Row for Freedom

Crossing an Ocean in Search of Hope

By: Julia Immonen, Bear Grylls

Narrated by: Jay O'Shea

"When you’re in the middle of the adventure, you just have to live it. When you’re on an expedition, you put your head down and battle through. Storytelling happens after the finish line... now that time has come [and] Julia can tell her story. The full story." (From the foreword by Bear Grylls.)

An incredible account of one woman’s record-breaking row across the Atlantic. Thirty-two-year-old Julia Immonen and four other women take on a challenge completed by fewer people than have climbed Mount Everest or gone into space: row 3000 miles, unaided, from the Canary Islands to Barbados. Row for Freedom chronicles that dramatic journey, detailing the grueling, peril-filled crossing, which broke two world records, as it weaves together Julia’s search for hope and purpose against a background of relationships scarred by violence. As Julia’s physical and emotional treks unfold, you also learn about the plight of the 30 million victims of the modern-day slave trade that serves as the motivation for her row. Be inspired by Julia’s self-discovery and her team’s triumph in one of the most formidable physical quests ever undertaken.

©2014 Thomas Nelson (P)2014 Thomas Nelson

Rambling.

I can't tell if the narrator needs to learn pauses for better effect or if the author created rambling storylines. It's probably both. The story itself is decent, but overall it lacked a passionate/triumphant/challenging/overcoming the odds feel that I would have thought would be the central feel of a story like this. Every bit seemed rushed, no real feeling in it, just a list of what happened. Again the narrator doesn't help this.