Book Review
By Los Angeles Daily News Staff
"Red Sky in Morning: A True Story of Love, Loss and Survival at Sea" By Tami Oldham Ashcraft (Hyperion)

There are some stories so good it doesn't matter how well they are written. Such is the case with this epic tale. Simplistic and mediocre, the ghost-written narrative is saved by the heart-warming and heart-wrenching subject matter: Ashcraft's survival for 41 days at sea after the yacht she and her fiance were sailing from Tahiti to San Diego was battered and nearly destroyed by Hurricane Raymond in 1983.

Ashcraft's fiance died when he was swept overboard during the height of the storm. Ashcraft, herself severely injured, managed to sail the jury-rigged boat to Hawaii, relying on rudimentary navigational equipment, few provisions, her intelligence and her guts.

Interspersing the adventure with remembrances of her development from city girl to professional mariner with exciting stories of the South Pacific and beyond, as well as her fairy-tale relationship with her fiance, this love/action story is a sure bet for the big screen and undoubtedly will appeal to a wide audience. The story's that good.
--Michael A. Anastasi