Of the many novels written by Pierre Loti, one of his most endearing is "The Iceland Fisherman." About a group of French fishermen who leave Brittany to fish in the rough but bountiful waters off the coast of Iceland, this book is as much about the struggles they face in the violent weather of the North Atlantic as it is about the heartbreak faced by those left behind. Full of vivid descriptions of life both at sea and on land, the range of emotions felt by these men of the sea has never been better captured--from the solitude and isolation after many weeks at sea, to the jubilations of returning home after many months away.