The Motion of the Ocean: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, and a Woman's Search for the Meaning of Wife

by Janna Cawrse Esarey

Book Overview

The humorous true story of a woman who abandons her tidy life to honeymoon across the Pacific on a leaky, old boat--only to find that sailing 17,000 miles is easier than keeping her relationship off the rocks.

"Somewhere fifty miles off the coast of oregon i realize the skipper of this very small ship is an asshole. he also happens to be my husband."

While most thirty-somethings are climbing the corporate ladder or popping out...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416589082
• ISBN13: 9781416589082
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

An amazing read

Once I started reading this book, I was not able to put it down. As fiction it would still be great but the fact that it's a true story (a true story!!!) makes it all the more wonderful. Janna Cawrse Esarey is a wonderful writer who makes me think, laugh, and want to have a glass of wine with her. Her comments on relationships definitely hit home for someone at a similar age and place in life, but what I most loved was her ability to tie all of their adventures together and interrelate the stories. This goes on my Christmas shopping list for all of my girlfriends!

Great Book Club Pick!

We read this in our book club and had a fabulous discussion! Regardless of our age or marital status, all of us could relate to the author's ups and downs in her relationship and her experience and musings offered us a wide range of topics to discuss and questions to answer. Despite the front photo, this is not a discourse on a technical sailing trip but rather an adventure-love story that is funny, entertaining and filled with colorful tales from far-away places.

A Great Summer Read

The Motion of the Ocean is an entertaining, thought-provoking memoir of a woman's voyage, both across the Pacific Ocean and through the inevitable ebbs and flows of marriage. Throughout the book, the author tackles some of the "big questions" that many couples face when trying to figure out how to be an `us.' From encounters with local islanders to frighteningly vivid descriptions of thunderstorms out at sea, to poignant reflections on an island's cross-dressing subculture, The Motion of the Ocean is at times serious, at times humorous, and always witty and thoughtful. If you like books that make you laugh, make you think, inspire you to see your relationships in new ways, and open windows into worlds you might never have a chance to see, then you'll love The Motion of the Ocean.

So much more than a sailing story!

The Motion of the Ocean is a smart, funny, fascinating read for all of us land-lubbers who are too scared to sail the south pacific with our newly-wed spouse. Janna Cawrse Esarey is as honest, witty, and appealing as writers come. She never shies away from revealing the ups and downs of her own personal shortcomings, her ruminations about love and marriage, the challenges of travel, or the search for The One. This book is SUCH a pleasure to read, equally fun to discuss with book groups, girl friends, and husbands. Made me laugh out loud over and over, but there's nothing fluffy about this poignant, thought-provoking memoir. Much more than just a summer read . . . one to buy for your girlfriends!

Great relationship and adventure story

The Motion of the Ocean is a great summer read. The book delves into the ups and downs of relationships that any woman can identify with, while it takes you on a grand adventure that most of us will never experience. We travel with Janna on her two-year-long "honeymoon" budget sailing adventure around the Pacific with her new husband. The book will inspire you to think more about your relationship (Does "the one" really exist and will you know when you find him/her? Or do YOU make "the one" through hard work and effort every single day?). It may even inspire you to take on a new adventure yourself. Or it may just make you appreciate your safe, cozy sofa as you curl up and enjoy this book.