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Loading... The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the… (original 2010; edition 2011)by Glynis Ridley
 fyrefly98 | Jan 23, 2012 | 
Summary: Jeane Baret was born in rural France at a time when most peasants never travelled further than 20 miles from home, yet she became the first woman in history to circumnavigate the globe. Her lover, the eminent botanist Philibert Commerson, had been selected to accompany the expedition ordered by King Louis XV, to identify plants from around the world that could be used to support the French drive for expansion and colonization. Baret, with considerable botanical knowledge of her own, disguised herself as a boy, and came aboard as Commerson's assistant. But maintaining her disguise on a ship full of hundreds of men was a difficult proposition, with terrifying consequences if she should fail. Working from the limited available sources - Baret left behind no account of her own - Ridley works to uncover the truth about Baret's experiences, and to bring to light an exceptional woman who has been largely forgotten by history and science both. Review: Seeing as I am a) a woman, b) a scientist, and interested in c) the age of exploration and d) the age of sail, I can't quite believe that I'd never before heard of Jeanne Baret. Hers is a really fascinating and inspiring story, and this book deserves a lot of credit for introducing me to such an interesting part of history that I'd missed. I stayed glued to the pages much more than I would normally expect for non-fiction or biograpy, and learned a lot - not just about Baret, but tons of other interesting trivia. (For instance: bougainvillea was named by Commerson in honor of the expedition's captain, Bougainville, and Peter Piper was actually a Frenchman named Pierre Poivre who was in charge of increasing Mauritius's yield of exotic commercial crops - including peppercorns.) However, as much as I enjoyed the Baret's story, I was less enthralled with Ridley's way of telling it. The hand of the historian is very apparent in Ridley's prose, much more so than in most history and biography that I've read. Rather than telling the story and then revealing the sources, or integrating the source material as she goes, Ridley often talked about the sources and their veracity first, then gave us her interpretation, and rarely provided enough direct quotes for the reader to draw their own conclusion. I guess this method of unveiling the story from the historian's point of view underscores the "discovery" part of the title, but I found it somewhat distracting. It also occasionally read like Ridley was not quite sure about her interpretation but was trying very hard to convince us that it's right. However, sometimes I was left with the feeling that she was over-interpreting complex events and emotions based on a single phrase or instance of word choice. One thing that she seems certain of, however, is what happened when Baret's gender was made known to the crew (namely: gang rape.) While I don't disagree with Ridley that this is a possible - even likely - interpretation of events, I do think that it is based on a lot of inference, and little-to-no direct evidence, and I was not a fan of the way she kept bringing it up as if it were fact. She was similarly prone to describing Baret's emotions and thoughts as if they too were documented, when she had already told the readers that Baret left behind no journal or account, and had in fact criticized previous historians of the expedition for interpreting what primary sources were available based on their own personal and cultural prejudices. Again, I didn't often disagree with Ridley's conclusions, but thought it a bit disingenuous the way they were presented as being truth rather than interpretation. While I did have some issues with the means of telling, overall I did quite enjoy the book. Any story engaging enough to shine through the pages and capture my interest despite my issues with the narrative style is one worth reading. 4 out of 5 stars. Recommendation: I think this will be interesting to a lot of history readers, primarily those interested in the age of exploration or the history of women in science. (  ) fyrefly98 | Jan 23, 2012 | The Discovery of Jeanne Baret A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe By Glynis Ridley Crown Publishing Group, Random House 291 pgs 978-0-307-46353-1 Rating: 4 - Read This Book! Jeanne Baret was an 18th century woman, lover, wife, mother, herb woman, botanist, sailor, adventurer, administrator and sometime cross-dresser. Think about that for a minute. Baret was born a French peasant in 1740, a woman who typically would never travel more than 20 miles from the parish of her birth. A country woman at a time when she would have been chattel, she boarded a ship in 1766 with her lover, the imminent naturalist Philibert de Commerson, and sailed around the world, collecting flora and fauna for the glory of the French Empire. Awesome. Jeanne Baret was born in the Loire valley in 1740 to an illiterate couple, as 80% of the population at that time were, who rose before the sun and worked hard all day. The average life expectancy was 26. Philibert de Commerson was born near the city of Lyon in 1727 to a prosperous lawyer and estate owner. Much to his father's displeasure Commerson was consumed with a fascination for botany and made it his life's work, traveling across Europe collecting. At some point during the early 1760s Baret and Commerson became acquainted and the naturalist began paying the herb woman to teach him everything she knew. They became lovers