Get Your Free Audiobook
The Boy Behind the Gate
People who bought this also bought...
-
Islands, Oceans, and Dreams
- The True Story of a Sailor's Seven Year Solo Voyage Around the World
- By: Michael Salvaneschi
- Narrated by: Andrew Parker
- Length: 19 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Islands, Oceans, and Dreams is a true story of a man who, at the age of 33, began dreaming of voyaging with his wife to the South Pacific. He wasn't an adventurer or daring by nature, but he bought a boat and began learning the ways of the sea. Twenty years later, racked with the pain of divorce and still aching to live out his dream, he set off alone for Tahiti. After reaching French Polynesia, he continued cruising for seven years and wound up solo sailing around the world. Islands, Oceans, and Dreams takes the listener on that voyage.
-
-
needs to be edited
- By PhilippaB on 29-06-2018
-
Philosophy of Sailing: Offshore in Search of the Universe
- By: Christian Williams
- Narrated by: Christian Williams
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Veteran sailor and writer Christian Williams invites us along once again on a 5,000-mile voyage of discovery around the North Pacific. Equipped with a new boat, a well-stocked toolbox, and the entire history of philosophic thought, he takes us as crew through squalls and calms deep into a laboratory of the universe that exists only out of sight of land. Funny, erudite, and at times deeply personal, Philosophy of Sailing explores who we are and how encounters with the unknown can be a path to revelation and joy.
-
Breaking Seas
- An Overweight, Middle-Aged Computer Nerd Buys His First Boat, Quits His Job, and Sails Off to Adventure
- By: Glenn Damato
- Narrated by: René Ruiz
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Do you have a dream you must pursue, but everyone says it's unrealistic? Or that you're not qualified? Too old, too out of shape? Or you don't have the "right experience?" Glenn Damato was a 41-year-old software instructor who sought to exceed the bounds of his comfortable but humdrum existence. He embarked on an adventure for which he was miserably unprepared. Why did he do this? How did he answer the ancient human question: how do we jump-start growth in our lives? We become something we were not.
-
-
Great Read!
- By Craig on 22-09-2017
-
Alone Together
- Sailing Solo to Hawaii and Beyond
- By: Christian Williams
- Narrated by: Christian Williams
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What happens when a man of today's overconnected world sets off alone across the Pacific at the age of 71? Christian Williams, a veteran sailor and writer, planned a 6,000-mile voyage as a test of his own seamanship and endurance, and to fulfill a lifelong goal. But he found his focus quickly turning from the surrounding sea to all of us. Is anyone the same person when no one else is there? Do we dare to find out?
-
-
A gem of a tale and well told!
- By Shane Geard on 15-12-2016
-
True Spirit
- The Aussie girl who took on the world
- By: Jessica Watson
- Narrated by: Jessica Watson
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written and read by Jessica Watson, this is the story of a remarkable girl who followed her dream and conquered the world. There is something different about adventurers, about the way their minds work. They look at the world as a place of challenges and though they know what fear is, they refuse to be hindered by it.
-
-
inspiring
- By Gary on 21-10-2015
-
Sailing Alone Around the World
- By: Joshua Slocum
- Narrated by: Bernard Mayes
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Challenged by an expert who said it couldn’t be done, Joshua Slocum, a fearless New England sea captain, set out in April 1895 to prove that a man could sail alone around the world. A little over three years and forty-six thousand miles later, the proof was complete. This is Slocum’s own account of his remarkable adventures during the historic voyage of the Spray.
-
-
intriguing read
- By Nick on 14-09-2018
-
Islands, Oceans, and Dreams
- The True Story of a Sailor's Seven Year Solo Voyage Around the World
- By: Michael Salvaneschi
- Narrated by: Andrew Parker
- Length: 19 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Islands, Oceans, and Dreams is a true story of a man who, at the age of 33, began dreaming of voyaging with his wife to the South Pacific. He wasn't an adventurer or daring by nature, but he bought a boat and began learning the ways of the sea. Twenty years later, racked with the pain of divorce and still aching to live out his dream, he set off alone for Tahiti. After reaching French Polynesia, he continued cruising for seven years and wound up solo sailing around the world. Islands, Oceans, and Dreams takes the listener on that voyage.
