Unsinkable Mister Brown

Cruise Confidential, 3

By: Brian David Bruns

Narrated by: Brian David Bruns

"The series shines a harsh light on the ugly realities of working in the cruise ship industry, but in this latest book, these hardships are secondary to the woman Bruns endures them for. With a candid, no-muss style, Bruns shows just how smitten he and Bianca are with one another, though they're not without their jokes and stubborn streaks. Beneath the playful jabs and willful tempers is a force of gravity that binds them, even when the waves get rough. Humorous and heartfelt, this book explores the depths one man will dive to for the woman he loves. This daring spirit resonates throughout the narrative, ringing true for anyone who's ever defied his circumstances and demanded something more." (Foreword Magazine)

Silver — Paris Book Festival

Bronze — London Book Festival

Bronze — Hollywood Book Festival

Winner — USA Best Book Awards

Book of the Year, Humor finalist — Foreword Magazine

Book of the Year, Travel/Essay finalist — Foreword Magazine

In the Cruise Confidential series, Brian David Bruns spills the dirt — or in this case, the dirty water — on those romantic, fun-filled vacations at sea. His hilarious chronicle of the years he spent working on cruise ships takes listeners down into the areas where the crew works and lives, leaving listeners gasping with laughter as they’re assaulted nonstop with events that range from the absurd to the utterly bizarre.

“This man has seen it all!” (Deborah Roberts, ABC 20/20)

“Bruns' prose…proves his steady and deliberate writing voice.” (Writer’s Digest)

“This is a very funny, behind-the-scenes exploration of a cruise ship.” (Booklist)

“The real party is going on in the crew’s quarters.” (USA Today)

“I found it absolutely hysterical!” (Peter Greenberg, Today Show)

“Part Love Boat, part Mutiny on the Bounty, Cruise Confidential does for cruising what Animal House did for higher education.” (J. Maarten Troost, New York Times best seller)

“Cruise Confidential is a deliciously addictive read, a blistering kiss-and-tell about the dysfunctional life working on cruise ships.” (Doug Lansky, Travel Channel)

“These hilarious misadventures at sea will shock and delight any buffet-ready cruise traveler.” (Jen Leo, author of Sand in my Bra)

“The funniest travel book I’ve read in years.” (Peter Mandel, author of My Ocean Liner)

“This is a really entertaining true tale by a guy who struggles through the bizarre world of cruise ship employment. Bruns paints a clear picture of ‘how the sausage is made’.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

“I couldn’t put it down.” (Chicago Sun-Times)

“Cruise Confidential is a juicy tell-all. The crew deals with the ‘sweatshop’ conditions by indulging in massive amounts of alcohol and sex.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

“Bruns doesn’t hold back when it comes to discussing his experience of working on cruise ships.” (Thomas Cook Magazine, UK)

“Witty and self-deprecating [Bruns] has a flair for dialogue, and his book is chock full of wacky characters…” (Blogcritics Magazine)

“The people you see on cruises and the attraction of high-class luxury makes Unsinkable Mister Brown a read that shouldn’t be missed.” (Midwest Book Review)

©2012 Brian David Bruns (P)2020 Brian David Bruns

Not the same

Was not expecting from the other books. Was used to the previous performer. Not focused on cruise

like the first two books better

I felt like there was a lot of filler in this book. It was not nearly as interesting, there was a lot of padded writing about the sites that he visited. I bought this book hoping to find out what would happen with him and Bianca as auctioneers on the cruise ship. never covered that point. it was an okay read

A self-narrated and worthy next installment

I read (listened) to this series because I am fascinated by unusual jobs and the intriguing world behind them. The working life on a cruise ship is literally a different world – and it’s incredibly interesting. Hard work and hard play seems to be the theme, but the experiences are unparalleled. That said, this book spends a lot of time off the ship – in Romania - where we learn about the author and his girlfriend. While not quite as interesting to me as the parts on a ship, this autobiographical detail provides a great deal of background on the author’s life and motivations, which in light of the overall series is helpful and tender.

Another change in this book from the first two installments is the narration. This is the first book in the series that the author has narrated himself. While some turns-of-phrase came off a bit too quickly – particularly in the first few chapters, one adapts to the author’s style of narration. The benefits of hearing him tell the story in his own voice and intonation is of great value to the overall story. Highly recommended!

Disappointed

Not as good as the 1st 2 books it was kind of all over the place it was a different narrator And that threw me off I'd like the 1st 2 narrators for the book And it seemed like this story dragged on With less stories about the ship and it seemed there was a lot missing in between the last book because he was an art auctioneer before the third book and he said he became one on the third book .not put together well fragmented story

Gary should have narrated this.

I think he should have let Gary narrate this book like in the previous two. it just lost so much appeal to me with the author narrating it. Gary brought so much to the table with his different accents and strong verbal presence.
Bryan falls flat, in my opinion.

Narrator is abysmal.

Can’t listen anymore. Inflection in wrong places, sounds forced too. Got to redo with new narrator.