Some weeks ago, I was the lucky recipient of a review copy of this splendid book.
It is useful to add immediately that the book is currently not a printed version, but a downloadable PDF or an audiobook. I received both, but decided that the audiobook is perfect to listen to while taking a break for lunch. It has the attraction of being read by the author herself, with her voice reflecting her memories. She is a beautiful reader, and I can highly recommend the audio version. The PDF version is great if you like to read on screen, as it includes some photographs which are obviously not part of the audio version.
The book concerns two years in the life of a harpist who had never up to then set foot on the QE2, but who went on to play the harp during two entire world cruises, in 1984 and 1985. We accompany her as she first sets eye on the ship and tries to find her way around. It is surprising to realise that the musicians on the ship did not seem to be of any interest to most of the organising crew, and that she had to pretty much organise herself, right down to the place and time when she was expected to play the harp.
Very soon, she discovered that it would be possible for her to undertake excursions in port with the passengers, if she acted as the organiser of a particular trip. This was a challenge at first, and there are some hilarious descriptions of the passengers and their wishes during such port visits.
For those of us who would love to be on a World Cruise right now, the tales of numerous exotic ports will be fascinating, as we accompany Sarah and her passengers. As time goes on, she heads off on some self-planned excursions with friends she has meanwhile made with other musicians and crew members.
In Mombasa, she first encounters the Radio Officer Phil Williams (our Willum) and immediately feels herself drawn to him. It is a slow romance, but by the time she embarks on her second World Cruise, they are "an item", and life on board becomes a lot easier for her, thanks to his status. They manage to have several shore trips together, a couple of them hair-raising adventures, which the cocooned QE2 passengers would never get to try out.
From him, she received the birthday present that many of us would have coveted -- a full tour of the Engine Rooms! Her account conveys the enormous size of the space containing that essential machinery which kept the ship moving and passengers in comfort.
I am glad to say that both of them have been happily married for many years now, and Sarah experienced many more QE2 voyages -- indeed, the ship became a "second home" to her as it was for many of us.
The first three chapters of the audio book are uploaded above -- give them a try, and then continue! It is an engrossing story, beautifully told, and it deserves our interest here, because we still know very little about the lives of the musicians and other agency workers on board the ship. To us, they were crew, but to the QE2 crew, they were strangers, neither crew nor passenger.
All in all, this is a book I enjoyed very much, and not only because they made my lunch breaks so much more pleasant! It is a beautifully told reminder of our favourite ship and times on board, which I think we all need after having left her at sea more than a decade ago.
Topic: "Maiden Voyage" Notes from a Ship's Harpist by Sarah Deere-Jones (Read 2457 times)
Similar topics (6)
