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A review by booksandbosox
The Captain's Wife by Douglas Kelley
3.0
Mary Patten discovers what she is made of on an ill-fated voyage around Cape Horn.
Okay, this wasn't exactly my cup of tea but it wasn't totally awful. Despite giving away everything in the jacket blurb, the book still managed to keep me interested even after I realized there would be no surprises. It's a bit of a slow burn - takes a little while to get into. But Mary is an enjoyable woman. The book is a bit deceptive, though - it doesn't focus quite as much on Mary as one would expect given the title and blurb. But the ship's voyage is interesting enough. It kept an even pace throughout. It's interesting to note that this is based on history; however, I found the epilogue (which is really more of an author's note) a bit jarring - it breaks the flow of the narrative too much to seem like a proper epilogue. I think of this as a Treasure Island for adults except without the treasure or the island. And, simply because it also features a woman's adventures with the sea, I was reminded often of Ahab's Wife, though that is much more richly detailed. Overall, a slow start to my reading list.
Okay, this wasn't exactly my cup of tea but it wasn't totally awful. Despite giving away everything in the jacket blurb, the book still managed to keep me interested even after I realized there would be no surprises. It's a bit of a slow burn - takes a little while to get into. But Mary is an enjoyable woman. The book is a bit deceptive, though - it doesn't focus quite as much on Mary as one would expect given the title and blurb. But the ship's voyage is interesting enough. It kept an even pace throughout. It's interesting to note that this is based on history; however, I found the epilogue (which is really more of an author's note) a bit jarring - it breaks the flow of the narrative too much to seem like a proper epilogue. I think of this as a Treasure Island for adults except without the treasure or the island. And, simply because it also features a woman's adventures with the sea, I was reminded often of Ahab's Wife, though that is much more richly detailed. Overall, a slow start to my reading list.