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The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty |  | Author: Caroline Alexander
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
List Price: $17.00
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Rating:  97 reviews
Sales Rank: 25131
Media: Paperback
Pages: 512
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.2 x 1.2
ISBN: 0142004693
Dewey Decimal Number: 996.18
EAN: 9780142004692
ASIN: 0142004693
Publication Date: May 25, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Surely this exhaustingly-researched, enthralling and enthusiastically-written tome is the last word on the most famous of all seafaring mutinies, that of shipmate Fletcher Christian and against Lieutenant Bligh on the Bounty. More than 200 years have gone by since the ship left England after dreadful weather kept it harbored for months, on its mission to transport breadfruit from Tahiti to the West Indies. The mutiny in Tahiti left the mutineers scattered about the paradisiacal islands and found Bligh and 18 of his loyal crew members set adrift in a 23-foot open boat. Bligh, who'd served as Capt. James Cook's sailing master, fantastically maneuvered the crew on a 48-day, 3,600-mile journey to safety. Caroline Alexander, author of The Endurance, is never in over her head even when weaving together densely twisting narratives, or explaining the unwritten rules of the Royal Navy, of the complexities of class and hierarchy that impelled much of what happened aboard the Bounty. The book centers far more on the effort to round up the mutineers than the actual mutiny itself. The book is enlivened by the colorful commentary of the crew members themselves, gleaned from letters and court documents. Alexander does us all the favor of presenting Bligh the way he was understood and received in his day--as a brilliant navigator who, when placed in context, was not a brutal task-master at all. She roots the tyrannical figure we know so well from the movies on the last-ditch efforts of one well-connected crew member to save his own hide from hanging. --Mike McGonigal
Product Description
More than two centuries after Masters Mate Fletcher Christian led a mutiny against Lieutenant William Bligh on a small, armed transport vessel called Bounty, the true story of this enthralling adventure has become obscured by the legend. Combining vivid characterization and deft storytelling, Caroline Alexander shatters the centuries-old myths surrounding this story. She brilliantly shows how, in a desperate attempt to save one man from the gallows and another from ignominy, two powerful families came together and began to create the version of history we know today. The true story of the mutiny on the Bounty is an epic of duty and heroism, pride and power, and the assassination of a brave mans honor at the dawn of the Romantic age.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 97
 Bountiful detail October 1, 2009
E. Baxter (Hawaii)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Like many today, the only knowledge I had of the mutiny on the Bounty had come in bits and pieces from popular culture. I was well aware of the portrait of Bligh as a tyrannical madman forcing his subordinates to his will. However, is that characterization correct? If not, then why would his men mutiny? These and many other questions are answered in great detail in Caroline Alexander's book. I began reading with the expectation that the mutiny would take place with some swashbuckling battle for control of the ship, ultimately deposing Bligh and his allies. The mutiny actually took place fairly peacefully and is really a strange spectacle. The bulk of the book is not concerned directly with the mutiny itself but in the courts-martial drama that follows. The events that took place on the Bounty are told from multiple, often contradictory standpoints. It is hard to tell exactly who is innocent and who guilty. It amazes me that the mutiny seems to have been put together at the last minute. Christian Fletcher's motives remain shrouded in some mystery. Alexander asserts, with good evidence, that it was the lure of Tahiti that ultimately lit the fuse. This seems a partial explanation in my mind however, because Fletcher's reaction seems so abrupt and drastic. Perhaps this can be attributed to the excess of alcohol.
I enjoyed being taken back to Tahiti, having read several books of Cook's voyages, and enjoyed reading of the mutiny, the sailors involved, and what eventually happened to the mutineers. I was, however, disappointed that I found myself in a book that reads more as a courtroom drama than adventure on the high seas. I wish Alexander had spent more time and detail on the open boat voyage and the mysterious malaise that eventually struck several who survived it. The scenes on the Pandora were interesting but I think I would have gotten more out of them if they had been placed after the mutiny and I knew the characters better. All in all the book is well researched, detailed, and does a good job of showing what eventually became of the major characters. The narrative does drag at times but there is always something interesting right around the next few pages. I really did like the suspense that was built up by not settling the fate of Fletcher until well into the book.
