A delightful primer on ambergris delivered through a series of personal and historical anecdotes, I was always keen to read on throughout "Floating Gold" despite sections testing the limits of my attention as the author expounds on long, cold days at the beach spent sniffing rocks. While the author's propensity for tactlessness and badgering those interviewed does nothing to make him likeable, Kemp does manage to secure some interesting material for the reader, and retell it in a compelling manner.