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Cruise Confidential #3
Unsinkable Mister Brown: Cruise Confidential
Paris Book SILVER A true international love affair from best-selling and award-winning author Brian David Bruns. A three-continent romance was not what he expected when first visiting Transylvania, but Bianca lured him into an entire life making a playground of all seven seas. The Red Sea, the Black Sea, the Caribbean, the Aegean... a head-spinning list of rendezvous. Luxury liners were their vehicle, with ship life like no other. The awesome power of the big ships to cross oceans of cultures kept bringing them together... and pulling them apart. But it was a secret past that threatened to sink them. Vastly entertaining and expansive, hilarious and true, feel-good Mr. Brown shows that the stuff of legendary romance lies in us all, if we but have the courage to reach for it.
- GenresTravelNonfiction
296 pages, Paperback
First published March 4, 2015
58 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Brian David Bruns
34 books74 followersBrian David Bruns has adventured in over 60 countries to gather material for his bestselling books and won dozens of literary awards, including the USA REBA Grand Prize. He has been featured on ABC's 20/20 and CBS Inside Edition and was anointed Sir Brian by Prince Michael, Regent of the Principality of Sealand (yes, really).
After several years residing in Dracula’s actual hometown (yes, really), he and his Romanian wife now live in Las Vegas with their two old rescue cats, Julius and Caesar.
He is devoted to veterans organizations, such as Operation Homefront and Wounded Warriors Project, to which he's donated thousands of his books.
He sometimes writes as B.D. Bruns.
After several years residing in Dracula’s actual hometown (yes, really), he and his Romanian wife now live in Las Vegas with their two old rescue cats, Julius and Caesar.
He is devoted to veterans organizations, such as Operation Homefront and Wounded Warriors Project, to which he's donated thousands of his books.
He sometimes writes as B.D. Bruns.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 20, 2012
I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway and I'm very happy to have done so.
I found this book to be enjoyable. Not the kind of enjoyable that means "eh, it was ok" but the kind of enjoyable that made me want to keep reading and wish for more at the end. It wasn't high tech, it wasn't suspenseful, no vampires, no apocalyptic fallout...but it was thoroughly enjoyable. Mr. Bruns' writing style is comfortable and easy to read, much like having a conversation with a familiar friend. He writes well but without pretense or arrogance. I never felt like he was trying to impress anyone with his writing or his vocabulary. He is a writer who is able to clearly express his thoughts and experiences without going overboard with detail. His descriptions of Romania, Egypt and Greece were vivid without being overdone; they stirred up the wanderlust that runs through me.
If I could have given 4.5 stars I would have. Giving a book 5 stars means it's a book I would happily read multiple times. This book comes close and I'll happily recommend it to others. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Bruns' writing.
I found this book to be enjoyable. Not the kind of enjoyable that means "eh, it was ok" but the kind of enjoyable that made me want to keep reading and wish for more at the end. It wasn't high tech, it wasn't suspenseful, no vampires, no apocalyptic fallout...but it was thoroughly enjoyable. Mr. Bruns' writing style is comfortable and easy to read, much like having a conversation with a familiar friend. He writes well but without pretense or arrogance. I never felt like he was trying to impress anyone with his writing or his vocabulary. He is a writer who is able to clearly express his thoughts and experiences without going overboard with detail. His descriptions of Romania, Egypt and Greece were vivid without being overdone; they stirred up the wanderlust that runs through me.
If I could have given 4.5 stars I would have. Giving a book 5 stars means it's a book I would happily read multiple times. This book comes close and I'll happily recommend it to others. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Bruns' writing.
October 19, 2012
Two notes: (1) I received this title through a Goodreads giveaway. (2) I have not read any of Bruns' prior titles, particularly in the series to which this title is related, so am reacting to just one piece of his body of work on cruise ships.
