Sailing Directions — Anne Benson

"Sailing Directions" is a novelized memoir of grief and recovery set aboard a luxurious sailing yacht traveling the Greek Islands, based on the personal experience of the author. Is it possible that taking a job as cook on a luxurious sailing yacht, and getting away from her own small town can help Nina get over the death of her beloved husband, Jake? Her friend Alex thinks so, and convinces her to come to Greece where he's captain of Desiree, a one hundred foot beauty owned by a ruthless American financier known to his crew as the Boss. It's a small world, with intense dynamics. The Boss is demanding, and prone to tantrums. Seasickness, heat, exhaustion and grief threaten to defeat Nina, and ultimately, the Boss's willfulness nearly destroys his lovely toy and puts them all in danger. However, Nina finds a stock of resilience, humor, and even romance that lightens her darkest moments. The settings are wonderfully and carefully researched and detailed. Sailing under the stars, stormy seas, gourmet meals, visits to remote harbors and ancient sites; the reader is in for some serious vicarious pleasure while at the same time relating to the timeless struggle of recovery from loss.