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The Bounty Trilogy #1
鬲賲乇丿 毓賱賶 丕賱爻賮賷賳丞 亘丕賵賳鬲賷
賯氐丞 兀卮賴乇 鬲賲乇丿 賵毓氐賷丕賳 丨丿孬 賮賷 鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱亘丨乇丕.. 丿賵賳賴丕 丕賱賰丕亘鬲賳 ((賵賱賷賲 亘賱丕賷)) 亘賳賮爻賴 亘丿賮鬲乇 賲匕賰乇丕鬲賴 丕賱賷賵賲賷丞.
賴賱 賰丕賳 ((亘賱丕賷)) 賯丕卅丿丕賸 賯丕爻賷 丕賱賯賱亘貙 氐丕乇賲 丕賱賳馗丕賲 賱丕 賷毓鬲乇賮 廿賱丕 亘乇兀賷賴 賮賯胤貙 丨鬲賷 丿賮毓 乇噩丕賱賴 廿賱賷 丕賱毓氐賷丕賳 囟丿賴 賵丕賱鬲賲乇丿 毓賱賷賴責 兀賲 兀賳 ((賮賱鬲卮乇 賰乇賷爻鬲賷丕賳))丕賱匕賷 賯丕丿 丕賱鬲賲乇丿貙 賰丕賳 兀賳丕賳賷丕賸 賵賷乇賷丿 丕賱丕爻鬲賷賱丕亍 毓賱賷 丕賱爻賮賷賳丞 ((亘賵賳鬲賷)) 賱賷賯賵丿賴丕 亘賳賮爻賴 賵胤亘賯丕賸 賱兀賴賵丕卅賴責
賲丕夭丕賱鬲 丕賱乇丨賱丞 丕賱鬲賷 賯丕賲鬲 亘賴丕 丕賱爻賮賷賳丞 ((亘賵賳鬲賷)) 賵丕賱乇丨賱丞 丕賱鬲賷 賯丕賲 亘賴丕 丕賱賲胤乇賵丿賵賳 賲賳賴丕 毓賱賷 馗賴乇 賲乇賰亘 卮乇丕毓賷 氐睾賷乇貙 賲賳 兀卮賴乇 賯氐氐 丕賱卮噩丕毓丞 賵丕賱乇丨賱丕鬲 丕賱亘丨乇賷丞 毓賱賷 賲丿賷 丕賱夭賲賳
賴賱 賰丕賳 ((亘賱丕賷)) 賯丕卅丿丕賸 賯丕爻賷 丕賱賯賱亘貙 氐丕乇賲 丕賱賳馗丕賲 賱丕 賷毓鬲乇賮 廿賱丕 亘乇兀賷賴 賮賯胤貙 丨鬲賷 丿賮毓 乇噩丕賱賴 廿賱賷 丕賱毓氐賷丕賳 囟丿賴 賵丕賱鬲賲乇丿 毓賱賷賴責 兀賲 兀賳 ((賮賱鬲卮乇 賰乇賷爻鬲賷丕賳))丕賱匕賷 賯丕丿 丕賱鬲賲乇丿貙 賰丕賳 兀賳丕賳賷丕賸 賵賷乇賷丿 丕賱丕爻鬲賷賱丕亍 毓賱賷 丕賱爻賮賷賳丞 ((亘賵賳鬲賷)) 賱賷賯賵丿賴丕 亘賳賮爻賴 賵胤亘賯丕賸 賱兀賴賵丕卅賴責
賲丕夭丕賱鬲 丕賱乇丨賱丞 丕賱鬲賷 賯丕賲鬲 亘賴丕 丕賱爻賮賷賳丞 ((亘賵賳鬲賷)) 賵丕賱乇丨賱丞 丕賱鬲賷 賯丕賲 亘賴丕 丕賱賲胤乇賵丿賵賳 賲賳賴丕 毓賱賷 馗賴乇 賲乇賰亘 卮乇丕毓賷 氐睾賷乇貙 賲賳 兀卮賴乇 賯氐氐 丕賱卮噩丕毓丞 賵丕賱乇丨賱丕鬲 丕賱亘丨乇賷丞 毓賱賷 賲丿賷 丕賱夭賲賳
167 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1932
246 people are currently reading
9,956 people want to read
About the author
Charles Bernard Nordhoff
76听books46听followers This describes the 20th century novelist, most famous for Mutiny on the Bounty. For the 19th century journalist and author, see Charles Nordhoff.
Charles Bernard Nordhoff was an English-born American novelist and traveler.
Charles Bernard Nordhoff was an English-born American novelist and traveler.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 381 reviews
November 4, 2022
I read this a LONG time ago when I was... fuck, I don't remember. I think I was in middle school. What I do remember is that I enjoyed this book, even though now I don't remember much of it aside one part about breadfruit. I really ought to re-read this book and enjoy it from an adult perspective.
Historical note - the mutiny happened on 28 April 1789. This book, however, was published in 1932.
Historical note - the mutiny happened on 28 April 1789. This book, however, was published in 1932.
February 6, 2021
Mutiny on the Bounty is THE classic tale of mutiny on the high seas. I believe that anytime the word "mutiny" is spoken or read, the Bounty is the ship that flashes through the mind. Given this widespread notoriety, I was disappointed with its actual content.
I thought that Nordhoff overdramatized both sides of the mutiny. The crew were turned into victims for having to suffer the norms of an ordinary seaman鈥檚 life. And the integrity of an accomplished naval sea captain was sacrificed so that he could appear to be unhinged and blamed for the events that transpired.
