Lifesaving Lessons: Notes from an Accidental Mother

by Linda Greenlaw Narrated by Linda Greenlaw

Overview

Linda is not a woman who shies away from a challenge-the only female swordfish boat captain in the country and a survivor of the real Perfect Storm, she is also a New York Times bestselling author. Through hard work and determination, she had created the peaceful, independent life she craved, living on a rugged island off the coast of Maine. It was all finally coming together...

Then came Mariah.

A troubled fifteen-year-old, Mariah arrives on Isle au Haut to stay with her uncle, a newcomer himself and seemingly a normal guy. The entire community is rocked to its core, however, when they discover that Mariah is suffering terrible abuse-at his hands. And they do what a small island community does best, coming together to take Mariah in as one of their own, protecting her from further harm. But Mariah needs a stable home and a legal guardian. The island nominates Linda.

While Mariah is a typical teenager in many ways, she has also been uniquely damaged by this horrific experience, and Linda struggles to help her overcome the trauma, to heal, and to begin a new life.

Linda will do battle with the gale-force winds of life with a teenager, help Mariah navigate a tremendously complex legal system to bring her abuser to justice, and learn what it means to be a mother-to a girl for whom it really matters. Both Linda and Mariah will struggle to come to terms with their ferocious and stubborn independence (like mother, like daughter-accidental or not) as they learn to trust each other and forge a new relationship that they both reluctantly realize they need.

Linda Greenlaw's fans will be delighted by her trademark candor and down-to-earth style of storytelling, and will see a side of Greenlaw that she's not revealed before. New listeners, and any parent of a teenaged daughter, will find much to empathize with in this brave and heartfelt new memoir.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for Linda Greenlaw and Seaworthy

"Book readers should rejoice...Greenlaw's writing sweeps the reader along not only for the incidents at sea but also for her candid reflections about them." — The Huffington Post



"A great read."

— The Boston Examiner



"From mishaps to fish tales, Greenlaw keeps her narrative suspenseful." — Publishers Weekly



"Fast-paced and lively." — The Portland Press Herald



"Greenlaw speaks with unquestionable authority when fashioning the salty atmosphere of swordfishing life. A vanishing slice of life caught with ardor and freshness." — Kirkus



"Greenlaw knows how to spin a good yarn...Seaworthy is a more reflective book, pondering not just the vageries of nature but the nature of success and self-defintion." — NPR.com



"Greenlaw is a remarkable woman who can hold her own, whether it's in the male-dominated fishing industry or on the printed page." — TucsonCitizen.com



"Pure joy." — The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)



"Even if you never really wanted to go to sea for months at a time on a fishing boat...you'll be caught from the very first sentence of this engrossing and illuminating book." — San Francisco Book Review



Praise for The Hungry Ocean:

“Anyone who loves the sea will love this book.”

— Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm



“A beautiful book…A story of triumph, of a woman not only making it but succeeding at the highest level in one of the most male-dominated and most dangerous professions.” — Douglas Whynott, The New York Times Book Review



Praise for The Lobster Chronicles:

“These true, interwoven stories of island life and lobstering are as engaging and uncommon as [Greenlaw’s] adventures at sea.” — Boston Magazine



Praise for All Fisherman Are Liars:

“You can’t help but be a bit in awe of Greenlaw for her gutsiness, and she comes across as so darn likable you wish you were sitting at the Dry Dock next to her.” — The Miami Herald

Kirkus Reviews

America's only female swordfish-boat captain returns with a straightforward account of the challenges she faced in becoming the legal guardian of a sexually abused teenager and in balancing unexpected motherhood with her reclusive lifestyle on a tiny island off the coast of Maine. A resident of Isle au Haut, whose population at the time numbered less than 50 in the off-season, Greenlaw (Seaworthy, 2010, etc.) and her community were disturbed to realize they did not live in a "[p]ristine" place. Upon learning that a pedophile resided among them, they rallied to aid Mariah, a 15-year-old who had moved to the island with her stepfather's alcoholic brother, "Uncle" Ken. Greenlaw charts the course of her earlier choice to live a childless life through events that led to Mariah's rescue, Ken's arrest, trial and conviction, and its aftermath. The author's no-nonsense approach to daily life led to honest admissions of selfishness and her desire for solitude, but she gradually warmed to the realization that guardianship involved more than providing material needs and security. Secondary themes of sisterhood and of developing female friendships later in life add depth to a work that otherwise explores a sensitive topic in familiar ways--from initial outrage to healing, wariness to acceptance, and an adolescent's tumultuous beginnings to high school graduation and acceptance to college. Though descriptions of emotions occasionally step into cliché, Greenlaw is at her finest when drawing parallels between life at sea and her new role as a mother. A competent work intended to encourage others in similar situations, but will appeal most to fans of Greenlaw's previous Isle au Haut installment, The Lobster Chronicles.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169874198
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	03/21/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged

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