-
-
needs to be edited
- By PhilippaB on 29-06-2018
-
Philosophy of Sailing: Offshore in Search of the Universe
- By: Christian Williams
- Narrated by: Christian Williams
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Veteran sailor and writer Christian Williams invites us along once again on a 5,000-mile voyage of discovery around the North Pacific. Equipped with a new boat, a well-stocked toolbox, and the entire history of philosophic thought, he takes us as crew through squalls and calms deep into a laboratory of the universe that exists only out of sight of land. Funny, erudite, and at times deeply personal, Philosophy of Sailing explores who we are and how encounters with the unknown can be a path to revelation and joy.
-
Breaking Seas
- An Overweight, Middle-Aged Computer Nerd Buys His First Boat, Quits His Job, and Sails Off to Adventure
- By: Glenn Damato
- Narrated by: René Ruiz
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Do you have a dream you must pursue, but everyone says it's unrealistic? Or that you're not qualified? Too old, too out of shape? Or you don't have the "right experience?" Glenn Damato was a 41-year-old software instructor who sought to exceed the bounds of his comfortable but humdrum existence. He embarked on an adventure for which he was miserably unprepared. Why did he do this? How did he answer the ancient human question: how do we jump-start growth in our lives? We become something we were not.
-
-
Great Read!
- By Craig on 22-09-2017
-
Alone Together
- Sailing Solo to Hawaii and Beyond
- By: Christian Williams
- Narrated by: Christian Williams
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What happens when a man of today's overconnected world sets off alone across the Pacific at the age of 71? Christian Williams, a veteran sailor and writer, planned a 6,000-mile voyage as a test of his own seamanship and endurance, and to fulfill a lifelong goal. But he found his focus quickly turning from the surrounding sea to all of us. Is anyone the same person when no one else is there? Do we dare to find out?
-
-
A gem of a tale and well told!
- By Shane Geard on 15-12-2016
-
True Spirit
- The Aussie girl who took on the world
- By: Jessica Watson
- Narrated by: Jessica Watson
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written and read by Jessica Watson, this is the story of a remarkable girl who followed her dream and conquered the world. There is something different about adventurers, about the way their minds work. They look at the world as a place of challenges and though they know what fear is, they refuse to be hindered by it.
-
-
inspiring
- By Gary on 21-10-2015
-
Sailing Alone Around the World
- By: Joshua Slocum
- Narrated by: Bernard Mayes
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Challenged by an expert who said it couldn’t be done, Joshua Slocum, a fearless New England sea captain, set out in April 1895 to prove that a man could sail alone around the world. A little over three years and forty-six thousand miles later, the proof was complete. This is Slocum’s own account of his remarkable adventures during the historic voyage of the Spray.
-
-
intriguing read
- By Nick on 14-09-2018
-
This Is It
- 2 Hemispheres, 2 People, and 1 Boat
- By: Jackie Parry
- Narrated by: Caroline Doughty
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The pull of the ocean was too strong to ignore any longer. Four years prior, they'd circumnavigated the globe on their 33-foot boat, Mariah. Now they wanted a new challenge. So they sold all their belongings and flew to America from New South Wales in search of a boat. Then Jackie and Noel set sail south, meeting descendants of the Bounty mutineers on Pitcairn, taking in the grand statues of Easter Island, and finally visiting the remotest inhabited island in the world.
-
Bound for Distant Seas
- A Voyage Alone to Asia Aboard the 28-Foot Sailboat Atom
- By: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Nick O'Kelly
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bound for Distant Seas begins sailing author James Baldwin's epic tale of his second circumnavigation. His story is seasoned by his adventures during his first circumnavigation in 1984-86 as told in Across Islands and Oceans. Alone with little money aboard Atom, his now-engineless 28-foot sailboat, James embarks on his odyssey without the comforts and equipment most sailors consider essential.
-
-
A great account of a man, people and the world!
- By Andrew on 07-06-2017
-
Bumfuzzle
- Just Out Looking for Pirates
- By: Patrick Schulte
- Narrated by: Nick O'Kelly
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of a young couple who, without any prior sailing experience, decide one night over too many drinks that they are going to sail around the world. One year later they are bobbing around in the Bahamas on a 35 foot catamaran teaching themselves how to cross oceans in a small boat. Along their way they meet amazing people, visit locations only accessible by those on their own yachts, become television actors in Australia, minor celebrities in Puerto Rico, and generally have a great time of it all.
