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2007 bookcrossing journal:
This was such an interesting book although honestly I felt a bit ignorant because I didnt really know about the Mutiney on the Bounty, hadn't heard of Captain Bligh, and I didn't even know how Captain Cook had died before I started reading this book!
It's listed as biography, but really it only deals with one period in Captain Bligh's life - basically what happened to those who were kicked off the ship on the Mutiney on the Bounty. So it follows those 19 sailors stuck in a rowing boat together and having to sail across the Pacific and around to Indonesia. And they survived amazingly enough. Although some never made it back to England alive. But that they managed it at all is amazing enough in itself.
Having known nothing about these things, I didn't realise that Bligh ended up with a reputation for being cruel and sadistic. And Toohey's writing on the subject probably puts things in a clearer light - that reputation seems to be a result of the bitching and in-boat politics that went on at the time. Not to say that Bligh was perfect. I don't think he had good people skills and he wasn't a natural born leader. He was too keen on being moral and sticking to the rules and the law at ALL times and was just baffled that other people didn't think like he did. One aspect did make me laugh - going through the south seas, a rowing boat full of starving and exhausted men and Bligh is trying to perk up their spirits; first by telling them tales of the cannibal infested islands they were making their way past; and then, oh look boys, I've made a set of scales out of these coconut husks! he he. Maybe not the person you'd want to be stuck in a small boat in the Pacific with. Although he did manage to get them away to safety.
The book is well written as well, not just dry history, but Toohey makes an attempt at getting into the minds of these men and the conversations and confrontations they must have had.
This was such an interesting book although honestly I felt a bit ignorant because I didnt really know about the Mutiney on the Bounty, hadn't heard of Captain Bligh, and I didn't even know how Captain Cook had died before I started reading this book!
It's listed as biography, but really it only deals with one period in Captain Bligh's life - basically what happened to those who were kicked off the ship on the Mutiney on the Bounty. So it follows those 19 sailors stuck in a rowing boat together and having to sail across the Pacific and around to Indonesia. And they survived amazingly enough. Although some never made it back to England alive. But that they managed it at all is amazing enough in itself.
Having known nothing about these things, I didn't realise that Bligh ended up with a reputation for being cruel and sadistic. And Toohey's writing on the subject probably puts things in a clearer light - that reputation seems to be a result of the bitching and in-boat politics that went on at the time. Not to say that Bligh was perfect. I don't think he had good people skills and he wasn't a natural born leader. He was too keen on being moral and sticking to the rules and the law at ALL times and was just baffled that other people didn't think like he did. One aspect did make me laugh - going through the south seas, a rowing boat full of starving and exhausted men and Bligh is trying to perk up their spirits; first by telling them tales of the cannibal infested islands they were making their way past; and then, oh look boys, I've made a set of scales out of these coconut husks! he he. Maybe not the person you'd want to be stuck in a small boat in the Pacific with. Although he did manage to get them away to safety.
The book is well written as well, not just dry history, but Toohey makes an attempt at getting into the minds of these men and the conversations and confrontations they must have had.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Enjoyed this more than expected. Didn’t know much about the mutiny or Captain Bligh before reading & found this portrayal of him unexpectedly admirable & flawed … very human. And what an amazing voyage! Certainly equal to Shackleton’s!
A short and very readable account of Bligh's journey across the ocean after the Bounty mutiny. I really enjoyed the new-to-me information regarding his association with Captain Cook and how that might have influenced his career and subsequent actions.