I heard so many people rave about this book, I was imagining it to be like Unbroken - or even like Seabiscuit. Alas, while it's a solid story, the author is no Laura Hillenbrand, so it fell short of fully hooking me. Interesting, yes; compelling, no.

What it did well: gave me a new appreciation for the sport of crew and create a sense of of time/place for Washington State in the wake of the Depression.

Where I wish it did more: I would've liked more complete stories of the boys in the boat and the supporting characters. We were generally given nuggets about each, but not enough to really know them. For those where we DID get more back story, there was insufficient closure. In fact, the book seems to end somewhat abruptly after the team wins the gold, and it left me wondering if the real story might be AFTER the win - what these rural boys went on to do with their lives after the shine of winning an Olympic gold in Nazi Germany.

I'd say it was average, fine, decent. Not not riveting, compelling or especially moving.