Never have I seen a book so worthy of it's title.
The book, as you can already imagine from the back cover summary, is split in many different parts of Jamie McDonald's Journey.

I see the first part, in which he is forced to flee from his home and meets up with the handsome Pirate Captain Antonio, as very much a self-discovery time for Jamie. This is where he learned many things about himself. Antonio was not his perfect match and they often butted heads. The way I saw their relationship was a complex mix of admiration and attachement for the first man who made Jamie feel this that he was missing in previous tryst with women. It's very much in my opinion a puppy love. That's not to say it had no depth but it felt incomplete.
Righteous Jamie finds himself challenged with the life of a pirate, where the moto is take whatever you can from anyone that gets in your way. He makes enemies among his crewmates quickly but his ackownledged skills in battles also wins him their respect. So much so, that when Antonio dies, he is deemed the new Captain without any questions by all.
Having lost all hope of a peaceful life in the continent and still grieving the loss of his lover, Jamie makes the great decision to finally travel to The New World.

Thus start the second part of his journey, now very much a capable man, Jamie will be thrust into a world caught at war with the land's people, defending themselves from the white men and protecting the land they feel is not something to be owned by a King. In this land he finds his destiny, Tanaka. Together they will battle fiercly for peace.

The journey will end, many years later, with Jamie, now sixty years old, finally returning to his family's home to wait for the day he will be reunited with Tanaka again.

Jamie was a very consistant character and didn't suddenly changed interest and lifetime wants on whims. I loved many things about him but first and foremost his incredible loyalty and devotion. I really felt him grow throughout the book too, at the beginning he seemed a boy still in many ways and we saw him change into a man little by little on his adventures. I think J.P. Bowie managed to make us, readers, really live his journey with him~

The numbers of books that have really captivated me are very few. Although the print price was heavy, and I would not suggest someone unsure to buy it in that format (it should be available in ebook too I think), for me, it added to the experience and my enjoyment of it, so I don't regret it at all. ( )