Mutiny On The Bounty

by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall

Have you ever read this book? If not, you must get yourself to a library immediately and check out this book. Oh my goodness. I am convinced that this is one of the best books I have ever read! I had been concerned that being written in 1932 I would have to spend a little time clarifying some verbage, and I never did. The only confusing part was some of the ship descriptions. I have no clue about sailing, and it would have been nice to have a diagram of a ship to understand where a mainsail is or which one is the topsail, among many others. But this novel...I wanted to stand up and cheer when the book was finished. And I wonder why the heck we weren't required to read this in school! This truly would have been a study of great literature.

This book is as close to historical fact as it can get. The two authors spent years travelling the globe and researching the real events surrounding the real Mutiny on the Bounty. They invented a character through which to tell the story- that of Roger Byam. Byam is a 17 year old lad whose widowed mother sets up a dinner with a famous ship captain- Captain Bligh. During this dinner, natural events lead to Captain Bligh offering Byam a midshipman position, with the idea that Byam will study the language of a new population and write a dictionary. That of the Tahitian people in the South Seas. Of course, Byam jumps at the chance to sail the South Seas as his father once did. The story just continues to unfurl with every single page. I almost became a part of the ship myself, as though I was a parrot perched on Byam's shoulder. I found myself truly conflicted when the actual mutiny occurred. One part of me was gald for the banishment of Cpatain Bligh. But then one part of me felt I should be loyal to "my captain" despite the harshness suffered at his hands. I was indeed a part of Roger Byam to the end. It was wonderful.

Mutiny On The Bounty is truly a page-turner. I became caught up in the story right from the beginning. It never disappointed. I was also delighted to discover, after I finished the book, that Mutiny On The Bounty is also part of a trilogy. There was very clearly two other parts of the story that we never got in this book. We never found out what actually happened to Captain Bligh after the infamous mutiny occurred. And we also never found out what happened to the head mutineer- Christian, and his few followers. These two men are the subjects of subsequent novels, Men Against The Sea, and Pitcairn's Island. I will be reading these other two when I get a chance, but for the sake of my reading goals, I will hold off for another time while I forge ahead with my reading list.

So, with all of that, I eagerly move ahead and begin reading the next one on my list, Treasure Island.