Book Review
“Wavewalker – Breaking Free” by Suzanne Heywood. Published by William Collins. Price $37.99. Reviewed by Tony Orman
This is an astonishing story of a child who with her parents set sail from England in 1976 on the schooner “Wavewalker” in supposedly a three year voyage but ended up being a decade long. Author Suzanne Heywood’s father had an ambition to sail around the world in 18th century voyager James Cook’s path.
Consequently Suzanne Heywood, as a 7 year old at the start of the ambitious voyage, became virtually trapped at sea on a boat, surviving violent storms, shipwrecks, reefs, extreme isolation, family tensions and deprived of a formal education. It’s a gripping story of an extraordinary childhood, of family conflict, adventure and determination by the author against all odds.
Author Suzanne Heywood somehow, managed to teach herself by correspondence and afterwards won a place to study at university. “Wavewalker” tells this story and is both an adventure story and a coming-of-age story in a world that might seem idyllic but in reality was hugely challenging.
This book is an absorbing story of a very brave child in a family that seems not very caring of her.
But the youngster won through.
After her PhD at Cambridge University, the author joined McKinsey and Company where she became a senior partner. She is now a managing director of Exor and chair of CNH Industrial. She married the late civil servant Jeremy Heywood in 1997 and they had three children.
“Wavewalker” is highly recommended.