The book also reaches its peak fairly quickly with the mutiny happening in the first third of its pages. This leaves the balance of the book filled with sometimes interesting but mostly uninteresting storylines. This issue is not helped by the fact that there are far too many characters who are so underdefined that Nordhoff鈥檚 post-mutiny references to them by name become practically meaningless.
Within the historical fiction genre, I think the best books do a remarkable job at using history as the framework for a human story. In this case, I suspect that history was bent by Nordhoff to achieve a version of the mutiny that he held at the start of writing his book.
I thought that Nordhoff overdramatized both sides of the mutiny. The crew were turned into victims for having to suffer the norms of an ordinary seaman鈥檚 life. And the integrity of an accomplished naval sea captain was sacrificed so that he could appear to be unhinged and blamed for the events that transpired.
The book also reaches its peak fairly quickly with the mutiny happening in the first third of its pages. This leaves the balance of the book filled with sometimes interesting but mostly uninteresting storylines. This issue is not helped by the fact that there are far too many characters who are so underdefined that Nordhoff鈥檚 post-mutiny references to them by name become practically meaningless.
Within the historical fiction genre, I think the best books do a remarkable job at using history as the framework for a human story. In this case, I suspect that history was bent by Nordhoff to achieve a version of the mutiny that he held at the start of writing his book.
January 4, 2023
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March 28, 2021
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唳夃Κ唳ㄠ唳唳膏唳� 唳膏Δ唰嵿Ο 唳樴唳ㄠ 唳呧Μ唳侧Ξ唰嵿Μ唳ㄠ啷� 唳む唳� 唳Α唳监Μ唳距Π 唳膏Ξ唳 唳唳曕唳� 唳唳むΠ 唳灌 唳灌 唳曕Π唳唳� 唳呧Θ唰囙唳栢唳ㄠ唳� 唳膏Δ唰嵿Ο! 唳唳熰唳� 唳︵唳冟唳唳侧唳� 唳ㄠΟ唳�!
September 14, 2024
Excellent!
Historically based, compelling, fascinating.
An adventure story from a time when the world was a much bigger place.
馃挄 鉂わ笍 馃グ
Historically based, compelling, fascinating.
An adventure story from a time when the world was a much bigger place.
馃挄 鉂わ笍 馃グ
November 22, 2019
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January 2, 2019
As a young girl in the 1960s and 1970s I found that reading allowed me to travel, escape, dream and survive epic adventures. Many, many times my dad entered my room long past bedtime to take from me the flashlight that I was using to read while under the covers. I fell in love with adventurous and mysterious stories because they made me feel like I was living that kind of life.
Recently, I found myself awake at 3 am and arguing with myself that it was time to push the stop button on this audiobook. I couldn't bear to stop it. This seafaring tale is exciting and shocking. I wasn't sure it would be a book for me. But I loved it!
Recently, I found myself awake at 3 am and arguing with myself that it was time to push the stop button on this audiobook. I couldn't bear to stop it. This seafaring tale is exciting and shocking. I wasn't sure it would be a book for me. But I loved it!
May 24, 2010
The British (and to a lesser degree the American) Navy in the age of sail has become a staple setting of modern English-language historical fiction, exemplified by the works of Patrick O'Brian and others. While Melville's Billy Budd and White Jacket are certainly forerunners of the trend, the main impetus to the subgenre was probably C. S. Forrester's Hornblower series; but this novel by Nordhoff and Hall was roughly contemporary with Forrester's work, and also well deserves a reading by fans of the above writers. (It's actually the opening book of a Bounty trilogy, though it's the only volume that I've read.) While it's a work of fiction, it closely follows the historical events of the H.M.S. Bounty mutiny, through the eyes of Midshipman Roger Byam, portrayed as one of the loyal crew members who were forced to remain with the mutineers because of insufficient room in the longboats used to set Bligh and his other loyalists adrift at sea (and later unjustly charged as accomplices in the mutiny).
I recall the book as having a straightforward, well-written style and an eventful plot that easily held my interest (among other things, the narrator ultimately endures an open-boat sea voyage that parallels that of Bligh and his crew earlier). The fact that it has been adapted as a movie at least twice testifies to the popular interest it has evoked; and Bligh probably "enjoys" (if that's the word!) his status as an icon for bullying tyranny to the power of this literary portrayal, and the cinematic ones based on it, to brand itself in people's minds. The authors do use a significant amount of sail-age nautical jargon and naval terminology that won't be intelligible to all readers (as a teen, for instance, I had no clue what the role of a "master-at-arms" is. or was, and the names of various parts of the ship and its rigging were Greek to me), but the novel fascinated me nonetheless!
I recall the book as having a straightforward, well-written style and an eventful plot that easily held my interest (among other things, the narrator ultimately endures an open-boat sea voyage that parallels that of Bligh and his crew earlier). The fact that it has been adapted as a movie at least twice testifies to the popular interest it has evoked; and Bligh probably "enjoys" (if that's the word!) his status as an icon for bullying tyranny to the power of this literary portrayal, and the cinematic ones based on it, to brand itself in people's minds. The authors do use a significant amount of sail-age nautical jargon and naval terminology that won't be intelligible to all readers (as a teen, for instance, I had no clue what the role of a "master-at-arms" is. or was, and the names of various parts of the ship and its rigging were Greek to me), but the novel fascinated me nonetheless!
