Douglas Kelley

I really enjoyed the story in this one. The author chose a story rich in detail and potential and just expanded on that beautifully. What results is an engaging novel that keeps the reader engaged from port to port. I really have to commend the author on the pacing he employs while writing this. I found that there was never a time where the reader was bogged down too much in downtime. The times when the ship was becalmed or peaceful days of sea travel were offset by the tragedies of sickening captain and mutinous first mate, safely navigating the ship through perilous seas and horrific storms, and all while trying to figure out how to survive till San Francisco.

My one critique would be how the author would get far too technical at times. There are extremely detailed passages in this book on navigation, the intricacies of the sails and rigging, and how a clipper ship is run and sailed. While yes I can see the place some of this would have in the novel, far too many times the reader is bogged down in excessive detail to the point of eye-rolling and skimming to more juicy parts.

Altogether, this is an enjoyable novel from the Age of Sail. It tells an engrossing story of survival and triumph in a way that doesn't make the reader tired to the effort. Yet, it must be noted that this novel could have benefited from some extensive cutting of technical aspects badly. But, overall, I enjoyed this novel immensely and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Age of Sail novels, especially ones with strong female leads (they're not that common).… (altro)

Excellent book about sailing a clipper ship from New York to San Francisco. The writer did a lot of research before writing the book and it shows in the intricate detail. You feel that you're really on the ship and know what has to be done in the varying weather during the 4 months it takes to sail from the July summer in New York, to the harsh winter elements around Cape Horn, and into the fall elements of San Francisco. During the voyage, the first mate inspires mutiny and in held in chains, locked in the storeroom for the remainder of the voyage. Then the Captain falls deathly ill, leaving a good, but illiterate second mate in charge of the ship. The only one with the navigation knowledge of the sextant, and the ability to read the maps and texts that it takes to plot the ship's course, is the Captain's wife, Mary. So Mary, plus the second mate, Hare, essentially continue to effectively lead the crew from the southeastern portion of South America, around Cape Horn, and up the Pacific into San Francisco effectively. And Mary is pregnant and continuing to nurse her husband too. What an experience for a 19 year old girl!… (altro)

This is a fictional account of the true story of Mary Patten. She was a very young woman in the Nineteenth Century, who was newly married to Captain Patten when she accompanied him on a voyage from New York to San Francisco, via the dangerous Cape Horn. On the voyage, before the roughest weather hit, Captain Patten was taken seriously ill. It was Mary, who, with the help of the second mate, brought the ship safely around the tip of South America, in spite of the terrible weather and a mutinous first mate.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It fairly crackled with adventure!… (altro)

I enjoyed reading Mary's story, but all of the detailed information about the running of the ship lost me at times. It did seem that the book was well-researched, but I was much less interested in reading all the details about the ship and sails as I was interested in reading about the people involved. I would like to have known a bit more about the "real" Mary after reading this story. It seems that she had to be a tough woman to take charge of the ship with everything else that was going on with Joshua and the pregnancy, especially considering the way that women were viewed during her time.… (altro)