I know nothing about the commercial fishing industry. It was interesting to read about it, but also made some parts of the descriptions incomprehensible to me. Different plot. I liked it. I didn’t like the main character very much, which made it difficult for me to enjoy the book as much as some other reviewers. Impossible for me to identify with a female character whose idea of conflict resolution is to punch whoever is disagreeing with her.

Loved this book, would like to read more. I have no knowledge of Alaska; the locale was as much of a character in the book as the humans. Extremely well written; beautifully developed characters.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. For some reason, I got the idea into my head from the book's title that this book would be about laundry and I spent much of the beginning of the book assuming that the young woman who moved to Alaska would open a Laundromat and quirky characters from Northern Exposure would appear to amuse her. As Tara's experiences working in the fishing boats and processing plants became rougher, with gritty and dangerous scenes, I slowly discovered that although this was a very different book than the one I had imagined I was reading, I was hooked. (That was an intentional fishing reference.) Tara's strength and persistence toward her own goals in the face of rejection, threat, failure, and other adversity made this gripping story a compelling read. Unlike many of the light-hearted books I read, this one is still in my mind weeks later, asking to be revisited and further contemplated. HIGHLY recommended.