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.
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“[Greenlaw] returns with astraightforward account of the challenges she faced in becoming the legalguardian of a sexually abused teenager and in balancing unexpected motherhoodwith her reclusive lifestyle on a tiny island off the coast of Maine…Secondary themes of sisterhood andof developing female friendships later in life add depth…Greenlaw is at her finestwhen drawing parallels between life at sea and her new role as a mother. Acompetent work intended to encourage others in similar situations, but willappeal most to fans of Greenlaw’s previous Isle au Haut installment.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“A tale…of love and healing.”
— Library Journal“Greenlaw’s memoir deftly chronicles her journey to motherhood, without whitewashing away the toughness of the trek or the joy she experiences along the way.”
— Publishers Weekly“Greenlaw veers from her more traditional fishing tales in this intimate memoir that proves without a doubt that it takes a village to raise a child…As the island does its own collective soul searching, she finds herself pondering a future she never envisioned. With newfound poignancy, Greenlaw addresses family and kinship in a clear-eyed manner that defies expectations and should easily bring her new fans. Book clubs will want to take note.”
— Booklist“Greenlaw does a fine job delivering her most recent memoir…Greenlaw may not have a professional narrator’s polish, but her performance behind the mike is smooth, and her genuine emotions win listeners’ empathy as they learn the story of how she unexpectedly decided to pursue legal guardianship of her charge. The result was three tumultuous years of adjusting to motherhood, helping a skittish, damaged girl, and forging a family.”
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Linda Greenlaw is America’s only female swordfish-boat captain and was featured in the book and the film The Perfect Storm and in the Discovery Channel series Swords: Life on the Line. She is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, including The Lobster Chronicles, as well as two mysteries and two cookbooks coauthored with her mother, Martha Greenlaw. She lives on Isle au Haut, Maine.