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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Good representation of friendship without romance. It is slightly repetitive with the old-fashioned girl who has different ideas. Over it is worth reading.
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
No spoilers, no problem, I don't remember many specific things about this book since I read it over a decade ago. That being said, it was so incredibly formative that I desperately wanted to be a sailor for several years afterwards. It's about a girl breaking out of the rigid framework of her high-class life in order to discover her freedom and autonomy on the high seas. It's an incredibly solid book, recommended to any feral elementary school kid who is very tired of being told that girls have to be quiet and nice all the time. Sometimes you just have to get on a boat and learn to hoist sails.
This was my husband's suggestion for "A Book Set At Sea," one of the categories on the PopSugar Reading Challenge. It was a book he'd read as a child, and one I'd never heard of. It was a quick, easy read, as it was meant for children. Late elementary school, would be my guess. (Husband read it in fifth grade for a class.)
The book is set in the summer of 1832. Charlotte Doyle is setting sail across the Atlantic to return to America and rejoin the rest of her family, after finishing the school year at her boarding school. Things are a bit suspicious from the beginning of the voyage - the other two families that were supposed to be on board the ship didn't make it, so it's just Charlotte and the crew. Deckhands at the dock warned her away from the ship and refused to carry her things to it.
As the voyage winds on, Charlotte discovers that the crew intensely dislikes their captain and thinks he's far too strict - he beat one of their number so badly on the last voyage that the crewman lost his arm. Torn between the "noble" captain, who represents everything she's used to, and her own sense of right and wrong, she starts to notice how cruel he is to the crew. Ultimately, her life, and the lives of the crew, hinge on her decisions as the captain uses her to spy on the crew and report back to him.
My favorite passage from the book turned out to be my husband's favorite, as well:
"What's a hurricane?"
"The worst storm of all."
"Can't we sail around?"
Barlow again glanced at the helm, the sails and then at the sky above. He frowned. "I heard Mr. Hollybrass and Jaggery arguing about it. To my understanding," he said, "I don't think the captain wants to avoid it."
"Why not?"
"It's what Grimes has been saying. The captain's trying to move fast. If he sets us right at the hurricane's edge, it'll blow us home like a pound of shot in a two-pound cannon."
"What if he doesn't get it right?"
"Two pounds of shot in a one-pound cannon."
I quite enjoyed this little book, and it's a great example of a girl bucking tradition and doing what she's good at, gender roles be damned. There is a fair bit of violence - in one scene a man is severely whipped - but it's not graphic. No sexual themes at all. Pretty suitable for kids as soon as they're decent enough readers.
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
The book is set in the summer of 1832. Charlotte Doyle is setting sail across the Atlantic to return to America and rejoin the rest of her family, after finishing the school year at her boarding school. Things are a bit suspicious from the beginning of the voyage - the other two families that were supposed to be on board the ship didn't make it, so it's just Charlotte and the crew. Deckhands at the dock warned her away from the ship and refused to carry her things to it.
As the voyage winds on, Charlotte discovers that the crew intensely dislikes their captain and thinks he's far too strict - he beat one of their number so badly on the last voyage that the crewman lost his arm. Torn between the "noble" captain, who represents everything she's used to, and her own sense of right and wrong, she starts to notice how cruel he is to the crew. Ultimately, her life, and the lives of the crew, hinge on her decisions as the captain uses her to spy on the crew and report back to him.
My favorite passage from the book turned out to be my husband's favorite, as well:
"What's a hurricane?"
"The worst storm of all."
"Can't we sail around?"
Barlow again glanced at the helm, the sails and then at the sky above. He frowned. "I heard Mr. Hollybrass and Jaggery arguing about it. To my understanding," he said, "I don't think the captain wants to avoid it."
"Why not?"
"It's what Grimes has been saying. The captain's trying to move fast. If he sets us right at the hurricane's edge, it'll blow us home like a pound of shot in a two-pound cannon."
"What if he doesn't get it right?"
"Two pounds of shot in a one-pound cannon."
I quite enjoyed this little book, and it's a great example of a girl bucking tradition and doing what she's good at, gender roles be damned. There is a fair bit of violence - in one scene a man is severely whipped - but it's not graphic. No sexual themes at all. Pretty suitable for kids as soon as they're decent enough readers.
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
I remember when I first read this book in 5th or 6th grade. I don't remember what class it was assigned in, English I suppose, but I remember my reaction when I received the book. Immediate disgust. Why should I, a strong woman with no interest in petticoats or gossip, read some old book about a girly girl and her romantic aspirations. With dread I started the book thinking "Charlotte Doyle" would not be my type of heroine, fettered as she would be by her massive dresses and skull empty of any thought beyond pleasing men. Within the first chapter however, the book had my interest. Although I did find immediately that Charlotte did seem to have a lot of interest in pleasing men there was enough mystery and suspenseful descriptions to keep me entertained. Then the novel unfolded and Charlotte became a hero to me.
As it turned out the book became a cherished volume to me, I bought my own copy after returning the schools tattered tome and have kept it on my self (though I never re-read it until now). Re-reading it I found my feelings remain much the same. In the beginning I again felt a slight recoiling from Charlotte initial naivete and reverence for 'gentlemen,' her meek obedience to her father and the cruel Captain Jaggery. But again my respect for her grows over the novel as she realizes the injustice of the world, both on the ship and off of it.
I can't say I learned anything new from this reading, except that it really is a good book, especially for young girls, to read. And the fact that I've not noticed a book as good as this one on the reading lists of young girls now. It has been replaced, I feel, by a culture that is again putting preference into female subservience and putting value on women who acquiesce to male demands and male desires.
As it turned out the book became a cherished volume to me, I bought my own copy after returning the schools tattered tome and have kept it on my self (though I never re-read it until now). Re-reading it I found my feelings remain much the same. In the beginning I again felt a slight recoiling from Charlotte initial naivete and reverence for 'gentlemen,' her meek obedience to her father and the cruel Captain Jaggery. But again my respect for her grows over the novel as she realizes the injustice of the world, both on the ship and off of it.
I can't say I learned anything new from this reading, except that it really is a good book, especially for young girls, to read. And the fact that I've not noticed a book as good as this one on the reading lists of young girls now. It has been replaced, I feel, by a culture that is again putting preference into female subservience and putting value on women who acquiesce to male demands and male desires.
One of my absolute favourite books since I was around eleven or twelve.
2016: Re-read this. I don't know if it's still a favourite-favourite, but it was definitely formative for me as a reader and a writer. And as a spunky young woman!
2016: Re-read this. I don't know if it's still a favourite-favourite, but it was definitely formative for me as a reader and a writer. And as a spunky young woman!
Rating from when I was about 12. Bought it at the Scholastic Book Fair!
This is not a girly diary of a spoiled British darling. This is simply a tale of finding who you are and surprising everyone who thinks you're someone else.
Bwee!
It's interesting to look back on the books that I loved when I was younger and realise how much I gravitated towards ones with strong heroines, even if I didn't realise it at the time. I wasn't consciously feminist but I still looked for books that told me that women could do anything!
This book is, at its heart, about a young girl throwing off the shackles of society and learning to be herself, strong and brave and even a leader! It's about her coming to that realisation and standing up for herself.
It's also fascinating, with intrigue, sailing and lots of drama!
Historically accurate? Probably note. Slightly implausible? You bet. Still an enjoyable book though, IMO. It struck the right balance for me, the story bringing enough to the table that the rest fades. Historical accuracy and plausibility are definitely important but sometimes the message is more important.
It's interesting to look back on the books that I loved when I was younger and realise how much I gravitated towards ones with strong heroines, even if I didn't realise it at the time. I wasn't consciously feminist but I still looked for books that told me that women could do anything!
This book is, at its heart, about a young girl throwing off the shackles of society and learning to be herself, strong and brave and even a leader! It's about her coming to that realisation and standing up for herself.
It's also fascinating, with intrigue, sailing and lots of drama!
Historically accurate? Probably note. Slightly implausible? You bet. Still an enjoyable book though, IMO. It struck the right balance for me, the story bringing enough to the table that the rest fades. Historical accuracy and plausibility are definitely important but sometimes the message is more important.
An adventurous tale of a young girl who discovers her own courage and potential during a very unusual sea voyage. This story combines action and danger with interesting characters and a good deal of discovering who can you trust isn't always an easy determination.