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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
The first I heard of Moonfleet was because of Chris de Burgh's 2010 album of the same name which tells the story of John Trenchard and Black Beard's diamond through the album's songs.
I'm glad I finally got to reading this book as it's very enjoyable and really is just a fantastic story. I won't summarize the story here as there a plenty of places to find a superb overview of the plot. The dialogues are sometimes a little hard for me, mostly because I'm not used to things like "though hadst" and older speakings of the sort. However, I'm sure anybody could read through the book without a problem; it just takes a little more effort in some places.
I won't spoil the ending except to say that it ends well. As John Trenchard himself puts it, "For what man would sit down to write a history that ended in his own discomfiture?"
I give it 4-4.5 stars out of 5
I'm glad I finally got to reading this book as it's very enjoyable and really is just a fantastic story. I won't summarize the story here as there a plenty of places to find a superb overview of the plot. The dialogues are sometimes a little hard for me, mostly because I'm not used to things like "though hadst" and older speakings of the sort. However, I'm sure anybody could read through the book without a problem; it just takes a little more effort in some places.
I won't spoil the ending except to say that it ends well. As John Trenchard himself puts it, "For what man would sit down to write a history that ended in his own discomfiture?"
I give it 4-4.5 stars out of 5
I have no idea how come I had never even heard of this book when I was a child but my inner 8-year-old was squeaking with delight as I was reading it now for the first time at the ripe age of 27 ;) Meanwhile, my current self was admiring Falkner's writing and having my faith in the beauty of stylised prose restored after it had been crushed by [a:George R.R. Martin|346732|George R.R. Martin|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1351944410p2/346732.jpg].
adventurous
slow-paced
Moonfleet follows in the tradition of a lot of other “adventure” stories from the 1800’s and also manages to include and incorporate a good mystery into the story as well.
The comings and goings of the residents of Moonfleet could be the lives of the residents of any small town in England at that time, especially ones near the coast that had a strong history of smuggling involved as well. The thing that sets them apart is the ghost story element of one of their former, more infamous residents.
The story also shows the ways that people, mainly men if we’re being honest, can be so influenced and drawn by greed and how the prospect of wealth and fortune can affect them so badly that it can lead to plots of murder.
All in all a solid read, if you’re already a fan of this particular type of adventure story, otherwise you might find it a bit difficult to get into.
The comings and goings of the residents of Moonfleet could be the lives of the residents of any small town in England at that time, especially ones near the coast that had a strong history of smuggling involved as well. The thing that sets them apart is the ghost story element of one of their former, more infamous residents.
The story also shows the ways that people, mainly men if we’re being honest, can be so influenced and drawn by greed and how the prospect of wealth and fortune can affect them so badly that it can lead to plots of murder.
All in all a solid read, if you’re already a fan of this particular type of adventure story, otherwise you might find it a bit difficult to get into.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A wonderful, classic adventure story, reminiscent of "Treasure Island" or a Dickens novel. Fascinating, with wonderfully old-fashioned (to us, but modern to the author) language, thrilling and touching, it was a joy to read.
Although slow to pick-up and hard to get into due to the language, the events in this book always keep you interested. The sense of adventure pof John Trenchard's tales are any youg boy's dreams. Smugglers, hidden treasures, a young lady's hearrt, a ghost which roams the country side at night, what more could be asked? The pacing is odd, and some dull moments are told in detail while the most interesting moments leave the reader wishing for more.
A boy becomes a smuggler, gears about Blackbeard's treasure, finds it, loses it, gets ten years in prison, comes out and gets the treasure in the end.
Was surprised at the grief this author was willing to cause his characters. I was expecting a rip roaring adventure on the high seas, instead i got misfortune after misfortune. Still, a decent book
Was surprised at the grief this author was willing to cause his characters. I was expecting a rip roaring adventure on the high seas, instead i got misfortune after misfortune. Still, a decent book
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wouldn't have been my choice but I really enjoyed the writing style and the ark of the plot. One of the villains is a strongly anti-semitic stereotype though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Antisemitism, Murder