--- product_id: 5284448 title: "Passage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings" brand: "jonathan raban" price: "$39.72" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 7 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/5284448-passage-to-juneau-a-sea-and-its-meanings store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Passage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings **Brand:** jonathan raban **Price:** $39.72 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Passage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings by jonathan raban - **How much does it cost?** $39.72 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/5284448-passage-to-juneau-a-sea-and-its-meanings) ## Best For - jonathan raban enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted jonathan raban brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Passage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings ## Images ![Passage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81H1zQnmJFL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars A Rougher Sea *by D***S on Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2007* Let me see if I can write a review that does justice to this book and at the same time explain to myself why it is such a great piece of literature. I think the first point to make is that the writing mirrors the, by turns, eddying, chaotic, reflective quality of the sea itself, leading one deeper and deeper into the author's own meandering introspections about life and, yes, water in a very (to this reader anyway) seductive style, a style which is nothing if not allusive, reflecting Raban's own lifelong fascination with and profound love of literature. The account of Captain Vancouver's voyage along this same passage, taken from many sources, while certainly the most superficially parallel and certainly the most discursively ongoing of the allusions, is not in the end, the most significant and profound. That award must surely go to Raban's recounting of Shelley's last days and ultimate demise in the chapter entitled "Charred Remains", striking a parallel, in a much more profound manner than those accounts of Vancouver's voyage, to the last days and death of Raban's father and to the unsurpassed final chapter in which he invokes Cowper's "The Cast-Away" as a metaphor for his crumbling marriage and his own mortality.Perhaps one, like Raban, has to already have a love of and familiarity both these poets to see what a feat he has pulled of here - though Raban provides the basic biographical background for each. To stick with the last chapter---Cowper isn't a poet much read anymore. But he's always been one of my favourites. One really has to be familiar with his intensely unbalanced life and mind to fully appreciate his poetry. In any event, by this last chapter of the book, we know what it's like to walk in Raban's shoes, to be in his boat, to wander through his mind and heart and to know how much he loves his family. When the hammer falls at the end with his wife and daughter deplaning in Juneau, we feel how crushed he is by it. And Cowper's "The Cast-Away" is the perfect poetic expression of the way we feel he feels, drowned not by the "real" sea he's been traversing, but by Cowper's metaphoric sea of despair. I frequently return to Cowper's "The Task"-A poem given him as a sort of assignment to ward off one of his mental fits-as well as "The Cast-Away" as two of the greatest poems in the language. I NEVER thought I'd see a modern author apparently effortlessly bring the despair of the all but forgotten poet back to life, but......Raban does.So, yes, readers looking for a "sea adventure" yarn had better look elsewhere. How to know if you will fancy the book? Do you love history, English literature, introspective depths? Above all, do you know the feeling of being drowned by despair? Can you relate to Cowper's couplet?"But I, beneath a rougher sea,And whelm'd in deeper gulfs than he."In short, do you know that INNER Sea? If so, this book will not disappoint. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars among the best of our contemporary travel writers *by J***F on Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015* Jonathan Raban is, for my money, among the best of our contemporary travel writers, standing shoulder to shoulder with Paul Theroux and Bill Bryson, and Passage to Juneau only reinforces that opinion. I first read this book in 1999, when it was published, because I was looking forward to a sailing trip through the Inside Passage from Seattle to Southeastern Alaska. Then I read it again just recently because I am again looking forward to this trip.Like most of Raban's books, Passage to Juneau, is written in two layers. The first is an account of his preparations and execution of a solo sailing trip from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska. The second level is an entertaining and well-researched historical account of the travels and travails of Capt. George Vancouver aboard HMS Discovery during his four-year exploration of the northwest coast of North America.But it isn't really a story about a routine sailing adventure similar to that undertaken by dozens of boats every sailing season, is it. It is a poignant story of a successful writer who in late middle age looses first his father (to cancer) and then his wife (to neglect and absence of common focus) and is left alone facing old age in disconsolate apprehension and confusion. The reader is given an early clue to the direction the book is about to take when Raban, early on in his voyage, meets a married couple who seem to cling to each other like the two sides of a Velcro patch and makes the mildly derisive comment, "some people are more married that others," leaving us with the feeling that he isn't very married at all. This is reinforced throughout the book by his obsessive preparations for a planned visit by his young daughter, where he is looking forward to showing her the bears, with only passing mention that his wife will be coming along also.Raban is an excellent writer who doesn't hesitate to bare his soul to the reader and does it with a refreshing lack of maudlinly and only a trace of sentimentality. He records his varying responses to his surrounding with an honest and only slightly judgmental way that lets the reader understands what is going on without feeling the need to interfere or change things. This interested-but-detached view is particularly apparent in his interactions with the members of the First Nations tribes he encounters, and in his slightly cynical take on the ceremonies he is invited to attend. It is like he is letting the reader share his view of the world through one of the portholes in his boat.Passage to Juneau is a recommended read for anyone interested in maritime history, for present-day sailors traveling on sailboats, and to anyone wanting a poignant yet free-from-moralizing story about the personal passage of a late-middle-aged man facing an uncertain future. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A fine read--not just for sailors *by J***H on Reviewed in Canada on July 26, 2022* A gifted, mature writer. Very interesting comparison with Vancouver's similar route in 1792. Thoughtful commentary on indigenous life then and now. Plus a compelling personal story. And, as a bonus, the rugged geography of B.C. and sailing stuff. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/5284448-passage-to-juneau-a-sea-and-its-meanings](https://www.desertcart.us/products/5284448-passage-to-juneau-a-sea-and-its-meanings) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-07-06*