A review by beautifulpaxielreads
The Sea Captain's Wife by Jackie French

adventurous emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Sea Captain's Wife was a thoroughly enjoyable read, keeping me engrossed throughout its near-500-page count.

It blends historical fiction, romance, and mystery with almost total ease, and the character development is superb. There were only a few things that would have made this a five-star read. First, I wish there was a greater discussion and/or depiction of the

racial politics of Australia at the time the novel is set (the late nineteenth century), especially given the heroine Mair is mixed-race herself and seems keenly aware of social injustice. But perhaps, as author Jackie French is a white woman, she did not feel she was the right person to speak on such matters.

I also felt confused by some of the

legal discussions had later in the book

.

Overall, I had a great time with this, even though

I did guess who the murderer was fairly early on

.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Alcohol, Classism

Minor: Ableism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, War

There are several scenes where

a violent volcanic eruption, and its aftermath

are discussed and depicted on the page. Towards the final climax of the novel, the

identity of the murderer is revealed. The novel has established him well in advance, but it is only at this point that his true nature becomes clear - though on the surface extremely charming, he is in reality a dangerous, sadistic young man who has not only murdered (and attempted to murder) family members (and pet animals), but has taken pleasure in doing so. The word "i****e" is used to describe him at one point, which some may find ableist and outdated.