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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's an adventurous book, has the same feel as Treasure Island. It's ok, although I put it down for months... And nearly DNF-ed it... The ending was a bit meh..
I grew up reading a lot of "classic" children's adventure stories (Treasure Island, Kidnapped, etc...) but hadn't read this one, and with its plot involving smugglers and a hidden diamond, it seemed like something my 9-year-old and I could enjoy together. The story starts on the Dorset coast, in a fictional village near Weymouth. John Trenchard is an orphaned teenage boy living with his strict aunt. Naturally seeking a father figure, he gloms onto the local innkeeper/smuggler king, Elzevier Block, whose own son is dead at the hands of the nasty local lord and magistrate. The two form a close bond, and eventually discover a clue to the hiding place of a legendary diamond stolen years before.
Of course, the diamond carries a curse with it, and there follows a debate as to whether or not to pursue it, and eventually the story hops over to the Netherlands for a bit. As one might expect of a book written more than a century ago, the melodrama ratchets up significantly at the climax, and the ending is a little moralistic and pat. But that's all to be expected for a book of its time.
My kid lost interest about 80% of the way through, and I had to smooth out some of the archaic vocabulary and turns of phrase at times, but for the most part I think it still holds together as a kid's adventure book. (I also had to stop and explain in some detail why importing French alcohol without paying duties was both profitable and crime.) Despite some scenes of adventure and tension, a remarkably large part of the book carries a melancholy tone that's somewhat at odds with the image of the classic adventure tale.
Of course, the diamond carries a curse with it, and there follows a debate as to whether or not to pursue it, and eventually the story hops over to the Netherlands for a bit. As one might expect of a book written more than a century ago, the melodrama ratchets up significantly at the climax, and the ending is a little moralistic and pat. But that's all to be expected for a book of its time.
My kid lost interest about 80% of the way through, and I had to smooth out some of the archaic vocabulary and turns of phrase at times, but for the most part I think it still holds together as a kid's adventure book. (I also had to stop and explain in some detail why importing French alcohol without paying duties was both profitable and crime.) Despite some scenes of adventure and tension, a remarkably large part of the book carries a melancholy tone that's somewhat at odds with the image of the classic adventure tale.
First published in 1898, Moonfleet is a tale of smuggling . The book was extremely popular among children worldwide up until the 1970s, mostly for its themes of adventure and gripping storyline. It remains a popular story widely read and is still sometimes studied in schools. It recounts the adventures of John Trenchard, an orphan who lives with his aunt, Miss Arnold, and his adventures with smuggling, fraud and robbery, as well as his love for Grace Maskew
I was astonished to find that this was written back in 1898. Although hailed as a maritime adventure it is worth noting that very little time is spent in ship but rather near the Dorset coast. Fifteen-year-old orphan, John Trenchard lives with his severe aunt in Moonfleet Bay (close to where Falkner himself spent much of his youth).
The village may be small but its characters are larger than life with a tempestuous clash between innkeeper Elzevir Block and local magistrate, Mr. Maskew central to the plot. Falkner's story, as with Stevenson's, finds himself favouring the wrong side of the law (which is portrayed as much corrupt that the smugglers themselves) and the high jinks are engaging and border on the right side of dark. It may not have the skill or poetry of Treasure Island but it is undeniably gripping and well-penned.
The village may be small but its characters are larger than life with a tempestuous clash between innkeeper Elzevir Block and local magistrate, Mr. Maskew central to the plot. Falkner's story, as with Stevenson's, finds himself favouring the wrong side of the law (which is portrayed as much corrupt that the smugglers themselves) and the high jinks are engaging and border on the right side of dark. It may not have the skill or poetry of Treasure Island but it is undeniably gripping and well-penned.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Confession time – this was a re-read. Moonfleet was my absolute favourite book when I was nine years old and remained a favourite up until I was required to study it in an English class when I was 13. Even after that, I still remembered it fondly so the opportunity to read it as an adult was a special thrill. This is one of those quintessential boy’s own adventure stories.
John, the young protagonist, chafes at his restricted and dull life under the care of his strict and Calvinistic aunt. His natural curiosity leads him into and out of danger, and finally into the company of smugglers. His aunt abdicates responsibility for him after he (in her view) is wayward one time too many and he finds himself taken in by the stoic and rather frightening Elzevier Block, who runs the local pub – the Muhune Arms. Elzevier himself is part of the local smuggling ring and years before lost his teenaged son – 15 yr old David was shot by one of the excisemen in a particularly spiteful attack.