-
-
just another circumnavigate story
- By suaj on 26-03-2018
-
As Long as It's Fun, the Epic Voyages and Extraordinary Times of Lin and Larry Pardey
- By: Herb McCormick
- Narrated by: Russell Stamets
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To anyone interested in small-boat cruising and voyaging, the names Lin and Larry Pardey need no introduction. As world-girdling sailors who roamed the planet on a pair of small, engineless boats that they built themselves, the Pardeys established their hard-earned reputations by eloquently (and sometimes controversially) telling their stories through a series of best-selling books and manuals, and countless seminars and boat shows.
-
-
Great story. Average pronunciation
- By Anonymous User on 25-10-2018
-
The Desert and the Sea
- 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast
- By: Michael Scott Moore
- Narrated by: Corey Snow
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In January 2012, having covered a Somali pirate trial in Hamburg for Spiegel Online International, Michael Scott Moore traveled to the Horn of Africa to write about piracy and ways to end it. In a terrible twist of fate, Moore himself was kidnapped and subsequently held captive by Somali pirates for 977 days. Yet Moore’s own struggle is only part of the story: The Desert and the Sea falls at the intersection of reportage, memoir, and history.
-
-
absolutely fascinating
- By Richard on 14-08-2018
-
Amazing Sailing Stories
- True Adventures from the High Seas
- By: Dick Durham
- Narrated by: Steve Hodson
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tales of adventures on the high seas captivate both sailors and those who stand on the shore and gaze out across the oceans. In this original collection of sea stories, edited by veteran writer Dick Durham, the gamut of human experience is mirrored in a world of tragic shipwrecks and sea monsters, epic races and brave rescues, tall ships and tiny dinghies.
-
Sailing, Yachts and Yarns
- By: Tom Cunliffe
- Narrated by: Tom Cunliffe
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sailing, Yachts and Yarns is a selection of Tom Cunliffe’s funniest, wisest and most thought-provoking writing from the pages of Yachting Monthly. Tom’s love of language and sense of humour shine through as he recalls the wealth of sinners and saints he has met on docksides from Southampton to South America, Greenwich to Greenland and Newtown to New York. He has a gift for capturing the magic of sail and finding pearls of practical wisdom in the most unlikely nautical adventures.
-
-
Bliss
- By Shane Geard on 24-11-2017
-
Endurance
- Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
- By: Alfred Lansing
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In August of 1914, the British ship Endurance set sail for the South Atlantic. In October, 1915, still half a continent away from its intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in the ice. For five months, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways in one of the most savage regions of the world.
-
-
Amazing adventure
- By Michael Rafferty on 22-10-2017
-
Of Foreign Build
- From Corporate Girl to Sea-Gypsy Woman
- By: Jackie Parry
- Narrated by: Michelle Michaels
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After suffering an emotionally-brutal bereavement and against her counselor's advice, Jackie ran away. Suddenly within a new culture, with a new husband and no friends, she was living in the obscure world of cruising with zero knowledge of boats.
-
-
Great story, horribly narrated.
- By Anonymous User on 15-05-2017
-
Mawson and the Ice Men of the Heroic Age
- Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Paul English
- Length: 23 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Australia's best-selling nonfiction author of all time. Douglas Mawson, born in 1882 and knighted in 1914, was Australia's greatest Antarctic explorer. On 2 December 1911, he led an expedition from Hobart to explore the virgin frozen coastline below, 2000 miles of which had never felt the tread of a human foot. After setting up Main Base at Cape Denision and Western Base on Queen Mary Land, he headed east on an extraordinary sledging trek with his companions, Belgrave Ninnis and Dr Xavier Mertz.
-
-
The Ice Men
- By Vivien on 29-04-2018
-
Live on the Margin
- By: Patrick Schulte
- Narrated by: Nick O'Kelly
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What would you do if money were no longer a concern? Surf the best breaks, sail oceans, climb mountains, build schools in third-world countries, write a book, raise Peruvian fainting goats? What would you do if you didn't have to show up for work tomorrow morning? This book is about more than trading and personal finance strategies-we propose an entirely new way to evaluate risk, in life as well as in finances.
-
Taleisin's Tales
- Sailing Towards the Southern Cross
- By: Lin Pardey, Larry Pardey
- Narrated by: Michelle Murillo
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Including stories from paradise and hard-won lessons in seamanship, Taleisin's Tales reflects back to the first miles Lin and Larry Pardey gained together on the second boat they built lovingly with teak carvel planking over sawn black locust frames. The book includes details from outfitting, provisioning, and final detailing during the early months Lin and Larry spent getting to know their new bluewater cruiser, as well as moments of melancholy as they let go of attachments to their first trusty boat.
