Posted by Jane Elizabeth on September 05, 1997 at 17:34:40:
I just finished a book I got at the library: "Mister Christian" by William Kinsolving (Simon & Schuster 1996). It tells the fictional story of the famous mutineer after he returns to England from Pitcairn Island. (There is some thin historical evidence that he did not die in an uprising on the island and was seen in England later.) The author invents a rather nice romance for Fletcher with an aristocratic lady he rescues from pirates, and follows them back to England where they go their separate but interwoven ways. Much well done historical detail and period flavor ensue, including meetings with Wordsworth and Coleridge, and interwoven true historical details, such as the attempt by Christian's family to clear his name and the ultimate downfall of Captain Bligh. The author acknowledges a debt to Patrick O'Brian, and there is rather a lot of seagoing detail and a bit more than one really needs to know about press gangs. But it's swashbuckling fun and the love story is appealing, and he's a good writer who has done his research.
Anyone who loves the period (the mutiny was in 1789 and the book covers 1793-1811) should enjoy it.
ISBN 0-684-81303-03
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