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Time Bandit: Two Brothers, the Bering Sea, and One of the World's Deadliest Jobs |
Author: Andy Hillstrand
Published: 2008-04-08 |
List price: $25.00
Our price: $16.50
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Usually ships in 24 hours
As of: January 06th, 2009 03:22:22 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Lost a bit of respect for the brothers
I have been a fan of Deadliest Catch since roughly the second season. For the most part, I liked the Hillstrand Brothers (though Capt Phil and the Cornelia Marie crew are my favorites). I was very excited to find an autographed copy of the Hillstrand's book at my local B&N. Though it offered some entertaining stories, I must say I was disappointed in the book as a whole. The narrative is very choppy and hard to follow. It jumps back and forth from Jonathan being stranded at sea, to Andy on the farm waiting to hear from him, to both of them reflecting on their pasts. I don't blame the Hillstrands for this (I don't expect crab fisherman to be great writers) as much as I do their editor/ghostwriter. Surely he or she could have done a better job.
For me, the most disappointing aspect of reading this book was how much respect I lost for the Hillstrand brothers. By their own admissions and through their own words, Jonathan comes across as the perpetual child who refuses to grow up. He wastes his money on women and booze and doesn't spend a lot of time with his son (but expects him to take over the family business someday). Though he says he treats women well, he seems to have an almost annoyed, even hostile attitude towards those like Andy and (Jonathan's) son Scott, who have or seek to have a stable family life. For his part, Andy comes across as the perpetual enabler who is always bailing his brother out of trouble. I have to say the book as a whole left me feeling a bit cold towards the brothers. I will definately watch them differently when they're on the show in the future.
 If you love Deadliest Catch
If you love Deadliest Catch and the Hillstrand brothers you will really enjoy this book. They are my favorite captains on the show becuase of thier sense of humor.
Sit in your armchair and feel the salt spray chill your face...
There is no question that Time Bandit finds an eager audience among fans of the American TV show "Deadliest Catch," but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book stands up well on its own as an entertaining and informative read. The brothers Hillstrand have a pirate's lode of great fishing stories, but the book doesn't stop there. These men are also admirably candid about their personal histories and the tough issues they deal with on land (families, obligations, personal demons, compliance with fishing regulations, outfitting for the next fishing run, hiring/firing crew, etc).
The first and dominant voice in the narrative is Johnathan Hillstrand whose delivery struck me as egotistical and arrogant to the point that I almost didn't stick around to give the book a chance--but I'm glad I did. After all, the book opens with the "bad boy of the Bering Sea" perilously adrift and alone, and even if he does seem a bit full of himself, I wanted to see how he would get out of his dire predicament. His life-threatening situation serves as the literary focus to reflect on his life--kind of a slow-motion version of seeing your lifetime pass before your eyes before you die. Thus unfolds Johnathan's entertaining story, reminiscences of his life, interspersed with the narrative of his brother Andy and the fellow fishermen who eventually rescue him.
At first, I thought the writing style was too unpolished and the tone overbearingly arrogant but as I got to "know" Johnathan better, and then his brother Andy, I decided to cut them some slack. After all, if fishermen were born to be writers, they wouldn't be fishermen, and vice versa (with the exception of Linda Greenlaw who is both a good writer and fisherman). Thankfully, the authors enlisted the help of seasoned writer Malcolm MacPherson who I presume is responsible for making a cohesive work from two lifetimes of harrowing stories. More effort in that direction would have further improved the book.
Time Bandit is great entertainment. Tales of near death, living on the edge, the roughness of life on sea and land, gave me a great escape into a world I could never approach in my real life. I take points off for the literary weakness of the book which is apparently aimed at the established TV audience as a "mixed media" marketing effort. When the TV show eventually ends and the DVD market is sated, the book will not have much literary quality to sustain it as a book alone.
Sharing similarities with Time Bandit in ocean-going subject matter, here are a few recommendations which are stronger literary works: _The Hungry Ocean_ and _The Lobster Chronicles_ by Linda Greenlaw, _The Perfect Storm_ by Sebastian Junger, _Hen Frigates_ by Joan Druett, and _Cod_ by Mark Kurlansky.
 Great book
This book can hardly be laid down, which is surprising for its genre. It was received in the condition advertised.
Crab fishing.
I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and very informative. I watch Deadliest Catch every day, and can't wait for the new season to start. Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand are to be commended for getting this book published. They are my favorite fishermen and I really like the crew also. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is excellent. I loved each and every word and could not in all honesty put this book down. I think I read this most excellent book faster and in a shorter time then any book I have read, and I have read hundreds of different books in my adult life. If you like the show, you MUST get this book.
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