Publisher's Summary
FOLLOW THE GLOBAL SAILING ADVENTURES OF JULIA AND HER CREW AS THEY DISCOVER THE WORLD AND THEMSELVES
With his first mate and crew, amateur sailor Larry Jacobson embarked on a lifelong goal to circumnavigate the globe. The namesake boy behind the gate is a passionate romantic who, since childhood, yearned to discover what's out there ....
How do some people overcome fears and insecurities to manifest their dreams? What are the characteristics that allow them to completely transform their lives from one of stability to one of uncertainty and adventure? Don't we all entertain ideas of reinventing ourselves, of having a chance to do it differently and by our own rules?
Willing to risk all, Jacobson spent six years sailing into the unknown where the unrelenting oceans served as a teacher of seamanship, personal strength, and perseverance.
In The Boy Behind the Gate, the author reveals those crucial steps that will motivate you to make your dreams come true. We are each given one great opportunity at life. What are you going to do with yours?
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
-
5 Stars4
-
4 Stars3
-
3 Stars1
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars0
Performance
-
-
5 Stars2
-
4 Stars6
-
3 Stars0
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars0
Story
-
-
5 Stars3
-
4 Stars4
-
3 Stars0
-
2 Stars0
-
1 Stars0
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- LeeAnne
- 26-08-2012
This book changed my life
Would you listen to The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love again? Why?
YES! In fact I plan on bringing it with me when I eventually depart on my own multi-year sailing journey...which I finally have decided to do BECAUSE of this book. I expect to listen to this book many times, especially once I go off cruising. There are so many important lessons in here for a sailor, and many of them I don't think I can fully appreciate until I get out there and do it myself.
What did you like best about this story?
Larry's perseverance in pursuing his dream, his never-give-up spirit even in the most challenging circumstances, and the moving humanity of the key players. I felt that I came to know Larry, Ken, and the other people in the book, and I was sad when the book was over - I wanted to keep them in my life and continue experiencing their adventure through his words. What I finally realized is that I CAN experience this adventure, by doing it myself! I would not have had the nerve to even consider it had I not heard Larry's story. Now, my husband and I are planning our own multi-year cruise on our own boat. And I have Larry and this book to thank for it.
What does Larry Jacobson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
His passion, his melodious voice, and knowing that I was hearing the story directly from the person who lived it, not just in his words, but from his own mouth.
Any additional comments?
Since my husband and I first started kicking the idea around of quitting our jobs and sailing around the world, I've been consuming books written by sailors who did this as fast as I can find them. This must be the 5th or 6th book I've read that was written by sailors who've done this type of journey, but NONE of them moved me like this book, nor gave me the final push to actually resolve to do it. This book is a perfect combination of useful information for boaters, along with a powerful, moving human story of a man who not only finds happiness at sea, but learns that he actually had everything he needed for happiness within him to begin with. The love story between Larry and Ken is slow to build, and in the end this is what makes it so beautiful - it wasn't a fast-moving, rushed romance but a lovely, unhurried, deepening relationship that developed during the course of an incredible adventure. I enjoyed the in-depth view into the personal life of someone I'd never met, and I ended up feeling like I'd known him forever. As for the adventure itself, I can't think of a single book in which I felt quite so much like I was WITH them. His descriptions of the exotic places he visited are evocative and rich with detail. I lived every experience, I saw it through his eyes, heard it through his ears, smelled the pungent smells, felt the fear and the elation. As an avid scuba diver myself, I felt like own my lungs were about to explode during the dive incident when Larry got twisted up in line and almost ran out of air (and I wanted smack him for breaking so many basic rules for divers!). I titled this review "This book changed my life", and I truly mean that. It is this book that convinced me that we can DO this - and that we SHOULD do it, sooner rather than later. Larry is imperfect, he made mistakes, he offered many cautionary tales - and yet he succeeded in living a dream that only a tiny fraction of humans will ever get to experience. Well, thanks to Larry, I intend to be one of them. But even if you never intend to do this yourself, listening to this book will serve as the closest thing to it.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- LINDA
- 26-08-2012
Wonderful!!!
What made the experience of listening to The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love the most enjoyable?
Larry's book will transport you to another world, through a range of emotions, highs and lows....what an amazing gift!!!
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marty
- 26-08-2012
Fantastic Journey!
