Fall off!' The first time I ever heard this I yelled back, `Don't you dare fall off!' But he means we are ready to sail, to turn slightly away from the direction of the wind; however, I don't know which way to fall off. It seems like I should turn to the right (oh, all right, starboard) ..."This is really a book about the adventure of making changes and doing it with gusto whatever course you plot in life.

If The Shoe Fits

Insightful, funny. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry. It is real life written by a real person, who is not afraid to reveal herself, flaws and all. It's a book I will read again and again.

Book Fits Reader Uncommonly Well

This book by a woman who grew up on what she describes as a "stump ranch" near Priest River, Idaho, is proof positive that while you may take the woman out of the mountains, you can never take the mountains out of the woman. You can't, at least if the woman is Rae Ellen Lee. She loves firm ground under her feet. At the very least, you can't transplant such a woman to life aboard a 37-foot sailboat on salt water and expect her to feel secure or even comfortable. Lee makes that clear in her memoir of life on a sailboat on the Washington coast. Lee's experiences as a "reluctant boatfrau" gave her plenty of material to write about. Quite frankly, her account of life aboard a sailboat makes it sound like a hell of a lot of hard work, marked by frequent near escapes from disaster and with bankruptcy always looming on the horizon. Lee's writing talent is considerable. Her prose is lyrical and descriptive, painting vivid word pictures in the mind's eye. She's also funny. Whether the author is visiting St. John in the Virgin Islands or careening off one of the San Juan Islands in Washington, you will feel that you are right there with her. The book also contains an interesting look at growing up in rural North Idaho, and how we are all marked by our backgrounds. While her account of life aboard a sailboat may dissuade you from wanting to follow in her footsteps, you'll enjoy her take on it.

IT FITS!

From the minute 'IF THE SHOE FITS' The Adventures of a Reluctant Boatfrau, was dropped in my lap, and the first few lines were read, I was hooked. From the beautiful mountains of Montana, to the seacoast town of Bellingham Washington, you are transfixed by Rae Ellen Lee's ability to put you right in the middle of her life and feelings. By immaculate detailing, the author takes you through her arduous journey from dry land to that of a sailboat living landlubber. The book is funny, touching and moves along at a pace that makes you wonder why in the world such a person would opt out of one world for another. In the end though, you will know how she came to her decision, and the road she took to get 'into the shoe'. Great read.