Peter Heywood's Mutiny... September 28, 2009
nto62 (Corona, CA USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Peter Heywood was a sixteen-year-old midshipman on the Bounty - a very minor contributor when juxtaposed with the legendary Fletcher Christian and William Bligh. Nevertheless, Heywood and his family dominate this book. I grew more curious by the page as to why this was so. Heywood was brought to court martial with several others and is one of three released. What followed was an orchestrated family effort to clear his name of any taint. This is where Caroline Alexander takes us and retains us for much of the book. True, Heywood did go on to a distinguished career as a sea-going captain, but his actual participation in the mutiny was exceedingly modest. Thus, the subsequent success that attracts Alexander's attention is due to Heywood's lack of impact on the story. Mutineers don't become British sea captains.
History, done correctly, can be as suspenseful as any fiction and the Mutiny on the Bounty would seem the perfect vessel for it. Perhaps I was wrong to expect South Pacific swashbuckling and island intrigue, for there was never much of it. The Bounty, by Caroline Alexander is well-researched, competently written, but compelling it is not. Given the continuous popularity of the story, Alexander had enough information to write a book less focused on Peter Heywood. I won't say this makes The Bounty boring, but it makes it less than it might have been. 4 stars.
 Great Research and Enthralling Tale September 2, 2009
Andrew Lange (San Diego, CA United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Caroline Alexander has produced the definitive account of the mutiny on the Bounty, making what could be a dry history lesson into a true page-turner.
My only negative comment is that the maps are nigh illegible on the Kindle. :-(
ATTENTION HISTORY BUFFS August 11, 2009
Edward A. Joseph (Yonkers, NY USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you love non-fiction, a fascinating topic, and exceptional writing, this book is for you. Caroline Alexander brilliantly integrates numerous primary and secondary sources into a highly readable narrative of what happened on H.M.S. Bounty on April 28, 1789.
The reader learns about the men and events leading up to the mutiny, what occurred during the takeover, and the mutiny's aftermath. Of the 45 men serving under William Bligh, the author lists only 19 as having actively participated in the mutiny. Ten accused mutineers were eventually captured, and the account of their court-martial is particularly engrossing.
The author is scrupulous about presenting all versions of what happened during the mutiny, and she gives an equally gripping narrative of its consequences. However, she is not a disinterested observer, i.e., she has opinions, which she supports with facts. For example, she dispels the Hollywood myth that the blame for the mutiny should fall predominately on Bligh's shoulders and that Fletcher Christian had little choice but to overthrow a tyrant.
An especially interesting part of the book is the final chapter, which relates what happened later in life to the Bounty's officers and crew. There is also an extensive section on sources and a significant selected bibliography.
A fabulous read.
Hugely interesting history: You'll never think of Bligh in the same way again! July 14, 2009
CecilyK (Portland, OR United States)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've had this book in my library for years and finally picked it up a month or two ago. I had no idea that I'd be swept into one of the most interesting narrative histories I've ever read.
Alexander has done her research thoroughly and what I find most astounding is just how much source material she had to work with. I'm new to British Naval history and I was amazed that they'd managed to preserve so many of the pertinent logs and letters.
What was even more astonishing was that the evidence she compiles for this book paints Bligh in such a contrasting light than the rest of the world knows him. We can all spout what we've 'heard' about the reputation of Captain Bligh, but when the facts are laid bare, the story changes dramatically.
I now find myself defending Captain Bligh at every turn and encouraging people to read this fantastic book. Alexander's writing is clear and supremely interesting. She takes the time to explain the naval lingo as well as the ramifications of certain world events and historical context.
I ended up feeling sympathy for Bligh and just a bit of rage at how he was mistreated. You may not be swept along as thoroughly as I was, but I doubt you'll be able to look at this epic true story in the same way again.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 97
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