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A review by sunjammer
Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling
Kipling's only novel set in America, and perhaps not his strongest.
Very short, but perhaps could have been shorter: works best as an extended fable, a little like Tolstoy, and least when attempting to paint a picture of Gloucester fishermen. This is perhaps an unfair criticism, but the spellings used to represent the Gloucester dialect are irritating. Dialect in dialogue is difficult, and best done with a light touch, and this is heavy.
Kipling is always good at keeping you on the hook for what happens next, but at times that is all you want: to know what happens so the plot can move on.
Some of the tangents are worthwhile: particularly interesting is the tale of the dead man's knife, and particularly well-written, the tale of Cheyne Sr.'s youth, but these come late in a narrative that already seems to drag.
Recommended only if one is seeking to read the entire Kipling oeuvre—otherwise, better off with something like KIM.
Very short, but perhaps could have been shorter: works best as an extended fable, a little like Tolstoy, and least when attempting to paint a picture of Gloucester fishermen. This is perhaps an unfair criticism, but the spellings used to represent the Gloucester dialect are irritating. Dialect in dialogue is difficult, and best done with a light touch, and this is heavy.
Kipling is always good at keeping you on the hook for what happens next, but at times that is all you want: to know what happens so the plot can move on.
Some of the tangents are worthwhile: particularly interesting is the tale of the dead man's knife, and particularly well-written, the tale of Cheyne Sr.'s youth, but these come late in a narrative that already seems to drag.
Recommended only if one is seeking to read the entire Kipling oeuvre—otherwise, better off with something like KIM.