Here’s a wee bit of background. During 18th C, there was a lot of political unrest about who should be sitting on the throne and who should be running parliament. The Hanovers had come to power and many people didn’t want Britain ruled by a German cousin. In parliament there was jostling for position between the Whigs and the Tories. And then add a religious overlay because despite several centuries passing since Henry VIII had established the Church of England, the Catholics and the Protestants were still at odds. There were lots of expensive wars happening in Europe too. Parliament hit upon the brilliant strategy to tax every day imports like tea, coffee, sugar, spirits etc to help fund these wars. The general populace couldn’t hope to pay such heavy duties on items which had for some time supplemented a rather frugal diet, and the poor and working classes were going hungry. It would be sophistry not to add at this point that many more wealthy and privileged folk were also not willing to pay ridiculous taxes on the goods they wanted. And thus smuggling became a very lucrative enterprise. Parliament was not happy to see all those lovely taxes failing to come in because people were getting their goods on the black market, supplied by smugglers. Efforts were made to stop this giving rise to the Excise – what we call today Customs – and the coast guard, who back then had little to do with aiding ships foundering in the treacherous waters off the south coast of Britain and everything to do with spotting, reporting and intercepting smugglers.
If it sounds like I’m sympathetic to the smugglers, it’s because I am. They weren’t heroes. They weren’t Robin Hoods of the sea. And in many instances – especially during the 17th C – they ensured silence about their operations through force and coercion, even violence, rather than the later bribery that was to prove more effective. And yet I am still on the side of the smugglers. They probably created as many problems as they solved, but for a while there they also levelled the playing field for the less affluent.
Anyway, back to Moonfleet. I’m a Dorset born lass so I know the area well. The town’s basic structure and the surrounding countryside has changed comparatively little over the last couple of centuries and the book evokes the area perfectly. Well worth a visit if you’re in the vicinity. The story itself is pretty straight forward. It is, as I said, an adventure story in the classic mould. I found that rather like visiting your primary school when you’ve grown up, it was smaller than I remembered. And yet it was aslo like visiting family you haven’t seen for years. It was good to be back with Ratsy and the parson. The former far less reliable and more mercurial than I remembered, the latter less pitiable. Elzevier too seemed far less forbidding than he had to me as a child – his on-going grief for his son and the comfort he finds in caring for John, plus his ultimate self sacrifice for him born of those very motivations, was something I understood better as an adult and appreciated in a different way. I remember as a child marvelling at his heroism and feeling it was something few could aspire too without understanding the love that motivated it. In that respect it was more moving to read it as an adult. I suppose if I had a twinge of disappointment it was in John himself. As a child, I thought him the perfect protagonist and saw his recklessness as adventurous and necessary. As an adult I found him quite irritating. I suppose my sympathies transferred to Elzevier and Grace and that the process was natural since I hadn’t read the book in 25 yrs!
And despite all that, this is still a favourite. I didn’t realise until I reread it how much it influenced my own writing, both in terms of putting a story together and exploring themes such as love and sacrifice. And in terms of the importance of setting, atmosphere and tension too – especially the spooky bits! It really is a classic. Highly recommended for both inquisitive children who like adventure and ghost stories, and adults as well.
Confession time – this was a re-read. Moonfleet was my absolute favourite book when I was nine years old and remained a favourite up until I was required to study it in an English class when I was 13. Even after that, I still remembered it fondly so the opportunity to read it as an adult was a special thrill. This is one of those quintessential boy’s own adventure stories.
John, the young protagonist, chafes at his restricted and dull life under the care of his strict and Calvinistic aunt. His natural curiosity leads him into and out of danger, and finally into the company of smugglers. His aunt abdicates responsibility for him after he (in her view) is wayward one time too many and he finds himself taken in by the stoic and rather frightening Elzevier Block, who runs the local pub – the Muhune Arms. Elzevier himself is part of the local smuggling ring and years before lost his teenaged son – 15 yr old David was shot by one of the excisemen in a particularly spiteful attack.
