Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don’t care what anyone else says I love this book. It made me want to be a pirate. If you love pirates and the ocean and characters who overcome their prejudices this is a great book.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Slow start, but then a fantastic adventure story. Strong female lead.
A thrilling, compact story filled with great character development and a strong heroine. Though, the first few scenes on the boat were hard to read due to Charlotte's initial naivete and her unwillingness to use common sense. It was understandable why she acted like that though, due to her upbringing.
I love this book so much! There is just so much adventure on that one little ship it is so cool. I didn't really want to read it but someone told me to read it so I started it and fell in love almost instantly. This is a must read!
I'm sure I would have loved this book if I had read it when young. It certainly has plenty of dramatic interest.
Looking at it from an adult perspective, the thing that intrigues me the most is how careful the author is about depicting the social background that Charlotte comes from, and its influence on her. While books featuring active, independent, egalitarian women in historical settings are dime-a-dozen nowadays, the authors are not always careful to make these traits plausible, growing out of their background. After all, a person is always a product of their times: even if untypical, they're untypical in a way related to their culture -- and that's just what Charlotte is. And Avi doesn't back away from showing that her choices are likely to alienate her from many people; her social isolation could have serious negative consequences outside the world of her hard-won friends on the Seahawk.
It's interesting to compare this to a book Avi wrote two decades earlier, [b:Emily Upham's Revenge|299368|Emily Upham's Revenge A Massachusetts Adventure|Avi|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198182598s/299368.jpg|2374761]. I found that the main characters of these two stories, Emily Upham and Charlotte Doyle, have a lot in common. They are 19th-century girls of good family who've been educated to be well-mannered, quiet, proper, obedient and respectful to their elders (especially men), mindful of their social status, and not interested in their inferiors -- and they have been perfectly happy to believe and follow these rules, and have never felt any inclination toward rebellion. But these stories put them into stressful situations where they realize that the only reason those principles have seemed like a sufficient code of conduct in the past is because they've been sheltered and pampered. Thrown up against the ugliness of the outside world, they find that they must abandon some of them if they are to maintain any self-respect, because to strictly follow their upbringing would mean betraying a friend. The main difference between them is that Emily Upham's Revenge was written for a younger audience and is considerably lighter in tone, with its dilemmas being less deadly; Emily is younger than Charlotte (only 7) and more childishly helpless.
Looking at it from an adult perspective, the thing that intrigues me the most is how careful the author is about depicting the social background that Charlotte comes from, and its influence on her. While books featuring active, independent, egalitarian women in historical settings are dime-a-dozen nowadays, the authors are not always careful to make these traits plausible, growing out of their background. After all, a person is always a product of their times: even if untypical, they're untypical in a way related to their culture -- and that's just what Charlotte is. And Avi doesn't back away from showing that her choices are likely to alienate her from many people; her social isolation could have serious negative consequences outside the world of her hard-won friends on the Seahawk.
It's interesting to compare this to a book Avi wrote two decades earlier, [b:Emily Upham's Revenge|299368|Emily Upham's Revenge A Massachusetts Adventure|Avi|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1198182598s/299368.jpg|2374761]. I found that the main characters of these two stories, Emily Upham and Charlotte Doyle, have a lot in common. They are 19th-century girls of good family who've been educated to be well-mannered, quiet, proper, obedient and respectful to their elders (especially men), mindful of their social status, and not interested in their inferiors -- and they have been perfectly happy to believe and follow these rules, and have never felt any inclination toward rebellion. But these stories put them into stressful situations where they realize that the only reason those principles have seemed like a sufficient code of conduct in the past is because they've been sheltered and pampered. Thrown up against the ugliness of the outside world, they find that they must abandon some of them if they are to maintain any self-respect, because to strictly follow their upbringing would mean betraying a friend. The main difference between them is that Emily Upham's Revenge was written for a younger audience and is considerably lighter in tone, with its dilemmas being less deadly; Emily is younger than Charlotte (only 7) and more childishly helpless.
There are a lot of books that I think I've read but don't remember or that seem to be a part of my generation's collective childhood but not mine. I kind of remember starting The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, but I don't remember ever finishing it. When it came time to make my Project Fill In The Gaps list, Charlotte Doyle came to mind because I had remembered the cover, it seems like everyone has read it and that on the surface I figured it was about the adventures of a girl on a ship, sort of like another audiobook I reviewed.
Read the rest of my review here link goes live 8/21/12
Read the rest of my review here link goes live 8/21/12
I read this in grade 7 and I remember really enjoying it. I also remember reading almost the entirety of the book out loud to the class because my teacher liked the way I read aloud. Oh, the things we remember. Putting this here because I kind of want to re-read it now as an adult.
Wish I'd read this great allegory about the desperate last stand of the patriarchy when I was younger. But it's a timely read now, anyway.
I have loved this book for years. It it the first chapter book I remember reading all by myself (not listened to on tape but actually reading). I loved it so much. Avi is a master. Loved rereading it again this time for my church book group.