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A review by readingthroughthelists
Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques
3.0
This is the kind of book whose title and cover are rather misleading: hearing 'Castaways of the Flying Dutchman' made me think I'd be reading some kind of pirate or seafaring novel, albeit with a captain and crew cursed to make an eternal voyage for their blasphemy.
For the first quarter, it was that kind of story, but then suddenly it switched into a totally different novel altogether and became a book about a small sleepy village about to be swallowed up in the yawning jaws of progress unless the original deed to the town can be found, setting off a village-wide treasure hunt. I felt as though I'd been promised Pirates of the Caribbean and instead ended up with Cranford, with a touch of The Boxcar Children thrown in for good measure. Perhaps I didn't read the description carefully enough, but either way the shift between the tales was jarring: from savage cruelty aboard The Flying Dutchman, where Neb endures truly horrific abuse at the hands of the sailors, to the petty tyranny of Smithers in Chapelvale, where the worst evils are the little gang of thugs employs by his son and maybe getting punched. These two experiences are no where near the same in intensity and am attempt to weave them together failed miserably. In addition, it's rare to read a book where the main characters are unashamedly perfect; in fact, it's their most important (one might argue only) character trait.
And yet, despite all this, the book manages to charm. The denizens of Chapelvale, while perhaps a bit idealized, are humorous and well-sketched, and serve as a gentle reminder that the little places of the world matter too. And it is satisfying to be once again reminded that the rule of tyrants, whether great or petty, will eventually come to an end.
*** I highly recommend the audio version of Castaways, which greatly enhanced the book's charm (and helped me decide to move on to the sequel): it's narrated by Jacques himself with a full cast of characters, each with proper accents.
For the first quarter, it was that kind of story, but then suddenly it switched into a totally different novel altogether and became a book about a small sleepy village about to be swallowed up in the yawning jaws of progress unless the original deed to the town can be found, setting off a village-wide treasure hunt. I felt as though I'd been promised Pirates of the Caribbean and instead ended up with Cranford, with a touch of The Boxcar Children thrown in for good measure. Perhaps I didn't read the description carefully enough, but either way the shift between the tales was jarring: from savage cruelty aboard The Flying Dutchman, where Neb endures truly horrific abuse at the hands of the sailors, to the petty tyranny of Smithers in Chapelvale, where the worst evils are the little gang of thugs employs by his son and maybe getting punched. These two experiences are no where near the same in intensity and am attempt to weave them together failed miserably. In addition, it's rare to read a book where the main characters are unashamedly perfect; in fact, it's their most important (one might argue only) character trait.
And yet, despite all this, the book manages to charm. The denizens of Chapelvale, while perhaps a bit idealized, are humorous and well-sketched, and serve as a gentle reminder that the little places of the world matter too. And it is satisfying to be once again reminded that the rule of tyrants, whether great or petty, will eventually come to an end.
*** I highly recommend the audio version of Castaways, which greatly enhanced the book's charm (and helped me decide to move on to the sequel): it's narrated by Jacques himself with a full cast of characters, each with proper accents.