The story in Bruns' travel memoir UNSINKABLE MISTER BROWN stuck with me much longer than I expected it would. The plot revolves around the relationship of Brian and Bianca. Brian is a hopeless romantic who gives up his life as a techie in the U.S. to follow Romanian Bianca onto cruise ships so they can maybe... hopefully... perhaps someday be together. That is harder than it looks, as the pair is constantly shuffled from ship to ship with different vacation times, friends and responsibilities.
The major piece of interest I had in this memoir comes through the fact that Brian's situation as an employee of a cruise ship is a unique one, and an exciting way to experience a travel book. The romance between the two main characters with different locales around the world serving as backdrop adds some spice (and a touch of history) to their experiences. What makes this memoir different (and more accessible, in my opinion) is the conflict provided between personal life and ship life. While the characters are able to travel the world, they are given very little freedom outside "work breaks" and struggle with the difficulties of their career paths. These careers bring Brian and Bianca down to earth and make their emotional struggles understandable to a world of readers who feel torn between their careers and their loved ones. Of course, Brian is the author of this memoir and the perspective of this story is his own, though you can tell he tries to be fair and balanced with himself.
When I picked this up I expected it to be overloaded with details of ship life from start to finish--not so. The ship provides a setting for the story and a plot device to propel the characters forward, but it takes some time to reach a cruise ship. From what I've gathered, Bruns' other titles probably attend to the ins and outs of ship life a bit better. This is a memoir about romance and if you are typically a very practical person you won't "get" the hopeless romanticism of these characters.
Overall, I give this title 3/5 stars because of its ease in reading and its goal of teaching me something new while giving me a pair of characters to root for. If the TV networks are looking for a new workplace comedy to fill a hole in their schedules I think ship life might be an area that has some freshness left in it.
The story in Bruns' travel memoir UNSINKABLE MISTER BROWN stuck with me much longer than I expected it would. The plot revolves around the relationship of Brian and Bianca. Brian is a hopeless romantic who gives up his life as a techie in the U.S. to follow Romanian Bianca onto cruise ships so they can maybe... hopefully... perhaps someday be together. That is harder than it looks, as the pair is constantly shuffled from ship to ship with different vacation times, friends and responsibilities.
The major piece of interest I had in this memoir comes through the fact that Brian's situation as an employee of a cruise ship is a unique one, and an exciting way to experience a travel book. The romance between the two main characters with different locales around the world serving as backdrop adds some spice (and a touch of history) to their experiences. What makes this memoir different (and more accessible, in my opinion) is the conflict provided between personal life and ship life. While the characters are able to travel the world, they are given very little freedom outside "work breaks" and struggle with the difficulties of their career paths. These careers bring Brian and Bianca down to earth and make their emotional struggles understandable to a world of readers who feel torn between their careers and their loved ones. Of course, Brian is the author of this memoir and the perspective of this story is his own, though you can tell he tries to be fair and balanced with himself.
When I picked this up I expected it to be overloaded with details of ship life from start to finish--not so. The ship provides a setting for the story and a plot device to propel the characters forward, but it takes some time to reach a cruise ship. From what I've gathered, Bruns' other titles probably attend to the ins and outs of ship life a bit better. This is a memoir about romance and if you are typically a very practical person you won't "get" the hopeless romanticism of these characters.
Overall, I give this title 3/5 stars because of its ease in reading and its goal of teaching me something new while giving me a pair of characters to root for. If the TV networks are looking for a new workplace comedy to fill a hole in their schedules I think ship life might be an area that has some freshness left in it.
September 1, 2012
Unsinkable Mister Brown is the third book in it's series, but it isn't necessarily important to the story line that you read the two books prior to this one. This story dives right into (no pun intended) the harrowing life of those working in the cruise ship industry.
Brian David Bruns travels through many seas with his love, Bianca, at his side. They experience so many twists and turns in their relationship that you will be gripping your book just to find out what happens next.
The author mixes so many perfect descriptive words for the characters and their surroundings, you can almost smell the ocean as you turn the pages.
Brian David Bruns travels through many seas with his love, Bianca, at his side. They experience so many twists and turns in their relationship that you will be gripping your book just to find out what happens next.