July 14, 2020
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唳忇 唳唳唰囙Π 唳班唳唳ㄠ唳むΠ唳� 唳呧Μ唳多唳� 唳唳� 唳曕Ξ唳距Θ唰嬥Π 唳氞唳粪唳熰唳 唳涏唳侧唳ㄠイ 唳むΜ唰� 唳氞唳班Χ' 唳唳粪唳犩唳� 唳 唳︵唳∴唳�' 唳唳粪唳犩唳 唳ㄠ唳唳ㄠ唳� 唳Π 唳唳︵Δ唰� 唳︵唳班 唳ム唳�, 唳唳� 唳唳傕Ω唰囙Π 唳呧Ν唳距Μ 唳︵唳栢 唳︵唳唰囙唰囙イ 唳溹唳灌唳溹唳� 唳ㄠ唳唳� 唳灌唳唳� 唳ム唳曕 唳多唳班 唳曕Π唰� 唳唳班唳� 唳曕Π唰� 唳唳唰� 唳曕Π唳�, 唳膏Μ 唳曕唳涏唳� 唳唳ㄠ 唳氞唳栢唳� 唳Σ唳曕 唳灌Ο唳监 唳唳啷� 唳忇Δ唰� 唳む唳∴唳距Δ唳距Α唳监 唳忇唳膏Μ 唳溹唳ㄠ唳� 唳灌Ο唳监 唳椸唳� 唳 唳唳Σ唳距Ξ, 唳膏唳ㄠ唳唳� 唳膏唳曕唳班唳唳� 唳ㄠ唳曕?
唳むΜ唰� 唳唳熰唳� 唳椸Σ唰嵿Κ 唳呧Ω唳唳Μ 唳唳侧イ 唳嗋Π 唳氞唳班唳︵唳曕 唳唳︵唳� 唳唳班唳氞唳班唳Δ唳距Ο唳� 唳忇 唳呧Κ唰囙唰嵿Ψ唳距唰冟Δ 唳灌唳∴唳∴唳膏唳� 唳唳∴唰嬥唰� 唳栢唳班唳 唳侧唳椸唳� 唳曕Ε唳� 唳ㄠΟ唳硷拷锟斤拷
August 25, 2023
唳膏唳 唳唳班唳距Χ唳ㄠ 唳忇 唳膏Μ 唳唳班唳むΘ 唳呧Θ唰佮Μ唳距Ζ 唳椸唳侧 唳唳� 唳忇唰囙唳熰 唳班Δ唰嵿Θ啷� 唳Δ 唳Α唳监 唳唳椸唳� 唳灌Ο唳监 唳唳啷�
唳曕 唳膏唳ㄠ唳︵Π 唳澿Π唳澿Π唰� 唳呧Θ唰佮Μ唳距Ζ,唳嗋Π 唳曕 唳︵唳班唳� 唳唳唰囙Π 唳膏唳侧唳曕Χ唳ㄠイ
唳唳� 唳熰唳班唳侧唳� 唳熰 唳Α唳监唳� 唳囙唰嵿唳� 唳嗋唰� 唳膏Ξ唰嵿Κ唰傕Π唰嵿Γ 唳樴唳ㄠ 唳溹唳ㄠ唳� 唳溹Θ唰嵿Ο啷�
唳唳班 唳熰唳班唳侧唳苦唳� 唳忇唳膏唳ム 唳班唳唳班唳ㄠ唳� 唳灌Σ唰� 唳呧Ω唳距Η唳距Π唳� 唳曕唳侧唳曕Χ唳� 唳唳椸唳� 唳忇唳熰 唳 唳唳撪Ο唳监 唳唳むイ
唳曕 唳膏唳ㄠ唳︵Π 唳澿Π唳澿Π唰� 唳呧Θ唰佮Μ唳距Ζ,唳嗋Π 唳曕 唳︵唳班唳� 唳唳唰囙Π 唳膏唳侧唳曕Χ唳ㄠイ
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唳唳班 唳熰唳班唳侧唳苦唳� 唳忇唳膏唳ム 唳班唳唳班唳ㄠ唳� 唳灌Σ唰� 唳呧Ω唳距Η唳距Π唳� 唳曕唳侧唳曕Χ唳� 唳唳椸唳� 唳忇唳熰 唳 唳唳撪Ο唳监 唳唳むイ
December 21, 2023
唳膏Μ唳曕唳涏 唳唳侧唳唰� 唳忇唳熰 唳溹Ξ唳溹Ξ唳距 唳曕唳灌唳ㄠ啷� 唳呧Ω唳距Η唳距Π唳｀イ
April 14, 2015
When I started this I was slightly worried because a) it's written by two authors and I though it might be jarring when it switched from one to the other b) N. C. Wyeth's illustrations had several top-less ladies and c) the books didn't seem very happy I knew almost for certain how it would end.
But... I really enjoyed it. A) the writing is seamless from one to the other. I truly could not tell who was writing. Maybe because they both edited each other's writing. B) While the island ladies don't wear tops all the time (just sunshade cloaks), they aren't loose and are represented as being like women everywhere else, some are doxies and some are respectable. We aren't shown the doxies much, no more than seeing them swarming the ships. C) it wasn't happy. I wish I could change the outcome for some of the characters. I wish I could get a ship and give it to Roger Byam so he could sail back to Tehani on the island of Tahiti. I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THE ENDING. I have my own version in my head that the romanic me likes better.
It did help knowing that the main character Roger Byam was fictional. I found his making of a dictionary in Tahitian interesting and for him lifesaving.
One thing I really like it that I could put it down and when easily get back into it when I picked it back up. I'll definitely be reading more by these authors.
Would I reread this? Sure. But it's not a comfort read. I would have given it 3 1/2 but the writing, the characters and the plot were just so good that I couldn't hold the ending against it. After all, the authors couldn't really change the truth.