during this time and he moved her in as housekeeper. Tongues wagged and soon the couple decamped to an apartment in Paris. Imagine again what this experience must have been like for Jeanne Baret. She had gone from dirt floors, no shoes, no heat in winter and no meat to eat, to a lovely apartment in a beautiful, cosmopolitan city in Enlightenment France, with plenty to eat, no privations. How far she had come! In 1766 Commerson was charged by the French government to join an expedition to sail around the world in search of lands in which to spread the empire and discover new crops. Luxuries such as coffee and nutmeg would be worth millions if France could grow these commodities domestically. It was to be a trip for a duration of two years and Commerson and Baret would not be separated, besides which she was indispensable to their work. Maritime military regulations prohibited women on board, so our conspirators hatched a plan: Baret would bind up and impersonate a man for the opportunity of a lifetime. This is such a fascinating story. No one teaches this stuff. Such devotion between Commerson and Baret is rare indeed. Especially on Baret's part. I have two quibbles: 1) things move slowly for the first half of the book, but oh the second half! The second half is well worth waiting for. And 2) I have reservations regarding the author's ascribing mental processes and emotions that might reasonably be inferred but could not possibly be known. However, this is an accepted practice and it enables the facts to become something more than that. They become a human story. I do recommend this book, especially for history buffs and women's studies enthusiasts. Bon voyage! You can find the author here: http://louisville.edu/english/facultyandstaff/department-of-english/glynis-ridle... ( ) TexasBookLover | Jan 19, 2012 | In 1765, King Louis XV ordered the first French expedition around the world. Philibert Commerson was appointed the voyage's botanist and charged with discovering medicines, spices and other resources. No women were allowed on ships on this kind of voyage but Commerson's mistress, twenty-six year old Jeanne Baret managed to come aboard posing as Commerson's young male assistant. She was able to keep the ruse up for quite a while but eventually it all fell apart. Even so, she was the first woman to circumnavigate the Earth. This book was incredibly well researched but I found it too academic for my taste. Because everything takes place was so long ago and not many first person accounts from people on the voyage are out there, the author has to make quite a few assumptions about what may or may not have happened. She always backed them up with historical background information or by outlining the logic that lead to her conclusions, which I thought was great. However, since there is no known first person journal or letters written by Jeanne Baret herself, the author also makes a lot of assumptions about how Baret was feeling or what she was thinking in various situations. I didn't always agree with the author's reasoning in these cases. The author clearly admires Baret, which she should, but I think this led her to be overly generous with some of her assumptions. I would have preferred to read this story as historical fiction - then the author could have made all the assumptions she wanted without having to outline her reasoning and documentation. I think that is part of what made this a dry read. There is quite a bit of information about the plants that Commerson and Baret documented on the voyage so if you have an interest in botany, you will probably enjoy those parts quite a bit. All in all, it is an interesting story and even though I thought the book had some flaws; I'm glad I read it. (  ) mcelhra | Jan 17, 2012 | If anyone asked me a month ago what I thought about Jeanne Baret, I would not have known who they were talking about. However after reading The Discovery of Jeanne Baret by Glynis Ridley I can now say that Jeanne Baret was quite a woman. Jeanne lived in the 1700's. This time in history was not kind to women. Woman were thought of as feeble, unintelligent and impassioned. Jeanne Baret was none of these things. She grew up and lived in France until she met Philibert Commerson and became not only his lover but also his assistant on an expedition to take her across the globe. Commerson was a botanist who was enamored with Baret and her knowledge of plants. When King Louis XV ordered an expedition around the world to gather information about medicinal plants and information that would help France become the leading expert in these areas, he appointed Commerson the prestigious position of working on this voyage. Commerson needed someone knowledgeable and hard working to assist him on this journey. None other could compare to Baret. They devised a plan so that Baret could accompany him on this trip. Baret disguised herself as a man. She took on the arduous task without complaint. She worked harder than most men ever do. Her job was back breaking in miserable conditions. She tried very hard to hide the fact that she was a woman however she didn't fool everyone and because of that she faced dire consequences. The Discovery of Jeanne Baret is a fantastic read. I don't have a particular love for botany but I love discovering historical gems. Glynis Ridley did a fantastic job with uncovering the mystery of Jeanne Baret. She also gives historical background information and explains as to why something is a big deal or what it means for that period of time. This is important because today we don't face the same restricting conventions that people faced in the past. This book