“The raw elegance of human experience itself . . . Dazzlingly rendered . . . Watkins is an author whose work should be read with great respect.” —Carolyn See, Los Angeles Times

“Intense and precise . . . First-rate . . . A book that will have a value and appeal for more than sea-story lovers. It is written out of acute feeling and experience, in the voice of an artful storyteller.” —John Casey, Chicago Tribune

“Masterly . . . Follows in the tradition of John Steinbeck . . . The work of a young writer who is a force to be reckoned with.” —Christian Science Monitor

“Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn is no romantic novel of crusty, taciturn fishermen with hearts of gold. The work is backbreaking and the sea merciless . . . Watkins is a good writer, and the evidence is everywhere on each page.” —David Nicholson, The Washington Post Book World

“Paul Watkins has a fine ear . . . The scenes of shipboard life and the hardships suffered there are especially vivid, and the writing is lyrical without being strained.” —Jack Flam, The Wall Street Journal