PG Few swears, some sailors have island girls and a few marry the island girls. Perfectly clean though, just a kiss or two. The violence is fairly strong in the beginning with several floggings for minor offenses and later some cruelty not in violence but in human kindness. (less)
January 15, 2014
In diesem Roman wird die Geschichte der Meuterei auf der Bounty aus der Sicht des Kadetten Roger Byams in fesselnder Weise erz盲hlt. Selbst nicht aktiv an dem Aufstand beteiligt, muss dieser dennoch an Bord bleiben, w盲hrend Captain Bligh mit achtzehn Getreuen in einer Barkasse ausgesetzt wird. Sp盲ter erz盲hlt er von seiner Zeit auf Tahiti, wo er weiter an der Vollst盲ndigkeit eines W枚rterbuchs der Sprache Tahitis arbeitet, im Auftrag des ber眉hmten Naturforschers Sir Joseph Banks. Da, der die Meuterei anf眉hrende Erste Offizier, Fletcher Christian zu der Zeit bereits mit der Bounty weitergesegelt ist, um nach einer abgelegenen Insel zu suchen, erf盲hrt der Leser von dessen Schicksal nur noch kurz am Ende. Vielmehr nimmt die R眉ckfahrt der Pandora mit einigen der aufgesp眉rten Meuterern und Unfreiwilligen wie Byam nach England, einen betr盲chtlichen Teil des abenteuerlichen Berichtes ein. Das folgende Kriegsgericht wird ebenso detailiert und spannend geschildert. - Allein vom Erz盲hlstil und Wortgebrauch ein wahrer Genuss!
January 3, 2018
Okay, so I was in between books and decided to go back and read this one, which, if I am being honest, I never read in high school when I was supposed to. It is a LONG read, but I am glad I read it. The narrator's story is told plainly, with a fine attention to detail. I can't say I loved how it all went down, and several of the character's stories were quite poignant. Still, I am happy I chose to read this again as an adult, and recommend it for anyone who thinks they remember it from school. It's funny how different a book can seem from an adult point of view.
March 3, 2014
There's something about a good story of adversity at sea to get the blood pumping. Robert Louis Stevenson figured that out. He made a name for himself by writing stories of pirates. In "Mutiny on the Bounty", Nordhoff and Hall have hit a home run by writing about mutiny. Their novel takes place in 1789 - 1794 on board the British armed merchantman "Bounty", which traveled from England to Tahiti to pick up a load of Breadfruit trees with the purpose of planting the trees in the West Indies to provide a cheap source of food for slaves in the new world. Although this is a novel, the story of the mutiny is a true story, with lots of drama to go around.
This story actually has five parts to it. The first part is the story of the voyage from England to Tahiti, which highlights the brutality of life in the British navy and the sacrifices of life at sea. The second part is the stay at Tahiti, which is a great description of the natives on the island and the paradise that is life in the South Pacific. The third part is the story of the mutiny itself, which is full of drama. The fourth part is the story of the trip back to England which involved imprisonment and a shipwreck and a desperate trek through thousands of miles of open ocean. The fifth part is the story of the trial of the mutineers, which was also full of drama. The story keeps the reader riveted. The characters are very well developed and the story has lots of twists and surprises.
It is interesting that Captain Bligh was such a tyrannical commander. I often find it interesting that naval officers in works of fiction tend to be so much more psychotic and controlling than officers of other services. Consider Captain Queeg in the "Caine Mutiny" and Captain Ahab in "Moby Dick". Bligh may actually be the worst captain of the lot, although Nordhoff and Hall make him a complex and interesting guy.
I would highly recommend "Mutiny on the Bounty" to anyone.
This story actually has five parts to it. The first part is the story of the voyage from England to Tahiti, which highlights the brutality of life in the British navy and the sacrifices of life at sea. The second part is the stay at Tahiti, which is a great description of the natives on the island and the paradise that is life in the South Pacific. The third part is the story of the mutiny itself, which is full of drama. The fourth part is the story of the trip back to England which involved imprisonment and a shipwreck and a desperate trek through thousands of miles of open ocean. The fifth part is the story of the trial of the mutineers, which was also full of drama. The story keeps the reader riveted. The characters are very well developed and the story has lots of twists and surprises.
It is interesting that Captain Bligh was such a tyrannical commander. I often find it interesting that naval officers in works of fiction tend to be so much more psychotic and controlling than officers of other services. Consider Captain Queeg in the "Caine Mutiny" and Captain Ahab in "Moby Dick". Bligh may actually be the worst captain of the lot, although Nordhoff and Hall make him a complex and interesting guy.
I would highly recommend "Mutiny on the Bounty" to anyone.
July 31, 2016
I kind of feel bad for giving only 4 stars. I have a thing with the sea, as I often mention, and I have researched a lot when it comes to the nautical history in 19th century. I was prejudiced.
Still, it lived upto the expeditions. Not the perfect story of a voyage one might expect , but it was one heck of a voyage nonetheless.
Still, it lived upto the expeditions. Not the perfect story of a voyage one might expect , but it was one heck of a voyage nonetheless.
November 25, 2021
A beautifully written, but deeply sad book. It's both an adventure story and also a meditation on change and getting old. It's so much better than the movies, and the movies are pretty good. I loved this.
December 31, 2013
a very interesting historical book. I had never heard of The Bounty or Pitcairn's island but now I am researching it.
February 27, 2022
An eloquently told epic of the hard life at sea. It is easy to see why this has become a Classic!
March 6, 2019
5/5. One of the best books I鈥檝e ever read.
