On a Wave
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Book Overview
In this prizewinning poet's wry and exhilarating coming-of-age story, Thad Ziolkowski's On a Wave poignantly looks back at adolescence in a memoir of his surfing years. As a disenchanted, unemployed English professor, Thad decides one day to sneak away from his temp job in Manhattan and catch a wave off a dingy Queens shoreline. In the meager cold waves, he contemplates how he could have possibly become a semidepressed, chain-smoking, aimless man when for a few shining years of his boyhood, he was invincible. His lapsed love affair with the ocean begins amid the late-sixties counterculture in coastal Florida. After his parents' divorce, nine-year-old Thad escapes from his difficult family -- notably a new brooding and explosive stepfather -- by heading for the thrilling, uncharted waters of the local beach. In the embrace of the surf, he is able to stay offshore for years, until his life is upended once again, this time by a double tragedy that deposits him at a crossroads between a life in the waves and a life on land. Lyrical and disarmingly funny, On a Wave is a glorious portrait of youth that reminds readers of Tobias Wolff's This Boy's Life and Frank Conroy's Stop-Time.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0802140017
ISBN13:9780802140012
Release Date:May 2003
Publisher:Grove Press
Length:272 Pages
Weight:0.70 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.5" x 8.3"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Excellent story. Well-written, funny, poignant
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I am so sorry this book is over. It was a pleasure to read. Thad Ziolkowski is such a wonderful writer. His story is witty, eloquent, and moving. I have never had much interest in surfing, but that didn't change my enjoyment of the story. I particularly relished the parent-child dialogues and the amusing, self-deprecating recollections of childhood cognitions.
the spanish house..
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I loved this book. It has a special closeness for me because I live in South Melbourne Beach- not far from Surf Road and Sebastian Inlet, where much of the book takes place. It was touching to read Thad's experiences here, as mine have been much the same- learning to ride alone on the deserted beach, the wildness and strangeness of a very special place.. he captured it perfectly, and I'm glad to report that it still has the same magic. A great book that will bring a tear to your eye more than once.
Lyrical Memoir
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Gorgeous prose kept me spellbound and swept me intoanother time and place. The author is a talentedwriter of great sensitivity and wit who has writtenan outstanding coming of age memoir. A must read!
Can't wait for more from this author
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I am a grandmother and have never been on a surfboard, but have just spent two glorious days surfing! This is a book for all ages and I am sharing it with my children and grandchildren. I heartily recommend it. I agree it will make a beautiful movie and Leonardo DiCaprio would be great!
Picture Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie!!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
On a Wave is a wonderful memoir that has less to do with surfing than 70's American life as seen through the eyes of a sensitive(and poetic) young boy. Remember Tang, Pam, Pop-Tarts and the music of "Won't You Marry Me, Bill?" The book's honesty and candor and almost total lack of self-pity make On a Wave a touching and memorable story. If you take it to the beach, be sure to bring a couple of tissues.
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