Living A Dream

Rating:
Summary: Great Read - Informative and Entertaining.
Review: An easy and enjoyable read that will really appeal to those thinking about taking the plunge into the cruising life - or indeed just looking to make a major life improvement through change.
It's not a sugar coated romanticized account of success, but rather an account of how someone hugely successful in her career, took a careful look at her life and made the bold decision to give it up and move on.
The decision continues to be questioned and second guessed and the book highlights some of the difficulties in discussing one's innermost fears with a trusted partner - for fear of sending wrong signals and collapsing a tenuous grasp on the new life.
Heroic and amusing anecdotes are scattered through the book, making it an enjoyable story of the transition from hectic and immersed professional life to a different hectic immersion in their new life.

Rating:
Summary: Living a Dream
Review: Both my wife and I finished the book in record time and agreed that it was one of the most fascinating personal interest and adventure books we've read. The book was enjoyable to read, as there was no mistake about what the person said. Just like we were having a conversation with Suzanne.
Any who are contemplating major changes in their lives would do well to read this book to understand how to plan the events and to change plans when necessary.
The book is a great read for any sailing enthusiast who might harbor the dream of going cruising.
Going cruising is what the book is about, but here are many other lessons to be gleaned.
Very enjoyable reading...

Rating:
Summary: Living A Dream
Review: Great book! This is a well written book that puts you on the edge of your seat. You feel as if you are on the boat traveling with the writer. Looking forward to the next book!

Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful book!
Review: I love the way this author writes - I felt as though we were sitting together in the cabin of her boat while she shared her stories with only me. I hung on every word and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. This book is so much more than a book about sailing. It's about putting your thoughts into action and taking the necessary steps to make dreams come true. It's about working through fears and the unknown to experience all that life has to offer. She has motivated me to re-evaluate my priorities and to begin working toward my dreams. I really hope there's a continuation of her adventures in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: Like many sailors, Suzanne and Ty Giesemann dreamed of sailing into the sunset as full-time cruisers. A retired Navy destroyer captain, Ty was at home on the ocean, but as aide to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Suzanne's career was still moving full speed ahead. Being at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 put her priorities in order and propelled their plans into forward motion. They bought their cruising boat, sold their house and cars, and left Washington in their wake. Filled with page-turning drama, humor and high emotion, Living a Dream follows the crew of "Liberty" as they prepare for the cruising life, then sail north to New England and Canada. Between idyllic anchorages and close encounters with whales they contend with rough seas, a medical emergency in a remote Newfoundland fjord, and first-year adjustments to life on the water. Spiced with sea stories from their Navy careers, this remarkable cruising journal takes readers on a fascinating journey through the ups and downs of a lifestyle many only dream about.


Rating:
Summary: Retirement with excitement
Review: Living A dream is a wonderful example of a couple retiring with a plan. Although cruising to Newfoundland is not part of a typical retirement, Suzanne Giesemann has written a wonderful guide to a successful retirement. Anyone delaying retirement because sitting at home is their future plan can broaden their options using Living A Dream as a pattern.

This is a well-written nonfiction book that moves along at a fast pace. The descriptions of Newfoundland and its inhabitants will make cruisers more apt to follow Liberty to the cold north country.

I highly recommend this book.



Rating:
Summary: Dreams Come True!
Review: Suzanne truly welcomes the reader into her life and aboard "Liberty" to experience both the joys and trials of the cruising life...while sharing those personal experiences that accelerated the desire to live their dream - NOW. What wonderful insights...what wonderful travels...what wonderful people! A great "easy" read - recommended even for Landlubbers!!

Rating:
Summary: Better Than This Game of Ghosts!
Review: Well, I don't know if it's really better, but I do know this: I left my copy of This Game of Ghosts (the sequel to Touching the Void) at work, so I started reading Living a Dream and I couldn't go back to 'Ghosts' because I just couldn't stop reading. I had been picking up 'Ghosts' when I got bored, but for some reason I was compelled to read Living a Dream straight through. You don't have to have much mountain experience to appreciate Joe Simpson's story, but I've had no sea experience whatsoever - so it's a mystery to me why I was so pulled in by Living a Dream. I gave the book five stars because it's so good for what it is (I'm not comparing it to Garcia-Marquez or Rushdie). The gratification you get is exponential to the effort of reading it.

The chapters about her working at the Pentagon were awesome, her job was important enough to be really intriguing but not so rarefied that it's way out over our heads. (She was apparently one of only a few people on the last plane in US airspace on 9/11, and saw Manhattan and the Pentagon in the same day.)

The bulk of the book is a narrative about the decision, subsequent to her 9/11 experience, to become a full-time cruiser, and the adventures that ensued. I can't get over how captivated I was over a story that didn't involve anything over the top (like circumnavigating in a row boat, or being stranded for some ungodly amount of time). I have a friend who plans on becoming a cruiser, I'm buying a copy for him for sure. Even if you have only a passing interest in cruising, I would say this book is worth purchasing.

Rating:
Summary: Liberty Sails
Review: What a great adventure! Ty and Suzanne have actually done what so many of us talk about - but never quite get around to doing. As I was reading about their travels, my thoughts were sailing along the line of what fun to be able to experience "Living A Dream" through the eyes of such a remarkable couple. Now my thoughts include ... why not us.

Suzanne's sharing of their journey was informative, exciting, at times funny, and thought provoking. And always personal. Her narrative is richer because of her willingness to share so much of herself and, along with her readable style, enables readers to better understand what the cruising life is truly about. "Living A Dream" is one of those books that you know you should put down and turn out the light - but you keep reading "just one more page!"

"Living A Dream" tells a story of adventure that, long after you finish reading it, keeps playing in your mind and stirring your own dreams. A great read .....