The story, summarized, goes a little like this:
Roger Byam, a young boy, and his mother are invited to dinner with the famous William Bligh through their ties to Captain Cook, who Bligh served under. At dinner, Byam is presented with the choice to join Bligh and the crew that serves under him aboard the collier H.M.S. Bounty. Byam accepts, and what follows is one of the most thrilling classics of all time. Bligh鈥檚 true nature is revealed, and tensions aboard the ship mount as Byam is trapped in a wooden madhouse directed at tropical islands thousands of miles from his home in Britain. When things seem to have cooled down, and they embark back towards Britain to return home after loading with the desired cargoes, the unbelievable happens, and Byam is sent adrift once again in the Bounty, a mutinous madhouse fighting against nature and all of Britain.
This book was nothing short of incredible. It takes its time in building characters and tensions until everything breaks apart in chapter 10. From there, the tale evolves further, as Roger Byam (a fictitious character, whose experiences follow that of Peter Heywood, a midshipman aboard the Bounty) is left on Tahiti.
And the story continues, and even becomes a romance for some time before the action returns and the thrills continue as the story of H.M.S. Pandora, the Bounty prisoners, and the crew is followed through to the end, where the characters arrive back in Britain.
After being put on trial and then released, the story concludes back in Tahiti, making for a completely satisfying and incredible book.
And thus concludes my review of Mutiny On The Bounty, and I look forward to hopefully being able to read Men Against The Sea, a sequel, next time.
The story, summarized, goes a little like this:
Roger Byam, a young boy, and his mother are invited to dinner with the famous William Bligh through their ties to Captain Cook, who Bligh served under. At dinner, Byam is presented with the choice to join Bligh and the crew that serves under him aboard the collier H.M.S. Bounty. Byam accepts, and what follows is one of the most thrilling classics of all time. Bligh鈥檚 true nature is revealed, and tensions aboard the ship mount as Byam is trapped in a wooden madhouse directed at tropical islands thousands of miles from his home in Britain. When things seem to have cooled down, and they embark back towards Britain to return home after loading with the desired cargoes, the unbelievable happens, and Byam is sent adrift once again in the Bounty, a mutinous madhouse fighting against nature and all of Britain.
This book was nothing short of incredible. It takes its time in building characters and tensions until everything breaks apart in chapter 10. From there, the tale evolves further, as Roger Byam (a fictitious character, whose experiences follow that of Peter Heywood, a midshipman aboard the Bounty) is left on Tahiti.
And the story continues, and even becomes a romance for some time before the action returns and the thrills continue as the story of H.M.S. Pandora, the Bounty prisoners, and the crew is followed through to the end, where the characters arrive back in Britain.
After being put on trial and then released, the story concludes back in Tahiti, making for a completely satisfying and incredible book.
And thus concludes my review of Mutiny On The Bounty, and I look forward to hopefully being able to read Men Against The Sea, a sequel, next time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2020
Though fiction, this book is based on actual events. I read it for pleasure during high school, possibly after having seen one of the movie versions.
September 30, 2020
Who doesn鈥檛 love a good story of redemption?!
Oh, did you think I was talking about Mutiny on the Bounty? I suppose that could apply, but I was actually talking about my sister. Waves of controversy slapped across the internet a couple months ago when I posted my negative review of The Road to Little Dribbling which was recommended to me by my little sis. Had I forever damaged our tight relationship? Were we never going to talk literature again? Was she going to take the drastic step of endorsing my younger sibling as her favorite brother instead of me? (Okay, that may be going a bit far 鈥� I mean, if you knew him, then 鈥�) I have to admit that you could say that our relationship seemed to be on a lee shore, not unlike the Bounty鈥檚 unfortunate crew members.
But then, I got this simple text from her: 鈥淗ave you read Mutiny on the Bounty?鈥�
Oh, I had heard of it. As someone who reads historical sailing novels (the obvious Treasure Island, Moby Dick, and Forester鈥檚 Hornblower series? Check and double check; the less obvious James Fenimore Cooper鈥檚 The Red Rover, Sabatini鈥檚 Captain Blood, and Melville鈥檚 Typee? You betcha; nonfiction works on Columbus, Drake, Magellan, John Paul Jones, Lord Nelson, Revolutionary War naval actions, whaling, The Essex, etcetera? Yep and yeppers)--I mean, I even wrote a historical sailing novel (How to Become a Pirate Hunter--how have you not picked it up yet?!) for heaven鈥檚 sakes--you don鈥檛 get that much reading done without getting snippets of the Bounty, which is referred to as kind of a foundational work that everyone in that field already knows.
Yet I had never read it. And my sister, who had heard of it from her father-in-law, passed onto me (from him): 鈥淚f Marty hasn鈥檛 read this book then I鈥檝e given him the greatest gift of his life.鈥�
The jury is still out on what the greatest gift of my life will end up being (still waiting to hear back on that lifetime full access pass to the Library of Congress), but let鈥檚 just say that this is definitely in the running! Thanks, Sis. You provided plenty of invested if not excited reading over the past couple of weeks.
So, Mutiny on the Bounty 鈥� it鈥檚 based on the real mutiny on the Bounty--an event so dramatic that it hardly needs fictionalizing. Yet, I approve of this fictionalization, since it does not change events (too much, as far as I was able to pick up with my research), but it does allow us to get character thoughts and feelings in the thick of the action, while also filling in some gaps that the real events are unable to assert even though logic presumes it.
Also, the pacing of the story is clearly handled by novelists who know when to move a story and when to dwell on the details of a new character, scene, or event--something non-fiction authors do not always comprehend or are unable to achieve when limited by the strictures of fact.