is interesting from cover to cover. It's well written and very informative. I'm so glad I had an opportunity to read this novel. If you love history, botany or love reading about people who defy conventions this is a great book to read. (  ) mt256 | Jan 11, 2012 | Maybe it is because I now have many wonderful followers of my blog or maybe it is because so many wonderful fellow bloggers leave wonderful comments on my blog posts…well, honestly, I don’t know why, but for some reason I now receive many, many offers of free books to be reviewed. And now, unlike in the past, many, many of these many, many offers of free books are books that are fabulous. And not well known. My favorite kinds of reads. Small, unknown treasures. This book is one of those small, unknown treasures. It’s nonfiction and it’s the best kind of nonfiction, nonfiction that reads like fiction. Let me tell you a little about the story. Jeanne Baret grew up in poverty in rural France in the mid-seventeen hundreds. She became very knowledgeable about herbs and plants. She came to the attention of renowned botanist Philibert Commerson and became his assistant, collecting plants and helping him classify and label them. Eventually she became his mistress. Commerson was asked to undertake a round-the-world trip to collect plants and Baret, disguised as a man in order to accompany him, went along. The author has carefully researched this story and put clues together to create a complete picture of Baret’s time aboard this ship. A fascinating and intriguing story. Thank you to the publisher for sending me this great read. ( ) debnance | Dec 21, 2011 | When I began this book, I was quickly drawn in by the story of Jeanne Baret who was an herbwoman in France who circumnavigated the globe with Bouganvillea's expedition. The writing is well researched and Ridley knows how to make the past approachable, yet I finished this book feeling unsure. My uncertainty is due to how Ridley presents the discovery of Baret's sex during the journey as she puts a modern reading of the historical sources. This can be important but as most of the book is spent explaining how the society that Baret lived existed, its jarring to suddenly read the author diagnosing how Baret is feeling and acting across the centuries. I would recommend this book as the history is amazing and I'm glad to know Baret's story, I only wish that Ridley had used a lighter hand in terms of her own readings of the past. (  ) katekf | Oct 2, 2011 | |
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Review: Seeing as I am a) a woman, b) a scientist, and interested in c) the age of exploration and d) the age of sail, I can't quite believe that I'd never before heard of Jeanne Baret. Hers is a really fascinating and inspiring story, and this book deserves a lot of credit for introducing me to such an interesting part of history that I'd missed. I stayed glued to the pages much more than I would normally expect for non-fiction or biograpy, and learned a lot - not just about Baret, but tons of other interesting trivia. (For instance: bougainvillea was named by Commerson in honor of the expedition's captain, Bougainville, and Peter Piper was actually a Frenchman named Pierre Poivre who was in charge of increasing Mauritius's yield of exotic commercial crops - including peppercorns.)
However, as much as I enjoyed the Baret's story, I was less enthralled with Ridley's way of telling it. The hand of the historian is very apparent in Ridley's prose, much more so than in most history and biography that I've read. Rather than telling the story and then revealing the sources, or integrating the source material as she goes, Ridley often talked about the sources and their veracity first, then gave us her interpretation, and rarely provided enough direct quotes for the reader to draw their own conclusion. I guess this method of unveiling the story from the historian's point of view underscores the "discovery" part of the title, but I found it somewhat distracting. It also occasionally read like Ridley was not quite sure about her interpretation but was trying very hard to convince us that it's right. However, sometimes I was left with the feeling that she was over-interpreting complex events and emotions based on a single phrase or instance of word choice.
One thing that she seems certain of, however, is what happened when Baret's gender was made known to the crew (namely: gang rape.) While I don't disagree with Ridley that this is a possible - even likely - interpretation of events, I do think that it is based on a lot of inference, and little-to-no direct evidence, and I was not a fan of the way she kept bringing it up as if it were fact. She was similarly prone to describing Baret's emotions and thoughts as if they too were documented, when she had already told the readers that Baret left behind no journal or account, and had in fact criticized previous historians of the expedition for interpreting what primary sources were available based on their own personal and cultural prejudices. Again, I didn't often disagree with Ridley's conclusions, but thought it a bit disingenuous the way they were presented as being truth rather than interpretation.
While I did have some issues with the means of telling, overall I did quite enjoy the book. Any story engaging enough to shine through the pages and capture my interest despite my issues with the narrative style is one worth reading. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: I think this will be interesting to a lot of history readers, primarily those interested in the age of exploration or the history of women in science. (