The author mixes so many perfect descriptive words for the characters and their surroundings, you can almost smell the ocean as you turn the pages.
October 19, 2012
Bruns' Unsinkable Mister Brown was a fantastic narrative of life aboard a cruise ship. This isn't the genre of book I would normally pick up, but I would now recommend it to anyone! The whole experience was so concrete and real,as were the interesting and charismatic people that the author met along his journey to be with his love. The culture also stood out, and I must say I learned a few words in Romanian! The book was funny and quite romantic. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks!
December 2, 2012
In a review of one of Mr. Bruns' previous memoirs, (Cruise Confidential, I think) I mentioned that it was difficult to get a full sense of all that he was going through because we, the readers did not have a clear picture of Bianca. This is the woman he traveled around the world for, for whom he sacrificed a dozen affairs and relationships, yet she comes across in previous volumes as a cold, somewhat selfish, harpy.
Not so in this volume. Here, we are treated to a vivacious, lovely, passionate woman who revels in the chance to show off her homeland to this American stranger who comes to sweep her off her feet.
The action is also spread around a little more in this volume. The story takes us from Romania to Egypt to Greece, with several stints onboard in between. There is less focus on shipboard life; the stories from aboard the ships are those we were told in the previous two books and Bruns is content to only re-acquaint us with them rather than retell them.
As with the other volumes, one of Bruns' great strengths as a writer is in using the accents and flavors of a mishmash of languages to convey a sense of place and language. This time around, several of the phrases are Romanian and Hungarian, as those are the languages Bruns himself is learning, and yet we also hear (read) an equal amount from Bianca, most notably in the form of several Jamaican aphorisms and terms of endearment.
A personal favorite, that I will be stealing from this book is Jesus Graf, apparently Hungarian for 'fat Jesus,' which becomes a running gag throughout the story.
The book is engaging and fun and will be a delight to anyone who has read any of Mr. Bruns' other works.
On a more personal note, the only moment that marred an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable read for me came in reading the "About the Author" section at the end. The woman mentioned as being Bruns' wife is not named Bianca. And while it is absolutely none of my business, I find myself hoping that the difference in names is due to artistic license and not a foreshadowing of tragic times to come in this love story I've followed for three books now. I suppose we'll have to wait for the next book to find out.
Not so in this volume. Here, we are treated to a vivacious, lovely, passionate woman who revels in the chance to show off her homeland to this American stranger who comes to sweep her off her feet.
The action is also spread around a little more in this volume. The story takes us from Romania to Egypt to Greece, with several stints onboard in between. There is less focus on shipboard life; the stories from aboard the ships are those we were told in the previous two books and Bruns is content to only re-acquaint us with them rather than retell them.
As with the other volumes, one of Bruns' great strengths as a writer is in using the accents and flavors of a mishmash of languages to convey a sense of place and language. This time around, several of the phrases are Romanian and Hungarian, as those are the languages Bruns himself is learning, and yet we also hear (read) an equal amount from Bianca, most notably in the form of several Jamaican aphorisms and terms of endearment.
A personal favorite, that I will be stealing from this book is Jesus Graf, apparently Hungarian for 'fat Jesus,' which becomes a running gag throughout the story.
The book is engaging and fun and will be a delight to anyone who has read any of Mr. Bruns' other works.
On a more personal note, the only moment that marred an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable read for me came in reading the "About the Author" section at the end. The woman mentioned as being Bruns' wife is not named Bianca. And while it is absolutely none of my business, I find myself hoping that the difference in names is due to artistic license and not a foreshadowing of tragic times to come in this love story I've followed for three books now. I suppose we'll have to wait for the next book to find out.
September 2, 2012
A true love story!
How many men would take a vacation and travel thousands of miles to another country to visit a woman he only knew for three days? How many men would give up their job to begin a new life on a cruise ship? That’s what Brian Brown did. Bianca lives in Romania but works on a cruise ship where life is hard work and long hours. Brian fell in love with her and was willing to give up everything to be with her. Unfortunately for him, things don’t always go as planned, and he could never have imagined how hard it would be to work on a cruise ship. But true love conquers all, and through every obstacle thrown at him, Brian was determined to be with Bianca. Cruise ship after cruise ship, he kept on going, waiting for the time when they could be together for more than just their vacation time.