What this means is that with each new development, whether it is introducing characters, detailing the ship and life on the sea, dropping hints of unrest and tyranny, presenting Tahiti with its vivid culture and people, revealing the mutiny itself and the crazy (and I mean crazy) events that unfold afterwards, we are engaged in the whole process.
The reason this book works so well and on so many levels is that it checks off a dominating majority of Marty鈥檚 quirky passions: sailing, linguistics, exploration, ethnography, native islander romance (okay, maybe that鈥檚 not a passion of mine 鈥� maybe), effective (and ineffective) governing, survival, legal dramas, grave injustices addressed.
If any single one of those matches with your passions, you certainly would find at least some of this novel appealing. If none of them, then I鈥檝e probably missed some obvious draws that you would like. I have a difficult time imagining someone not liking this story unless they are strictly into reading novels written within their lifetime (clearly the antithesis to me!).
So, while I cannot vouch with absolute certainty the promise of my sister鈥檚 father-in-law that this will be 鈥渢he greatest gift of your life,鈥� but even if it鈥檚 the greatest gift of your next two weeks, that that鈥檚 a pretty compelling reason to pick it up.
Oh, did you think I was talking about Mutiny on the Bounty? I suppose that could apply, but I was actually talking about my sister. Waves of controversy slapped across the internet a couple months ago when I posted my negative review of The Road to Little Dribbling which was recommended to me by my little sis. Had I forever damaged our tight relationship? Were we never going to talk literature again? Was she going to take the drastic step of endorsing my younger sibling as her favorite brother instead of me? (Okay, that may be going a bit far 鈥� I mean, if you knew him, then 鈥�) I have to admit that you could say that our relationship seemed to be on a lee shore, not unlike the Bounty鈥檚 unfortunate crew members.
But then, I got this simple text from her: 鈥淗ave you read Mutiny on the Bounty?鈥�
Oh, I had heard of it. As someone who reads historical sailing novels (the obvious Treasure Island, Moby Dick, and Forester鈥檚 Hornblower series? Check and double check; the less obvious James Fenimore Cooper鈥檚 The Red Rover, Sabatini鈥檚 Captain Blood, and Melville鈥檚 Typee? You betcha; nonfiction works on Columbus, Drake, Magellan, John Paul Jones, Lord Nelson, Revolutionary War naval actions, whaling, The Essex, etcetera? Yep and yeppers)--I mean, I even wrote a historical sailing novel (How to Become a Pirate Hunter--how have you not picked it up yet?!) for heaven鈥檚 sakes--you don鈥檛 get that much reading done without getting snippets of the Bounty, which is referred to as kind of a foundational work that everyone in that field already knows.
Yet I had never read it. And my sister, who had heard of it from her father-in-law, passed onto me (from him): 鈥淚f Marty hasn鈥檛 read this book then I鈥檝e given him the greatest gift of his life.鈥�
The jury is still out on what the greatest gift of my life will end up being (still waiting to hear back on that lifetime full access pass to the Library of Congress), but let鈥檚 just say that this is definitely in the running! Thanks, Sis. You provided plenty of invested if not excited reading over the past couple of weeks.
So, Mutiny on the Bounty 鈥� it鈥檚 based on the real mutiny on the Bounty--an event so dramatic that it hardly needs fictionalizing. Yet, I approve of this fictionalization, since it does not change events (too much, as far as I was able to pick up with my research), but it does allow us to get character thoughts and feelings in the thick of the action, while also filling in some gaps that the real events are unable to assert even though logic presumes it.
Also, the pacing of the story is clearly handled by novelists who know when to move a story and when to dwell on the details of a new character, scene, or event--something non-fiction authors do not always comprehend or are unable to achieve when limited by the strictures of fact.
What this means is that with each new development, whether it is introducing characters, detailing the ship and life on the sea, dropping hints of unrest and tyranny, presenting Tahiti with its vivid culture and people, revealing the mutiny itself and the crazy (and I mean crazy) events that unfold afterwards, we are engaged in the whole process.
The reason this book works so well and on so many levels is that it checks off a dominating majority of Marty鈥檚 quirky passions: sailing, linguistics, exploration, ethnography, native islander romance (okay, maybe that鈥檚 not a passion of mine 鈥� maybe), effective (and ineffective) governing, survival, legal dramas, grave injustices addressed.
If any single one of those matches with your passions, you certainly would find at least some of this novel appealing. If none of them, then I鈥檝e probably missed some obvious draws that you would like. I have a difficult time imagining someone not liking this story unless they are strictly into reading novels written within their lifetime (clearly the antithesis to me!).
So, while I cannot vouch with absolute certainty the promise of my sister鈥檚 father-in-law that this will be 鈥渢he greatest gift of your life,鈥� but even if it鈥檚 the greatest gift of your next two weeks, that that鈥檚 a pretty compelling reason to pick it up.
January 18, 2019
This is one of the best known classic sea adventure stories. Based on a true event.
February 16, 2021
Love is the food of marriage; let not yours starve.
October 29, 2022
Wonderful novel and I鈥檝e been wanting to read this for awhile. Glad to have finally done it. Not disappointed.
October 12, 2023
Beautiful prose and perfection in editing, this is truly a classic.
I read it slowly to absorb every last bit.
I read it slowly to absorb every last bit.
July 28, 2023
What Mutiny does well is mythologize one of the great dramas of naval history. Nordhoff and Hall lay bare the high-functioning dysfunction of life aboard a merchant vessel, revealing how maritime disasters stem just as often from malice and error as natural forces. The historic source material works well in the 鈥渁dventure story鈥� genre. The end result is a read that is highly entertaining albeit formulaic.