Where does The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Right at the top. I couldn't stop listening...What an amazing tale of an ordinary guy who followed his heart into a world class adventure.
What other book might you compare The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love to and why?
Stones into Schools, the book about an American mountain climber who brought education to women in Afghanistan
Have you listened to any of Larry Jacobson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
This is my first, so I really cannot compare to any of his others.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
YES!
Any additional comments?
Larry's brush with Pirates and the difficulties they encountered around keeping the boat repaired and functional had me thinking I'd have quit the trip many times over. His courage in the face of tall odds was very impressive, especially during some of the horrendous storm crossings.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- matthew
- 26-08-2012
Optimistic, Realistic, Fantastic.....
Where does The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
At the top! Definitely one of the best.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love?
When Ken decides to stay ;.)
Which scene was your favorite?
Do I have to list just one?! I love all of the open-water swimming scenes..
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes.
Any additional comments?
I hope Larry decided to write more books! Larry is an inspiration.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- E. M. Vasilomanolakis
- 26-08-2012
Education of a Journey
What did you love best about The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love?
The story and how one learns to deal with and adjust with the adversities and challenges of life
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love?
The experience in Thailand leading to their fortuitous escape from the devastating tsunami
What does Larry Jacobson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
How there is a lesson with every experience
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
yes
Any additional comments?
I have listened to Mr Jacobson in a lecture once and found his experiences to want me to set "sail" in my life but then made me realize that I have been at sea, in a boat, but do not have my sail up or going in any direction all the while.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Paul
- 27-08-2012
Great writing about a memorable, moving adventure
What did you love best about The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love?
If you enjoy a great story, crisp prose, and a poignant memory then you should put the Boy Behind the Gate at the top of your reading list. The author draws you in and you quickly get to know him and appreciate his courage and his sense of adventure.
What did you like best about this story?
I liked the honest self-reflection and the courage the author had.
What does Larry Jacobson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
If you just read the book, you'd be happy to have read it. If you listened to the book, you'll feel even closer to the story.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
The adventure of a lifetime.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anita Russell
- 26-08-2012
Open, Honest and Incredibly Inspiring
Where does The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This is by far one of my favorite audio books as well as one of my favorite sailing books. The author does an amazing job of inspiring all of us to stop dreaming and start living.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love?
I had to laugh at the maintenance stories... cruising really is working on your boat in new and exotic places.
The transit of the Persian Gulf was pretty amazing... I found myself feeling growing anxiety along with Captain and crew as they prepared for their departure.
What about Larry Jacobson’s performance did you like?
It's clear that the author is a sailor's sailor... well prepared and confident. That comes through in this performance. I'm looking forward to his next book.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The entire book was a kick in the pants - get up and get moving. The time is short.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- chimpgirl
- 26-08-2012
Along for the Ride
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and wanted the adventure to continue. I felt I was truly along for the ride, which was FUN and scary at times. The people and places were so colorfully described that again, I was along for the ride, and felt a part of their experiences.
Larry takes us through his decision to make his dream come true with honesty. He proves that with perseverance and determination, anyone can overcome their fear of failure, danger, or the unknown and reach out for whatever it might be that we dream of doing or becoming.
I was inspired by Larry's journey...from decision to execution!
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cynthia
- 26-08-2012
Absolutely FANTASTIC!
Would you consider the audio edition of The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love to be better than the print version?
Definitely! There's nothing better than listening to the author read his own writings...
Who was your favorite character and why?
Hard to say... it really depends on the situation... By the time the book was finished, I felt like I knew most of the characters as real-life friends. They were so well-defined and the dialogue was fantastic!
If I had to choose a favorite, it'd be a TIE between Femke and Ken. They both just CRACK me up! I love them!
Which scene was your favorite?
I giggle EVERY time I listen to the story about the crew catching all those mahi-mahi on the way to Fiji.
Femke was getting soooo upset over the "murdered" fish... "Ohh, the sweet, dear, poor fish." And, Larry had NO sympathy for them whatsoever. Poor fish!
When Larry accidentally inflated his life-jacket, scared the heck out of himself, and nearly fell out of the boat... it's hilarious. REVENGE! KARMA! Fish=1 / Larry=0
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Wow... when the guys were sitting in the woman's restaurant, having dinner with her & her family after the big Tsunami in Thailand. It was SO sad to get an inside-view of how the victims were feeling, how lives were devastated, how the whole world had changed in an instant for these people...
