The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty (2003)

If Alexander wants to tell me a story, I want to listen. I didn't care about the bounty until she told me to. ( )

A riveting account of an event which most of us feel we already know about. It is very constructed to build up suspense in the 'storytelling' of the events. It is detailed and very well researched yet still leaves many questions unanswered - not least the confusing accounts of what may or may not have happened to Fletcher Christian after the mutiny. ( )

Listened to the CD version, with reader Simon Prebble (one of my favorite readers). VERY DETAILED book, which seemed to me to be a bit "circular" at first. I suspect it would have been more clear to me had I been reading the print version and not had my attention torn between driving and listening carefully to names and the intricate descriptions of their backgrounds.
Definitely an interesting read, just glad I'm not to be tested on the contents as there was a bit much for me to absorb. I would consider reading the text version next time around.
Interesting to note that the history of the event was/is so strongly colored by the political activity of the day. A reminder that history is often written based on the participants ties to those with political influence. Author definitely attempted to put the event in the perspective of the times in which it occurred and how various factors contributed to the public knowledge of and opinion about the event. ( )

59. The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty by Caroline Alexander

I do believe the basic story of "The Mutiny on the Bounty" is widely known: A British ship named Bounty, commanded by Lt. William Bligh, was seized by mutineers led by Fletcher Christian. Bligh and a group of loyalists journeyed thousands of miles in an overloaded open boat and eventually returned to England. Several of the mutineers were captured on Tahiti, returned to England, and tried, with all being convicted. Three were pardoned by King George III, three others were hanged. Years later, one surviving mutineer was discovered living on Pitcairn Island with a few Tahitian natives and some children fathered by mutineers. But by that time, relatively few cared. The End.

Thanks to high-level family connections, shrewd counsel, bogus investigations, and trash journalism, the tale, even before it had played out, was manipulated and twisted. In the popular mind, Bligh was a despicable villain with Christian becoming a folk hero. Novels and films have been spawned by the tale, and most of them have simply entrenched that idea: Bligh was a villain, Christian a misunderstood, introverted loner-hero.

Caroline Alexander may not be the first historian to research the records for the truth, but her book is the only one on the topic that I've read. She's done a thorough and commendable job. I think she does a good job of marshaling and dispensing the facts to maintain the mystery and our interest. What dialogue there is is taken from letters, trial testimony, written reports, and the like; no fictionalizing. I wouldn't call it a page-turner, and some readers will judge it plodding. I think it's interesting, methodical, thorough. Alexander presents facts, then asks questions and roots for more information and answers.

Having reached the end, I am satisfied. The feats of navigation and seafaring are simply incredible, the mutiny itself not really surprising, the intrigue and shenanigans before, during, and after the court-martial worthy of Trollope or Dickens

Read on a whim after stumbling across Pitcarin Islands in some other reading. A fantastic story, and I appreciated the academic flavor, as I imagined other writings sensationalizing the story. Alexander bears this out towards the end of the novel. It was easy to read, and ultimately a good book about a very fascinating topic.

The reading is a bit dry, however, and the work drags as it goes into the known details of every crew member and their various influential friends and family members. On one hand, I have a hard time begrudging it this, as they did provide sometimes essential information. On the other, I cared little about the individual fates of most men. But each person's story (both during the mutiny, their testimony at the mutineer's trial, and their testimony in public afterwards) paints an amusing whole picture, and it would've been hard to edit that information out and still be readable.

Still. At one point, I got career summaries for each of the captains at the mutineer's trial. Important to show that they were all experienced and more likely to agree with Bligh's version of events and not have much of a sympathetic ear for mutineers, but it felt excessive. The part with the trial and convictions also felt interminable. ( )