Here’s a wee bit of background. During 18th C, there was a lot of political unrest about who should be sitting on the throne and who should be running parliament. The Hanovers had come to power and many people didn’t want Britain ruled by a German cousin. In parliament there was jostling for position between the Whigs and the Tories. And then add a religious overlay because despite several centuries passing since Henry VIII had established the Church of England, the Catholics and the Protestants were still at odds. There were lots of expensive wars happening in Europe too. Parliament hit upon the brilliant strategy to tax every day imports like tea, coffee, sugar, spirits etc to help fund these wars. The general populace couldn’t hope to pay such heavy duties on items which had for some time supplemented a rather frugal diet, and the poor and working classes were going hungry. It would be sophistry not to add at this point that many more wealthy and privileged folk were also not willing to pay ridiculous taxes on the goods they wanted. And thus smuggling became a very lucrative enterprise. Parliament was not happy to see all those lovely taxes failing to come in because people were getting their goods on the black market, supplied by smugglers. Efforts were made to stop this giving rise to the Excise – what we call today Customs – and the coast guard, who back then had little to do with aiding ships foundering in the treacherous waters off the south coast of Britain and everything to do with spotting, reporting and intercepting smugglers.
If it sounds like I’m sympathetic to the smugglers, it’s because I am. They weren’t heroes. They weren’t Robin Hoods of the sea. And in many instances – especially during the 17th C – they ensured silence about their operations through force and coercion, even violence, rather than the later bribery that was to prove more effective. And yet I am still on the side of the smugglers. They probably created as many problems as they solved, but for a while there they also levelled the playing field for the less affluent.
Anyway, back to Moonfleet. I’m a Dorset born lass so I know the area well. The town’s basic structure and the surrounding countryside has changed comparatively little over the last couple of centuries and the book evokes the area perfectly. Well worth a visit if you’re in the vicinity. The story itself is pretty straight forward. It is, as I said, an adventure story in the classic mould. I found that rather like visiting your primary school when you’ve grown up, it was smaller than I remembered. And yet it was aslo like visiting family you haven’t seen for years. It was good to be back with Ratsy and the parson. The former far less reliable and more mercurial than I remembered, the latter less pitiable. Elzevier too seemed far less forbidding than he had to me as a child – his on-going grief for his son and the comfort he finds in caring for John, plus his ultimate self sacrifice for him born of those very motivations, was something I understood better as an adult and appreciated in a different way. I remember as a child marvelling at his heroism and feeling it was something few could aspire too without understanding the love that motivated it. In that respect it was more moving to read it as an adult. I suppose if I had a twinge of disappointment it was in John himself. As a child, I thought him the perfect protagonist and saw his recklessness as adventurous and necessary. As an adult I found him quite irritating. I suppose my sympathies transferred to Elzevier and Grace and that the process was natural since I hadn’t read the book in 25 yrs!
And despite all that, this is still a favourite. I didn’t realise until I reread it how much it influenced my own writing, both in terms of putting a story together and exploring themes such as love and sacrifice. And in terms of the importance of setting, atmosphere and tension too – especially the spooky bits! It really is a classic. Highly recommended for both inquisitive children who like adventure and ghost stories, and adults as well.
This is a children's adventure story that reminded me somewhat of [b:Treasure Island|295|Treasure Island|Robert Louis Stevenson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156894951s/295.jpg|3077988]. It's the story of John Trenchard, an orphan who takes up with a gang of smugglers (or 'gentlemen of the Contraband', as the book puts it) in his home village of Moonfleet and his search for the legendary lost treasure of 'Blackbeard' Mohune. I first read this story in English class at school and when I saw it going cheap, I picked it up, having forgotten everything whatsoever about it.
It's a fairly simple story all in, with a strong message of love and family bonds, while its sympathetic treatment of the smugglers and general derring do made me smile. The protagonist was generally sympathetic and fairly believable most of the way through the book, but the events that led to the climax of the book had me shaking my head at his stupidity, although this may have been intentional and intended to link in to the idea that Mohune's treasure was cursed and would bring misfortune on those who bore it.
It's a fairly simple story all in, with a strong message of love and family bonds, while its sympathetic treatment of the smugglers and general derring do made me smile. The protagonist was generally sympathetic and fairly believable most of the way through the book, but the events that led to the climax of the book had me shaking my head at his stupidity, although this may have been intentional and intended to link in to the idea that Mohune's treasure was cursed and would bring misfortune on those who bore it.
As one of my All Time Favourites, Moonfleet is one I am sure I could read again and again without ever becoming tired of it. I have a strong emotional tie to the book, even if it isn't one of the more famous ones I've read. Falkner weaves an amazing story and Elzevir is an unequalled character, if only for the personal significance I've had for him since childhood. It's suspenseful, adventurous, and deeply moving. I love this book.