I’ve recently republished Aweigh of Life with IngramSpark. The new edition is published under my name, Patricia Morgan, and is available through the usual sources on line. Besides making a few grammatical corrections, this new version includes some maps (at the request of readers) and photos.
What has been lost in republishing is all the fine 4- and 5-star reviews readers posted with my first edition. Below are several reviews of that first edition, previously published under the pen name of E.D. Snow, as they appeared in Amazon Reviews. I encourage my readers to re-post their reviews… not to feed my ego or even bank account (for the Universe knows I’m not getting rich on this!) but to encourage others to enjoy the adventure.
“The book is INCREDIBLE!” Aweigh if Life is a poignant memoir. I couldn’t read it fast enough! She takes you with her on her incredible journey in such a way you can almost smell the salt air. The quiet times, the exhilarating adventures, all of her trials and tribulations to find herself. Definitely recommended reading. – Amy C.
“Sail Away” Imagine yourself boarding a sailboat in your early twenties and cruising the South Pacific for the next ten years, island hopping, moorage in blue lagoons, footprints on white sand beaches, swimming tropical pools, hiking palm tree covered islands, living on fish and coconuts, hunkering down through a harrowing hurricane, meeting colorful natives and swapping sea tales with other ‘yachties,’ and all the myriad experiences of such a soul-stirring, life-affirming, wondrously fascinating journey.
Now imagine what circumstances, obligations, trajectories and vectors would converge upon you until one day you realize you must leave the sea, and its ‘way of life,’ behind.
Finally, in your later years you are drawn back to that time, through the extensive journals you kept and by the very pull of memories steeped in golden sunshine, blue seas and fair winds, and you sit down and write it all out.
Anchors aweigh, come aboard with a woman who did just that, lived in communion with deep waters, hitched her fate to sea breezes and sailed away to the far horizon. The author is an everywoman – imperfect, impassioned, sweet and not. Like all of us her sails are at times full or slack, relationships bucking headwinds or on a tailwind, her life making headway or in the doldrums.
This book is an easy read, as effortless as a reach on five knot trade winds of a soft, sunny summer afternoon in following seas. Grab a coconut water, put on your favorite sunglasses and Hawaiian shirt, pull anchor, trim the mainsail and cruise. Aweigh. – Freemind Arcata
“Brilliant Details of a South Pacific so few of us know.” [Patricia Morgan] is one intrepid woman, and very, very strong, both physically and mentally. Her incredible memory for details of her seven years sailing through the South Pacific 40 years ago makes these experiences seem like they’re happening right now. The book is really a “personal journey” memoir, in which she reveals disquieting aspects of her family and upbringing, and how she comes to grips with being a rebellious “outsider” who wants to live a minimalist lifestyle, freed of the trappings of capitalist society.
The book gives a real sense of the adventure of sailing amidst remote islands that most of us have never heard of nor know anything about the people who live there. Two chapters really stay with me: the first is her absolutely spot-on depiction of the misogyny and racism of Northern Queensland 40 years ago–she really captures the harshness of that place then, remnants of which remain a part of Australian society to this day. The second is her stunningly beautiful description of giving birth to the first white baby on a tiny island in Papua New Guinea. That chapter could stand alone for any anthropologist or poet.
Friends who are sailors to whom I’ve recommended the book say it includes some of the finest writing about sailing they have read. The book could use a bit of editing, for repetitive passages and awkward phrasing, but all in all, this is a magnificent effort. Well done! Let’s make it into a movie! – Erica Esau
“One of my favorite books ever.” I read a lot and this is one of my absolute favorite books. The writing is beautiful and was comforting to me in a way that is hard to articulate. With all we have going on in the world, this was like balm for my soul. I felt like I was on a journey of my own while reading along and it felt like stepping back from all of the busyness and chatter and craziness. I slowed down toward the end simply because I didn’t want it to end. I highly recommend this book. – Amanda C
“Tales of Adventures on the High Seas delivered straight from the heart of a remarkable gal.” “A Sweeping Tale” doesn’t do justice as a description of this book. You know how it feels when you are reading a really good book and suddenly realize you’re only 30 pages from the end? “But I don’t want it to end” you think. That’s this book. [The] story is a “warts and all” memoir told with grace, humor, irony and just a tiny bit of sarcasm. Her gift for describing the geography and nautical aspect of her travels will pull you in to the point where you can actually feel the salt spray coming over the bow of your Lazy Boy Recliner. Beyond that her brutal honesty and candid confessions of doubt, hurt and amusement make this book so much more than a travelogue. I am a compulsive reader. I normally read to “learn” stuff (non-fiction & history) and an equal amount of literature that makes me “feel” stuff. This book covered both bases. A 2-fer if you will. I recommend it highly. – Geoffrey Williams
“Honesty and Depth.” This book is an emotional moving metaphor of a fearless, strong, independent woman who is looking for the soul she has always possessed. Its filled with her fascinating adventures throughout the South Pacific Islands in the 1970’s and gives us an historical and cultural glimpse of the special people that shared her life. It’s a page turner and one that I couldn’t put down and didn’t want to end. We can see you now E.D. Snow and thanks for sharing this piece of your life with us! – Betsy P
“Highly Recommend.” Aweigh of Life is a must-read for all life adventurers and explorers. Fascinating and intimate story of a woman’s journey forward, while coming to terms with her past. Throughout, it’s a heartfelt memoir of a seven year trip of a lifetime, sailing the waters and learning of people and cultures in the South Pacific seas. I couldn’t put it down, and I didn’t want it to end. – Pamela