Excellent descriptions of numerous places around the world, you can imagine being there with them. Great cast of characters of all sorts, family, friends, co-workers and those determined to make life difficult. You’ll be rooting for Brian all throughout the story. But you’ll need to read it yourself to see if love conquers all and they finally end up together or not.
How many men would take a vacation and travel thousands of miles to another country to visit a woman he only knew for three days? How many men would give up their job to begin a new life on a cruise ship? That’s what Brian Brown did. Bianca lives in Romania but works on a cruise ship where life is hard work and long hours. Brian fell in love with her and was willing to give up everything to be with her. Unfortunately for him, things don’t always go as planned, and he could never have imagined how hard it would be to work on a cruise ship. But true love conquers all, and through every obstacle thrown at him, Brian was determined to be with Bianca. Cruise ship after cruise ship, he kept on going, waiting for the time when they could be together for more than just their vacation time.
Excellent descriptions of numerous places around the world, you can imagine being there with them. Great cast of characters of all sorts, family, friends, co-workers and those determined to make life difficult. You’ll be rooting for Brian all throughout the story. But you’ll need to read it yourself to see if love conquers all and they finally end up together or not.
December 9, 2012
I won this book from Goodreads first-reads.
I loved this book!!! In a previous book titled Cruise Confidential, Brian tells all about his life working on a cruise ship. This book, however, is more of a "love story" mixed with humor and travel.
Brian meets Bianca. He takes a vacation and travels thousands of miles to spend time with her after only knowing her for 3 days. He falls in love with her but he is from the US and she is from Romania. He gives up his life to work on a cruise ship and the story goes from there but not always as planned.
Brian is excellent describing places he goes, people he meets, and how he feels. He makes you feel like you are right there beside him experiencing the same things. He also uses humor and had me rolling on the floor laughing in several parts.
I found myself rooting for him to "get the girl", but you'll have to read the book to find out if that happens. :)
I recommend this book to anyone, especially if you love a great laugh!!!
I loved this book!!! In a previous book titled Cruise Confidential, Brian tells all about his life working on a cruise ship. This book, however, is more of a "love story" mixed with humor and travel.
Brian meets Bianca. He takes a vacation and travels thousands of miles to spend time with her after only knowing her for 3 days. He falls in love with her but he is from the US and she is from Romania. He gives up his life to work on a cruise ship and the story goes from there but not always as planned.
Brian is excellent describing places he goes, people he meets, and how he feels. He makes you feel like you are right there beside him experiencing the same things. He also uses humor and had me rolling on the floor laughing in several parts.
I found myself rooting for him to "get the girl", but you'll have to read the book to find out if that happens. :)
I recommend this book to anyone, especially if you love a great laugh!!!
November 20, 2012
This is the third and (in my opinion) the best of Brian Bruns's cruise ship series. While there is overlap with the first two books, Unsinkable Mr. Brown easily stands on its own as a page-turning romantic romp across the Atlantic, the Med, and the Caribbean in all manner of powered transportation.
One of the things I enjoy about Bruns's writing style is his study of the various people and places he encounters. Fine detail is skillfully used to create interest and emotion in the readers head, not to mention a knack for capturing the absurdities of life. While there is much romance in the book, there are also passages of great humor and travel writing. Descriptions of nasty gypsy toilets and lecherous bahamian taxi drivers just left me in tears. Similarly, I found myself cheering for Brian and Bianca as they attempt to communicate across the barriers of language, culture, personal histories, and the brutal regimes of ship-board life.
Well worth adding to your reading list.
One of the things I enjoy about Bruns's writing style is his study of the various people and places he encounters. Fine detail is skillfully used to create interest and emotion in the readers head, not to mention a knack for capturing the absurdities of life. While there is much romance in the book, there are also passages of great humor and travel writing. Descriptions of nasty gypsy toilets and lecherous bahamian taxi drivers just left me in tears. Similarly, I found myself cheering for Brian and Bianca as they attempt to communicate across the barriers of language, culture, personal histories, and the brutal regimes of ship-board life.
