Caroline Alexander (1) (1956–)

This is an excellent book to read in conjunction with your latest rereading of Homer's Iliad, which is just what I have recently done. Caroline Alexander manages to emphasize the relevance of the Iliad for today by exploring references to other literature and deepening the meanings found within the Iliad by the reader. While Homer's epic stands alone for the serious reader, the addition of these resources widens the breadth of possibilities of understanding for the reader and, in my case, show more assisted in our discussion of the original text among our study group. What Ms. Alexander has not done is produce a traditional work of Homeric scholarship with commentary on linguistic expressions or the oral tradition. Rather this is more of an extended meditation on war and its meaning as beautifully expressed by Homer through Achilles and his other characters. The result is a successful addition to your reading and enjoyment of Homer but not a replacement for it. show less

It was not William Bligh's first voyage, but certainly the first of its kind. Despite Capt. Cook's death, investors like Joseph Banks, were determined to establish trade relations with Tahiti. Filled to the brim with gifts and an entire plant nursery, The Bounty set sail in 1787, and on the way Capt. Bligh boasted a healthy 46 member crew. However, slights and grievances started to build and in 1789, a small group led by Christian Fletcher mutinied. Bligh was placed in a launch with those show more who chose to remain loyal and set adrift. While the Bounty was never recovered, the mutineers were, much to their surprise! Those set adrift had not only lived, but they made it back to England!

I really looked forward to this one and was not disappointed! I have to applaud Alexander for making a "flashback" timeline work! It opens with the tumultuous recovery of the mutineers, then goes back in time to introduce you to the main cast, then the mutiny and trials. Alexander references Cook only as needed and doesn't dwell on the survivors' days at sea. It keeps the story moving so the book certainly doesn't feel like 350+ pages.

Alexander clears up the misconceptions and gives fair treatment to both sides as well. Fletcher was actually hard-working, well-liked, and experienced, and Bligh spoke highly of him. Veteran Bligh had a temper, but otherwise an ordinary, even lenient disciplinarian. He kept his men clean, fed, and did his best to emulate Capt Cook. The real culprit was the Royal Navy. They didn't invest in a larger crew, give Bligh his due or provide standard marine or officer reinforcement. Not only that, but they delayed the Bounty's launch so that Bligh couldn't return on schedule! And when you're an underpaid, exhausted, seaman halfway across the world, the possibility of staying in Tahiti - even if it means mutiny - is awfully tempting! show less

I had heard of "Mutiny on the Bounty" but had no idea what it was about. I guess that shows how infamous this rebellious act was and I was engaged from the first page to learn about it.

This is a dense book; it took me a long time to read and every page is a wall of text. It reads like a really interesting textbook rather than a novel and it's so meticulously researched by the author that I legitimately wonder if there's any point to seeking out other sources on this matter. The fact that I show more learned about every single member of the crew their bio, what happened during and after the mutiny is incredible considering this happened more than 200 years ago. Sometimes with history books or interesting cases, there isn't closure - the murderer gets away with it, or the group in question is never to be found. My favorite part of the book is when, years later, American and British ships find the descendants and some still-alive mutineers on the Pitcairn Islands.

It's so much he-said, he-said that it turns into an incredible mystery during the court-martial. Who said what, how did he say it, how did he seem. I guess over time the narrative has changed a bit, but I can't ever imagine myself being on anything but Team Bligh. Fletcher Christian seemed like a knob with no plan and just wanted to have sex with hot island girls. What a wimp!

Seeing how Peter Heywood's family connections got him out of being executed was also thrilling to read. I guess some things never change!

Excited to watch a mini series or the 1984 movie soon. What a story! show less

I read Caroline Alexander’s The Endurance, an account of the legendary 1914-1916 expedition accomplished by Ernest Shackleton and his men, while sampling a gift I’d received: “Shackleton Blended Malt Scotch Whisky…The Spirit Supplied to the 1907 British Antarctic Expedition.”

The 1907 expedition isn’t the one described in Alexander’s book, of course. Also, better whiskeys than Shackleton exist. Sipping it, though, can create a sensation that the man’s spirit has been infused show more into your own. Such accompaniment enhances time spent with him and his men at sea and on ice and seems to fortify the diary entries Alexander quotes extensively. The most diligent diarists inevitably get more attention than other crew members, not necessarily for the best. No matter. More than any other, the paramount contributor to this book is expedition photographer Frank Hurley. His pictures are many and breathtaking and do much to show the physical character of an enterprise in which men survived an experience that lies well near unfathomable. show less