Nooilforpacifists's Reviews > Ocean Boulevard: an epic and exhilarating journey all the way.......from boy to man

ales of a scamp/screw-up's cadet experience in the Brit Merchant Navy. Mostly juvenile, but not a bad writer:

"It's strange how hard it is to talk to someone who is with other people, isn't it? The Americans are best at it. Anywhere you meet strangers in the US -- on a train, at a bus stop, in a queue -- they will talk to you. If the lift is going more than three floors, the chances are that you'll make a friend for life. In England, if a stranger talks to you at a bus stop, you begin to ships uncomfortably and look for a policeman. In the US, it's the person who won't talk who arouses suspicion."