Given the 1932 publishing date, Mutiny鈥檚 Polynesian chapters are refreshingly respectful, portraying Tahitian culture with a nuanced, reverential air that never teeters into exoticism.
Nordhoff (who wrote these chapters) possesses an anachronistically sharp consciousness of colonialism鈥檚 dangers. In one chapter, the narrator laments the introduction of bartering to the Tahitians, as it also ushered in tendencies to hoard, envy, and steal鈥撯€損reviously unknown vices on the island. In another, he disparages the arrival of missionaries, whose only lasting influences on Tahiti were ravaging pestilence and culture loss.
Unfortunately, despite these qualities and its overall readability, Mutiny fell flat for me. Characters are the novel鈥檚 biggest issue: of four major characters and some thirty or forty minor, all suffer from being board-flat. Roger Byam, the narrator, is the worst offender: an utter paragon of virtue from cover to cover, who never succumbs to vice or even pernicious thought across the narrative鈥檚 action. A true Mickey Mouse, he floats in and around the conflict lobotomized of all human emotion save his boring allegiance to duty and the Crown (which is inexplicable given how much the Crown abuses him). Worst of all, when Byam finally has the autonomy to learn from his experiences and change his life, the dullard spurns his wife and daughter (who are loyally awaiting his return to Tahiti) so he can join the Navy again. The same Navy that destroyed Polynesia and was happy to hang him on flimsy evidence one chapter ago. Unreal jingoism.
Bligh鈥檚 (apparently ahistorical) status as a vicious antagonist shows a lot of promise in the first third, but is squandered by his total absence during the rising action and climax. I was anticipating his reappearance for the climactic court-martial, but instead he is only seen again like three pages from the end, in what basically amounts to a post-credits scene where the authors take turns punching him below the belt.
(As an aside, I found it hilarious to see Bligh鈥撯€搈y ancestor鈥撯€揾ave his name dragged through the mud for 371 pages. The only respite coming from an extremely reluctant acknowledgement that his feat of surviving thousands of leagues of open ocean in a dinghy was cool.)
I think a big part of why Mutiny鈥檚 characters are so flat is because the authors were concerned with mischaracterizing real people and drawing lawsuits. Which honestly just makes the constant Bligh libel even funnier.
What鈥檚 frustrating is that with better realized characters, there鈥檚 a lot of really interesting conversations happening in Mutiny on the Bounty, despite it being a mass market adventure novel. 鈥淪ea justice鈥� is a prominent one. What constitutes justice? We see guys flogged to death, hanged, manacled in squalid brigs, and press-ganged into naval service. Officers embezzle ship rations, steal valuables, and report sailors to curry favor with the captain. Are mutinies ever just? We鈥檙e also shown the brutality of the British colonial project, and how it exploits its own subjects as much as it does the 鈥淚ndians.鈥�
But what do Nordhoff and Hall say about any of this? In effect, basically nothing; their criticism begins and ends with Bligh the individual, thus signaling their tacit approval of the customs and culture that creates captains like Bligh. Byam happily joins the Navy again, eager to advance British dominion over Europe and the world. Have I mentioned that the purpose of the HMS Bounty was to transport Tahitian breadfruit trees to the West Indies for use as cheap slave food? Yet no character, not even altruistic, Tahiti-loving Byam, takes issue with this purpose or recognizes the hypocrisy.
In Mutiny, Nordhoff and Hall exceed at dramatizing history and fixing the spotlight on injustice. But when it comes time to say something against it, they鈥檙e as mute and complicit as those who stayed aboard the Bounty to save their own skins.
Given the 1932 publishing date, Mutiny鈥檚 Polynesian chapters are refreshingly respectful, portraying Tahitian culture with a nuanced, reverential air that never teeters into exoticism.
Nordhoff (who wrote these chapters) possesses an anachronistically sharp consciousness of colonialism鈥檚 dangers. In one chapter, the narrator laments the introduction of bartering to the Tahitians, as it also ushered in tendencies to hoard, envy, and steal鈥撯€損reviously unknown vices on the island. In another, he disparages the arrival of missionaries, whose only lasting influences on Tahiti were ravaging pestilence and culture loss.
Unfortunately, despite these qualities and its overall readability, Mutiny fell flat for me. Characters are the novel鈥檚 biggest issue: of four major characters and some thirty or forty minor, all suffer from being board-flat. Roger Byam, the narrator, is the worst offender: an utter paragon of virtue from cover to cover, who never succumbs to vice or even pernicious thought across the narrative鈥檚 action. A true Mickey Mouse, he floats in and around the conflict lobotomized of all human emotion save his boring allegiance to duty and the Crown (which is inexplicable given how much the Crown abuses him). Worst of all, when Byam finally has the autonomy to learn from his experiences and change his life, the dullard spurns his wife and daughter (who are loyally awaiting his return to Tahiti) so he can join the Navy again. The same Navy that destroyed Polynesia and was happy to hang him on flimsy evidence one chapter ago. Unreal jingoism.
Bligh鈥檚 (apparently ahistorical) status as a vicious antagonist shows a lot of promise in the first third, but is squandered by his total absence during the rising action and climax. I was anticipating his reappearance for the climactic court-martial, but instead he is only seen again like three pages from the end, in what basically amounts to a post-credits scene where the authors take turns punching him below the belt.
(As an aside, I found it hilarious to see Bligh鈥撯€搈y ancestor鈥撯€揾ave his name dragged through the mud for 371 pages. The only respite coming from an extremely reluctant acknowledgement that his feat of surviving thousands of leagues of open ocean in a dinghy was cool.)
