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geraldinerowe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
I wouldn't normally dream of reading a book about historical adventures on the high seas as it's just not my thing. But I'm so glad I picked it up and persevered (I found the beginning slow going). I loved this book and learnt so much about the history of the Californian coast, which for me was the most interesting part of the story. I read it with Google maps next to me so I could fully understand what the author was describing. The chapter where his ship first arrives at "the little harbour of San Diego" was particularly fascinating. A lot of knowledge of the anatomy of a sailing ship is assumed, with every rope, sail and arm having a different name. This slowed down my reading a lot at first and I had to abandon the idea of looking up every reference I didn't understand. I can understand why many versions of the book are annotated and/or illustrated which sadly mine wasn't. But overall a captivating and exciting read.
hoboken's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I've ever read to my surprise and a tribute to the rigors of a Harvard education since the author is too sick to continue there so drops out to spend two years in the kind of conditions shown on the cover. Vivid descriptions of life at sea in the 19th century, rounding the Horn, and the beauties of California in 1848, just before the gold bugs got there.
chaoticgrey27's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
hanklyhank's review against another edition
4.0
I'm pretty sure the only way to describe this is "a cracking yarn."
megea's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite part of this book is its setting. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about pre-Gold Rush, pre-statehood California. Much of the action occurs in Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Francisco, and L.A. I have spent time in all but the latter, so I paid special attention to see what I could recognize of these cities in Dana's descriptions of their infancy. This book both appeals to and adds to my sense of place, which is very valuable since I feel that a sense of place is something that is increasingly important but also increasingly lost in this uprooted age. (Case in point: I'm trying to build a sense of place about California, which is not my original home.)
philip_bonanno's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
2.0
Hating California is not a personality trait
nighthawk921's review against another edition
3.0
Much longer than I thought a book based on “diary writings” would be. But overall interesting to read.
shaekin's review against another edition
3.0
This was interesting, but not interesting enough to keep my attention. It's a little too overly detailed for me. When my library loan expired, I figured I had read enough and didn't renew.