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the_ragtag_reader's Reviews (271)
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Near perfect for me - simple, sweet, with that perfect touch of whimsy. Even made me a little teary-eyed towards end.
adventurous
dark
informative
slow-paced
Parts of this tale were quite engrossing - if you love reading of exploration, pirates, and what life was like on a ship of the late 16th / early 17th centuries. However, I don’t use the term “tale” lightly here - the sources on Christopher (the Japanese gentleman of the title) are sparse, so author, Thomas Lockley, spends most of his time where Christopher is mentioned speculating about what he saw, heard, & felt. Christopher feels more like a device to tell the story of an English privateer (Cavendish) and the English attempts to reach the Far East. It’s an interesting tale, but feels a bit like historical fiction (as other reviewers have said). Also, the last chapter is just weirdly placed. Even Lockley describes it as a “rant” about imperialism and the swinging pendulum between East & West. That being said, I’m glad I picked it up on a whim at my local library - a bit of history that I had no knowledge of. It is an enjoyable, though flawed read.