...yet, they STILL made a couple of "foreigners" feel welcome. And, they STILL gave what little they had to others who had less. People like those give me hope for this craziness we call "society" nowadays.
Any additional comments?
That 'stuff' in our heads... our deepest fears, biggest dreams, most humbling experiences... the vast majority of us would NEVER risk rejection by sharing that 'stuff' with the people around us. We certainly wouldn't put it out there in a book where we'd be subject to judgment by people we don't even KNOW.
But Larry Jacobson did just that. He wrote an amazing book, in which he honestly -- and sometimes humorously -- shared his fears, his dreams, and his most humbling experiences. And what a story it was!
I found myself examining my OWN life -- and that's not a bad thing. Larry has taught me that life IS risky. Life SHOULD be risky. And, if we don't take risks... we're not truly LIVING. Thanks, Larry!
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- larry
- 26-08-2012
Live your dream!
What made the experience of listening to The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love the most enjoyable?
Realizing that a middle age man can follow his dreams.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Larry
Any additional comments?
An excellent choice for any adventurer
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bondseye
- 28-12-2016
Funny, educational, inspirational.
from start to finish, I could barely turn this audio book off. It's clear why Larry is now doing motivational talks. his enthusiasm, honest and go get attitude is an inspiration.
after reading this, I shall certainly be planning my own adventure over the coming years.
Thanks Larry!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Goronwy-Wyn
- 19-02-2016
He is NO Joshua Slocum
Would you try another book written by Larry Jacobson or narrated by Larry Jacobson?
NO
What will your next listen be?
Karin Fossum
Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Larry Jacobson?
Not the point
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Frustration at his bitching and griping, i could care less about his sexual inclinations, but the constant moaning from a man with all of the toys a man with a 50ft boat could buy and none of which he could fix! Just drove me nuts.
Any additional comments?
NOPE
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Renee
- 25-01-2016
Very enjoyable
What did you like most about The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love?
The honesty expressed in the book. He didn't hold anything back, when he made a mistake, he explained it in the book. He learned a lot on this voyage, and it was enjoyable to go on that journey with him.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Ken. Ken has to be the hero of the piece. Both for patching up Larry's heart (as it were) and for patching up the boat.
What does Larry Jacobson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
I always think the best audiobooks are those read by the author. It may not be quite as professional and polished, but is more real.
Any additional comments?
Someone else mentioned that this book was a little heavy on the 'inspirational speaking' aspect, and I agree, it was a tad. But it wasn't dripping with it, and you soon learn that that is just Larry. For him, it's not all about his story, but also motivating others to have their own story. And that's really cool. I also really appreciated that Larry is clearly gay and made no effort to hide it or play it down. If you struggle with that, well, get over it. I found it very refreshing, and very real.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mr. Peter Corrigan
- 20-10-2015
Full of insight, joie de vivre and laughs
Would you listen to The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love again? Why?
Yes, lots of sailing tips in a highly entertaining package. This will be well worth another listen.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Boy Behind the Gate: How His Dream of Sailing Around the World Became a Six-Year Odyssey of Adventure, Fear, Discovery and Love?
It's alway instructive when Larry relates how simple errors can lead to such big problems when at sea - a slightly misaligned engine, causes such expense - losing the anchor by extending too much chain, gybing with a hatch open or more seriously when his diving gear gets entangled in a stray mooring rope or the potentially fatal decision of swimming down-current when diving.
What about Larry Jacobson’s performance did you like?
It's a very honest book and having it read by the author is that much more affecting.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This is a very funny book with lots of laugh-out-loud moments. It's also very moving as the author is totally honest and open about his relationships.
Any additional comments?
Full of wisdom - about sailing and about life.
-
Overall
- John
- 27-10-2012
Not gripping
I found this impossible to get into:
(a) it reads far too much like a motivational seminar...
(b) although supposedly a story about someone struggling to follow his dream the plot really seems to be guy makes a fortune in business; goes sailing
(b) too in-your-face with unnecessary detail about the author's gay relationships; were he straight I still wouldn't want to know how long his lover made him wait before sleeping with him, etc.
-
Overall
- Mark
- 20-08-2012
Inspirational - loved it
So good, I had to listen to it twice. An amazing account of Larry's round the world journey from the highs and low of circumnavigation. Great insight into places to visit whilst cruising along with much to learn about boat handling. The story has also been very well written to convey the emotions felt along the way.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful