Scan barcode
paperbackbuckeye's review against another edition
3.0
The story itself is pretty incredible and a fantastic view into what live for a seaman was like in the age of sail ships. I particularly enjoyed the author's descriptions of a wild and largely un-inhabited California.
While I found the descriptions of California and the life on board a merchant ship incredibly interesting, the book seemed to drag on a bit for me. Despite the diagrams and initial Googling I did in the beginning of the book -- I was reading the Kindle edition, after "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" mentioned this book -- I never fully understood or remembered all the sailing terms, specifically in regard to the sails, which made it difficult at times to visualize what was going on. "[T]hree new top-sails, and new fore and main courses, jib, and fore top-mast stay-sail, [...] were bent, with a complete set of new earings [sic], robands and reef-points; and reef-tackles were rove to the sources, and spilling-lines to the top-sails. These, with new braces and clewlines, fore and aft, gave us a good suit of running rigging." I think they just put up some new gear?
I wouldn't categorize this book as a must-read, necessarily, but anyone interested in ships, naval history or what California was like before it was part of the United States would certainly enjoy it without regret (even if I found speed-reading through parts necessary).
While I found the descriptions of California and the life on board a merchant ship incredibly interesting, the book seemed to drag on a bit for me. Despite the diagrams and initial Googling I did in the beginning of the book -- I was reading the Kindle edition, after "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" mentioned this book -- I never fully understood or remembered all the sailing terms, specifically in regard to the sails, which made it difficult at times to visualize what was going on. "[T]hree new top-sails, and new fore and main courses, jib, and fore top-mast stay-sail, [...] were bent, with a complete set of new earings [sic], robands and reef-points; and reef-tackles were rove to the sources, and spilling-lines to the top-sails. These, with new braces and clewlines, fore and aft, gave us a good suit of running rigging." I think they just put up some new gear?
I wouldn't categorize this book as a must-read, necessarily, but anyone interested in ships, naval history or what California was like before it was part of the United States would certainly enjoy it without regret (even if I found speed-reading through parts necessary).
geraldinerowe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
I wouldn't normally dream of reading a book about historical adventures on the high seas as it's just not my thing. But I'm so glad I picked it up and persevered (I found the beginning slow going). I loved this book and learnt so much about the history of the Californian coast, which for me was the most interesting part of the story. I read it with Google maps next to me so I could fully understand what the author was describing. The chapter where his ship first arrives at "the little harbour of San Diego" was particularly fascinating. A lot of knowledge of the anatomy of a sailing ship is assumed, with every rope, sail and arm having a different name. This slowed down my reading a lot at first and I had to abandon the idea of looking up every reference I didn't understand. I can understand why many versions of the book are annotated and/or illustrated which sadly mine wasn't. But overall a captivating and exciting read.
hoboken's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I've ever read to my surprise and a tribute to the rigors of a Harvard education since the author is too sick to continue there so drops out to spend two years in the kind of conditions shown on the cover. Vivid descriptions of life at sea in the 19th century, rounding the Horn, and the beauties of California in 1848, just before the gold bugs got there.
chaoticgrey27's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
hanklyhank's review against another edition
4.0
I'm pretty sure the only way to describe this is "a cracking yarn."
megea's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite part of this book is its setting. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about pre-Gold Rush, pre-statehood California. Much of the action occurs in Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Francisco, and L.A. I have spent time in all but the latter, so I paid special attention to see what I could recognize of these cities in Dana's descriptions of their infancy. This book both appeals to and adds to my sense of place, which is very valuable since I feel that a sense of place is something that is increasingly important but also increasingly lost in this uprooted age. (Case in point: I'm trying to build a sense of place about California, which is not my original home.)
philip_bonanno's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
2.0
Hating California is not a personality trait