I think a big part of why Mutiny鈥檚 characters are so flat is because the authors were concerned with mischaracterizing real people and drawing lawsuits. Which honestly just makes the constant Bligh libel even funnier.
What鈥檚 frustrating is that with better realized characters, there鈥檚 a lot of really interesting conversations happening in Mutiny on the Bounty, despite it being a mass market adventure novel. 鈥淪ea justice鈥� is a prominent one. What constitutes justice? We see guys flogged to death, hanged, manacled in squalid brigs, and press-ganged into naval service. Officers embezzle ship rations, steal valuables, and report sailors to curry favor with the captain. Are mutinies ever just? We鈥檙e also shown the brutality of the British colonial project, and how it exploits its own subjects as much as it does the 鈥淚ndians.鈥�
But what do Nordhoff and Hall say about any of this? In effect, basically nothing; their criticism begins and ends with Bligh the individual, thus signaling their tacit approval of the customs and culture that creates captains like Bligh. Byam happily joins the Navy again, eager to advance British dominion over Europe and the world. Have I mentioned that the purpose of the HMS Bounty was to transport Tahitian breadfruit trees to the West Indies for use as cheap slave food? Yet no character, not even altruistic, Tahiti-loving Byam, takes issue with this purpose or recognizes the hypocrisy.
In Mutiny, Nordhoff and Hall exceed at dramatizing history and fixing the spotlight on injustice. But when it comes time to say something against it, they鈥檙e as mute and complicit as those who stayed aboard the Bounty to save their own skins.
May 24, 2020
"There is one matter we will decide once and for all," said Christian. He began, quietly, "and that is who is to be captain of this ship. I have taken her with your help, in order to be rid of a tyrant who was made life a burden to all of us. Make no mistake about our status from this time on. We are mutineers, and if we should be discovered and taken by one of His Majesty's vessels, not a man of us but will suffer death. That possibility is not so remote as some of you may think. Should Mr. Bligh succeeded in reaching England, immediatly upon his arrival there a ship of war will be sent in search of us. Should the Bounty not be reported in a year's time, or at the latest two years, a ship will be sent, nevertheless, to discover, if possible, the reason for her disapperance. Bear this in mind, all of you. We are not only mutineers but pirates as well, for we have run away with one of His Majesty's armed vessels. We are cut off from England forever, except as prisoners whose fate, if taken home, is certain.
January 17, 2023
Review on Spanish.
Me gust贸 la narraci贸n lineal y clara de uno de los protagonistas de la Bounty, ya que deja muy claro que el mot铆n tuvo or铆genes fundados y no fueron simplemente un grupo de marineros insatisfechos que decidieron la vida del resto de la tripulaci贸n.
Estoy completamente a favor de los amotinados, raz贸n por la cual nunca me enrolar茅 en la marina, y yo hubiera sido una de los marineros que insultaron al capit谩n. (Todo lo cual hubiera acabado conmigo en la horca si me hubieran atrapado, pero no me hubiera arrepentido.)
El capit谩n Bligh es uno de los personajes m谩s abusivos y odiosos que he le铆do en mucho tiempo, se merec铆a lo que le pas贸. Claro que despu茅s se veng贸 con su testimonio, pero lleg贸 a salvar a los hombres bajo su cargo, as铆 que al menos algo bueno hizo.
En fin, una historia apasionante que los entretendr谩 un rato. La recomiendo a todas las edades.
Me gust贸 la narraci贸n lineal y clara de uno de los protagonistas de la Bounty, ya que deja muy claro que el mot铆n tuvo or铆genes fundados y no fueron simplemente un grupo de marineros insatisfechos que decidieron la vida del resto de la tripulaci贸n.
Estoy completamente a favor de los amotinados, raz贸n por la cual nunca me enrolar茅 en la marina, y yo hubiera sido una de los marineros que insultaron al capit谩n. (Todo lo cual hubiera acabado conmigo en la horca si me hubieran atrapado, pero no me hubiera arrepentido.)
El capit谩n Bligh es uno de los personajes m谩s abusivos y odiosos que he le铆do en mucho tiempo, se merec铆a lo que le pas贸. Claro que despu茅s se veng贸 con su testimonio, pero lleg贸 a salvar a los hombres bajo su cargo, as铆 que al menos algo bueno hizo.
En fin, una historia apasionante que los entretendr谩 un rato. La recomiendo a todas las edades.
December 2, 2018
I read Mutiny on the Bounty to fulfill a Read Harder challenge of finishing a book I hated or left unfinished. I was supposed to read it in high school and just could not get past the second page.
For much of this reading, I was in agreement with my 15-year-old self. This is not my kind of book.
The seafaring life is brutal and the history of life on the seas is not my idea of romance.
But here's the thing: Capt. Bligh, Christian Fletcher and The Bounty were all real. And the story, depicting the expectations of honour, decorum, high-seas justice and 18th century British class expectations, is really worth reading. It has moments of wonder. True fans may even say brilliance.
I'll give Mutiny its due: it is a classic. Maybe not my classic, but worth reading.
For much of this reading, I was in agreement with my 15-year-old self. This is not my kind of book.
The seafaring life is brutal and the history of life on the seas is not my idea of romance.
But here's the thing: Capt. Bligh, Christian Fletcher and The Bounty were all real. And the story, depicting the expectations of honour, decorum, high-seas justice and 18th century British class expectations, is really worth reading. It has moments of wonder. True fans may even say brilliance.
I'll give Mutiny its due: it is a classic. Maybe not my classic, but worth reading.
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