Well worth adding to your reading list.
June 28, 2022
The author hasn't changed since the first two books-he is an expert historian and psychologist, women want him wherever he goes, he never does any wrong-and if anyone claims he does-it's because they are trying to screw him over. His visits to Romania and Greece have way too many details-many of which I am not sure how they are relevant.
That said, for those who are fascinated by what it's truly like to work on a cruise ship-not many choices exist. Just like the first two books-that part is riveting. I've worked for two of the three cruise lines he talks about in the book (on land), and am familiar with the ships mentioned as well as locations written about such as Nassau, and identifying with those locales was pretty cool.
That said, for those who are fascinated by what it's truly like to work on a cruise ship-not many choices exist. Just like the first two books-that part is riveting. I've worked for two of the three cruise lines he talks about in the book (on land), and am familiar with the ships mentioned as well as locations written about such as Nassau, and identifying with those locales was pretty cool.
November 27, 2012
I received a signed copy of this book from the author through a first reads giveaway. I had no idea Bruns was a fellow Iowan until I started reading...a nice surprise. This was not only an eye-opening read about the employees in the cruise industry, but also ultimately a very sweet love story. Bruns spent nearly three years working in a spirit breaking industry in order to get the girl. I admire that. And, I admire his wife...this book shares a few things that I would not want shared and would not want to know. But they do have a great love story and seem to have a great thing going so props to them.
December 16, 2012
I won this book free from Goodreads First Reads. It was an enjoyable story about the difficulties of an international relationship and working on a crusie ship. They story covered issues the couple faced between themselves and their jobs. Despite being interesting, I did not mind setting it aside if I needed to. I prefer books that make me want to keep reading no matter what else I should be doing. There was nothing that grabbed me in the story but rather it was the day to day life that just kept rolling along...
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September 2, 2012Brian Bruns is one of my favorite authors writing about working aboard and life aboard a cruise ship. In this book he goes more into his life off the ship and learning about the 'love of his life' and the reason he started to work on a cruise ship. He visits Romania and her family. But in the end is she the 'love of his life'?
December 23, 2012
*I won this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
I found this book enjoyable but I got a bit bored with just reading about the things that happened on the ship. It was written nicely but I guess ship stories are just not really my cup of tea
I found this book enjoyable but I got a bit bored with just reading about the things that happened on the ship. It was written nicely but I guess ship stories are just not really my cup of tea
October 24, 2012
I got a copy of the book through Goodreads First Reads. Memoirs are not my thing so it took me a while to finish this book.
Mr. Bruns' writing however, is very good. His descriptions of the people and places he's been to are vivid. I enjoyed it and will recommend to everyone.
Mr. Bruns' writing however, is very good. His descriptions of the people and places he's been to are vivid. I enjoyed it and will recommend to everyone.
October 25, 2012
Unsinkable Mister Brown is about love, a captivating and humorous story. It took me longer to read this book than others, none the less, it is very good. I'm grateful to receive this book through First Reads.
September 21, 2014
I found it to be an interesting peak into the behind the scenes of my favorite vacation method. It did drag out a bit, but I liked it enough to finish the whole series in about a week of binge reading. Not Shakespeare, but fun reading, especially if you are interested in travel, history, and art.
October 4, 2012
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads. Such a great story about love conquering all!!
June 13, 2013
I love this author!! Hes so funny and I love to devour his books!
March 15, 2015
Great love story. Plus, i love the detailed american experience of romanian culture.
June 23, 2022
Excellent book!!!
February 17, 2025
Perhaps zero rating should be available. Mocking the DHS and a President to the American people is not a good idea. They are the ones who buy your books. Twice I have tried to read this book but I cannot. Stick to cruise ships and leave the politics out.
March 26, 2013
The best of the "Cruise Confidential" series. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews