Mutiny

December 8, 2008
Boyne (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
) revisits William Bligh's doomed expedition in this adequate seafaring historical. Captain's servant John Jacob Turnstile, a 14-year-old orphan and thief, avoids a prison sentence by accepting a position aboard Bligh's ship, the Bounty
. The ship's mission to Tahiti is tumultuous, and once the ship reaches its destination, some crew members become enamored of the island women. On the return voyage, they stage a mutiny and turn the ship around, forcing Bligh and the sailors loyal to him onto a small boat with minimal provisions. Boyne's take on the story capitalizes less on the tension among the warring factions, focusing more heavily on Turnstile's coming-of-age, while Bligh wavers between an abrasive task master and a health nut with a sensitive side. The novel succeeds as a historical adventure, but it doesn't add much to the already bulging bulk of Bounty
books.

March 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-This riveting account set in 1789 is narrated by 14-year-old John Jacob Turnstile, Captain Bligh's fictitious servant. Arrested as a pickpocket, he is offered a choice of jail or ship duty. As Turnstile adjusts to life aboard ship, he develops respect and admiration for his master. The later infamous William Bligh is portrayed as a shrewd navigator and devoted husband and father whose moodiness and rigid adherence to duty, loyalty, and honor often antagonize his crew. After six months on idyllic Tahiti, second-in-command Fletcher Christian leads 23 crew members in a mutiny, forcing Bligh and 18 loyal crew members into a 23-foot launch with only a compass and meager rations. Incredibly, with only one fatality, Bligh, Turnstile, and their companions row more than 3600 miles to a Portuguese settlement on Timor. Nursed back to health, the surviving crew returns to England where their story captures public attention. Imbuing the story with facts drawn from Bligh's personal documents, legal transcripts of his court martial, English naval protocol, and nautical history, Boyne has created a masterful adventure. According to Turnstile's poignant narrative, Bligh is more conflicted than cruel; Christian, the chief mutineer, is more arrogant than charismatic. Turnstile's quick wit and lively descriptions mask his insecurity and traumatic memories of sexual abuse. Like the crew, however, he eventually finds "pleasure" with a Tahitian girl. Teens will be captivated by this high-seas adventure, the abundance of bawdy banter, the drama of shipboard relationships, the desperate voyage of Bligh and his loyal companions, and one boy's coming-of-age.Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC

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