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lawrence_jay_switzer's review against another edition
5.0
Many readers and moviegoers are familiar with the story of Mutiny on the Bounty and most are aware that the mutineers eventually settled on a hard-to-find rock known as Pitcairn's Island in the South Pacific (hard to find because it had been charted incorrectly by the Royal Navy). There they remained undiscovered for about twenty years.
In the interim, the European mutineers and their Tahitian slave/companions engaged in continuous violence, which resulted in the deaths of all but one of the original mutineers. When the Royal Navy discovered the island, the sole survivor of the Europeans was John Adams. As to the Tahitian's, the men were all dead. Nine native women were still alive, along with their numerous mixed race children. Several of them were the offspring of leading mutineer Fletcher Christian, most notably his first son, named Thursday October Christian. How's that for quaint? And there's quite a bit of "lore" surrounding this morsel of human history from the Hollywood alpha-male standpoint: Fletcher Christian was successively portrayed by Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, and Mel Gibson. Marlon Brando went on to marry his Tahitian co-star and father children whose lives were eventually marked by violence.
Meanwhile, back at Pitcairn....
Jump ahead almost 200 years to the present day. Our authoress, Dea Birkett, is overtaken by a sudden urge for an adventure, inspired by the Mel Gibson film "The Bounty" and heads for Pitcairn on a freighter. Something already smells "fishy" before the freighter arrives at Pitcairn, population now 48 persons, 49 counting the authoress.
The islanders who are about to make Dea Burkitt's acquaintance are insular, somewhat inbred people, who have established a unique society. They are isolated and they like it that way. Enter our authoress, the protagonist and the antagonist rolled into one. Now the trouble begins.
Very few persons are permitted to visit Pitcairn. Written applications are reviewed and very few persons are accepted. The writer begins her South Sea adventure by fabricating her answers, completely misrepresenting her reasons for wishing to visit Pitcairn. Once accepted and arrived, she begins to make mischief while accepting the island's hospitality. She knowingly beds a married local man, while ignoring the romantic attentions of a readily available alternative suitor. Does it take long for the entire populace (48 persons) to figure out they've been duped? Then what?
Birkett doesn't attempt to deny that the "serpent in paradise" of the title is self-referential. There are other snakes to be found on the island, but it's fair to say that, for most readers, Birkett is the worst of them.
It's rather interesting to read a story where the person who tells it is the worst person within a radius of a few hundred miles. Actually, this is fascinating stuff. It's just hard to describe because Pitcairn is a society unlike any other in my recollection. A healthy five star rating for this unusual escapade.
In the interim, the European mutineers and their Tahitian slave/companions engaged in continuous violence, which resulted in the deaths of all but one of the original mutineers. When the Royal Navy discovered the island, the sole survivor of the Europeans was John Adams. As to the Tahitian's, the men were all dead. Nine native women were still alive, along with their numerous mixed race children. Several of them were the offspring of leading mutineer Fletcher Christian, most notably his first son, named Thursday October Christian. How's that for quaint? And there's quite a bit of "lore" surrounding this morsel of human history from the Hollywood alpha-male standpoint: Fletcher Christian was successively portrayed by Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, and Mel Gibson. Marlon Brando went on to marry his Tahitian co-star and father children whose lives were eventually marked by violence.
Meanwhile, back at Pitcairn....
Jump ahead almost 200 years to the present day. Our authoress, Dea Birkett, is overtaken by a sudden urge for an adventure, inspired by the Mel Gibson film "The Bounty" and heads for Pitcairn on a freighter. Something already smells "fishy" before the freighter arrives at Pitcairn, population now 48 persons, 49 counting the authoress.
The islanders who are about to make Dea Burkitt's acquaintance are insular, somewhat inbred people, who have established a unique society. They are isolated and they like it that way. Enter our authoress, the protagonist and the antagonist rolled into one. Now the trouble begins.
Very few persons are permitted to visit Pitcairn. Written applications are reviewed and very few persons are accepted. The writer begins her South Sea adventure by fabricating her answers, completely misrepresenting her reasons for wishing to visit Pitcairn. Once accepted and arrived, she begins to make mischief while accepting the island's hospitality. She knowingly beds a married local man, while ignoring the romantic attentions of a readily available alternative suitor. Does it take long for the entire populace (48 persons) to figure out they've been duped? Then what?
Birkett doesn't attempt to deny that the "serpent in paradise" of the title is self-referential. There are other snakes to be found on the island, but it's fair to say that, for most readers, Birkett is the worst of them.
It's rather interesting to read a story where the person who tells it is the worst person within a radius of a few hundred miles. Actually, this is fascinating stuff. It's just hard to describe because Pitcairn is a society unlike any other in my recollection. A healthy five star rating for this unusual escapade.
nelsonminar's review against another edition
3.0
I love the idea of remote islands. Particularly those inhabited by Westerners like Ascension Island or Christmas Island. Or Pitcairn Island, a 1.75 square mile island with fewer than 50 people on it. No airstrip, no reliable communcations, not even a place to easily land a boat. But it has a website! Lots of them.
I just finished reading Serpent in Paradise, the narrative of an Englishwoman who went to Pitcairn pursuing her fantasies of island paradise only to find cold loneliness as an outsider in a complex, tiny, isolated society. Everything she describes about the island — the gossip, the newspaper, the work, the language, the religion — all seems so alien. Good book. For a taste, read this short article by the same author.
Pitcairn was in the news a lot a decade ago, the result of child rape charges against most of the adult men on the island. Lots of complications: arguments about British sovereignty, arguments about where the trial will be held, and of course the question of what punishment means in such a tiny community. Things didn't really improve after the conviction, either. It seems to be a broken place.
I just finished reading Serpent in Paradise, the narrative of an Englishwoman who went to Pitcairn pursuing her fantasies of island paradise only to find cold loneliness as an outsider in a complex, tiny, isolated society. Everything she describes about the island — the gossip, the newspaper, the work, the language, the religion — all seems so alien. Good book. For a taste, read this short article by the same author.
Pitcairn was in the news a lot a decade ago, the result of child rape charges against most of the adult men on the island. Lots of complications: arguments about British sovereignty, arguments about where the trial will be held, and of course the question of what punishment means in such a tiny community. Things didn't really improve after the conviction, either. It seems to be a broken place.
raehink's review
4.0
I have always been fascinated by all things Bligh/Mister Christian and the author of this book didn't disappoint me. She travels to Pitcairn Island and describes the people and society. They are unique and somewhat dysfunctional and the author does not shy away from describing them as such. A really fun read.
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