Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Sail

Sail
Sail
Author: Howard Roughan, James Patterson
SET SAIL — Only an hour out of port, the Dunne family's summer getaway to paradise is already turning into the trip from hell. Carrie, the eldest, has thrown herself off the side of the boat in a bid for attention. Sixteen-year-old Mark is getting high belowdecks. And Ernie, their ten-year-old brother, is nearly catatonic. It's shaping up to be t...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780316018708
ISBN-10: 0316018708
Publication Date: 6/10/2008
Pages: 400
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 450

3.9 stars, based on 450 ratings
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

mrsb avatar reviewed Sail on + 78 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
Book Description Bit:

Since the death of her husband, Anne Dunne and her three children have struggled in every way. In a last ditch effort to save the family, Anne plans an elaborate sailing vacation to bring everyone together once again. But only an hour out of port, everything is going wrong. The teenage daughter, Carrie, is planning to drown herself. The teenage son, Mark, is high on drugs and ten-year-old Ernie is nearly catatonic. This is the worst vacation ever.

Anne manages to pull things together bit by bit, but just as they begin feeling like a family again, something catastrophic happens. Survival may be the least of their concerns.

Written with the blistering pace and shocking twists that only James Patterson can master, SAIL takes "Lost" and "Survivor" to a new level of terror.


My Bit:

WOW!! Yet another hit novel!! Read it one day because I literally could not put it down ... kept saying, Oh I have to read just one more chapter and before I knew it, there were no more!! The plot and cast of characters just sucks you in from page one and never lets you go, with twists and turns at every corner. This is classic Patterson ...
reviewed Sail on + 92 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
Actually, the woman's name is Dr. Katherine Dunne. This IS a one-day read, mostly because a person is brought into the action right away. Well written, and although it's only 308 pages, the print isn't as large as it has been on a couple of recent novels by Patterson. And you don't really know how it ends until . . . the end.
reviewed Sail on + 77 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
I loved this book. The tone changes from character to character so it really works having the dual authorship. Plenty of adventure, plenty of intrigue. Katherine Dunne plans a long sailing trip to try to get her children closer to her; stoner Mark, bulimic Carie, and 10 year old Ernie who sees the world through the eyes of a 30 year old. Good entertainment.
reviewed Sail on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
This is one of the worst books Patterson has ever written. Every chapter is 1-1/2 to 2 pages long, ends in some kind of cliffhanger, and, while the basic plot is pretty good, the story and the people in it are terrible. Patterson overuses exclamation points (i.e., She saw a snake! It was headed right for her! She had nowhere to go!) and the book reads as though it is aimed at a 10-year-old reading level. It appears to be a formulaic book he dashed off in a week, and I wish I had never wasted a credit on it.
reviewed Sail on + 320 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This is truly a 5 star book.***** I couldn't put it down. "Just one more chapter, just ONE more chapter." I started it on Monday night and finished it Tuesday afternoon. If you read the earlier reviews, you know the plot. Peter, Katherine's husband and her children's step father, not only sabotaged the "sail" by trying to commit murder on the high seas, he was a cheat as well. Lots of twists and turns in this book and the action was fast paced. Get ready for the surprise ending. For those who have abandoned Patterson, because some of his more recent books just haven't measured up, now is the time to rediscover this author. Read it! You will not be disappointed.
Read All 107 Book Reviews of "Sail"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed Sail on
I loved this book! I did not want to put it down!
abeccapug avatar reviewed Sail on + 26 more book reviews
I've just discovered James Patterson books. This book is action packed and will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very end. What begins as a family vacation to reconnect with her kids turns into a fight for their lives. Just when I thought I had an idea of what was going on and where the plot was heading, I'd get and unexpected surprise. If I was the main character, I'd never go on vacation again. The poor woman. I was very pleased with the ending. This book would make an awesome movie!
sharalsbooks avatar reviewed Sail on + 259 more book reviews
What started out as a very predictable and almost boring story did a 180 and knocked me off my feet! Sail introduces us to the family Dunneheart surgeon mom Katherine, her brother in law Jake and Katherines children Mark, Carrie and Ernie. They are taking the family yacht on a vacation for some quality time and family bonding since the death of Stuart, Katherines first husband. At first glance, it appears a family vacation is the last thing this group of people need and instead should opt for some intensive therapy. Mark is using drugs, Carrie jumps overboard in an apparent suicide attempt and the youngest seems to be overlooked and forgotten by everyone else.

Mother Nature at her worst, explosions and murder are just a small taste of what the Dunne family has in store for them on this vacation. Once the story got past the beginning and I began to feel a connection, I couldnt tear myself away. Everything from what happens to the family and why to who is behind it and why was intense and it doesnt end there. The story throws twist after twist all the way to the end of the book, leaving me with my mouth hanging open in shock and surprise.

My Final Verdict: If you like to be surprised by a book and enjoy having the rug ripped out from under you, I highly recommend this story. If you enjoy stories that are intense and suspenseful but also have many layers to the story and characters that keep you guessing, then Sail should be your next adventure.
Cycle304 avatar reviewed Sail on + 135 more book reviews
Very good book! It keeps your attention all the way through. You keep coming up with the solution but then it gets another twist. Another fantastic Jamess Patterson!!
reviewed Sail on + 377 more book reviews
Good, fast moving story of a sly slimeball of a lawyer who tries to kill his wife and her kids for her money, but is outfoxed in the end.
reviewed Sail on
I enjoyed this book.would reccomend to others.
reviewed Sail on + 223 more book reviews
A very good book. One of Patterson's best. A family who has forgotten what family means relearns what family is all about--the hard way! Excellent reading!


Genres: