An entertaining, deceptively profound memoir. I love Sue’s book, a startling, swashbuckling sea adventure, and all the hilarious and terrifying details of that, combined with the very personal story of lost connections and deep love. It is a remarkable story — heroic and inspiring.
Miriam Toews, author of Women Talking
A thrilling adventure, a profound love story, and a testament of self-discovery that will make you cheer. It is not only an empowering memoir, but also a very fine book.
Barbara Kyle, author of The Traitor’s Daughter
The writing in this story is deft and seaworthy. Filled with equal measures of blue-water tension and parental worry, Ready to Come About is as much about family and letting go as it is about a courageous journey.
Adam Lindsay Honsinger, author of Somewhere North of Normal
Sue Williams has shown an inherent writing talent while conveying a wide range of emotion in a profoundly authentic manner. I totally loved it – found myself giggling out loud from time to time as well as getting rather teary once in a while. Ready to Come About emerges as a powerful metaphor and testament to believing in self, taking chances, experiencing relationships and choice; in short, it is a thesis on occupation and spirit. I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to get lost in this compelling narrative prior to print.
Sue Baptiste, Professor Emerita, Rehabilitation Sciences, McMaster University
Ready to Come About is a beautifully written memoir about a midlife woman’s electrifying adventure. It is a reminder of how precarious – and glorious – life can be. And it is an inspiring portrayal of love, loyalty, and courage. We should all be so brave!
Cate Cochran, CBC radio producer and author
In the wake of a perfect storm of personal events, a woman sets sail on an improbable journey across the North Atlantic with her husband. In this debut midlife memoir, life and liberty come into focus through an unexpected high-seas adventure.
The Globe and Mail
Ready to Come About will more than satisfy the dream-ridden among us – a chance to sail in a small sailboat across an ocean and back. Williams writes with a certain sturdiness that reads well.
Andrew Armitage, Owen Sound Sun Times
A great page turner and a MUST read for any woman who thinks that she couldn’t possibly go cruising, cross an ocean, or who needs to get out of her comfort zone to grow and have an adventure— possibly learning more about herself. This isn’t to say that men won’t find the book interesting and enjoyable, as they certainly will!
Katherine Stone, Canadian Yachting
Ready to Come About is both an inspiration and a cautionary tale. Sue writes in first person and touches on the everyday elements of life at sea and in port, the comradery among cruisers of all nationalities, and even introduces a little sex into the narrative. Sue Williams is a good writer. This was a pleasurable read.
Rob Mazza, Good Old Boat