The Unsinkable Greta James

The Unsinkable Greta James By Jennifer E. Smith

Singer/songwriter Greta James has finally made the big time. After years of struggling, her first album hit the charts and life is good, but it all seems meaningless after her mother dies unexpectedly while Greta is performing out of the country.

Helen was her daughter’s number one fan and the referee in Greta’s antagonistic relationship with her father, Conrad. Conrad has never supported Greta’s music career, but maybe that’s not surprising, since her best-known hit was a song raging against him.

After Greta breaks down in grief onstage, her brother suggests she accompany their dad on the Alaskan cruise that Helen and Conrad had booked as a trip of a lifetime to celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary. With her career hanging in the balance, there are all kinds of reasons to say “no,” but Greta finds herself embarking on the weeklong trip anyway.

There’s a shipboard romance in store for her, but mainly the cruise is a chance for Greta and Conrad to reconnect and for her to find a way back to performing. This book is full of the scenery of the Alaskan wild and will leave you wanting to go there on your next vacation.

Reviewed by Lynn Heitkamp, Head of Butman-Fish Library