A review by paul_cornelius
Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff, James Norman Hall
4.0
For the first time in 50 years, I have just finished rereading Mutiny on the Bounty. After all that time, it still retained its vividness and pace. It remains a great adventure story. And it still appeals to me.
A few things to remark upon regarding what I see in its origins and structure:
First, the power of the storytelling is immense. The narrative is clean, punctuated with just the right moves to advance to the next level of the tale. I'm imagining that the strong structure of the novel is due to Nordhoff more than Hall. At least that is the point Paul Briand made in his double biography of the two authors--that Nordhoff at the beginning of their partnership and later supplied the discipline that Hall needed.
Second, early in his career Nordhoff became a successful author of boys adventures books. There is a trace of that lingering in Mutiny on the Bounty. But with the narration of Mutiny being through the eyes of young Roger Byam, having a touch of the boys adventure creep into the pages actually works to the benefit of giving the novel its verisimilitude.
Third, the syntax, vocabulary, rhythm of the language seems perfectly to fit to the 18th century subject matter. There is a touch of the archaic to it that is effective in detail and in overall effect.
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Now, below, is the review I made of Mutiny on the Bounty some years ago. This is how I remembered it. Turns out that my memory was strong and accurate, for I still stand by it.
This is what I read for adventure when I was twelve years old. Still a good choice. Inspired by the Clark Gable/Charles Laughton film, I found my way to the trilogy and discovered Men Against the Sea and Pitcairn's Island to be the equal of the first book. Together, all three volumes elevate the story of the mutineers and their captain to mythological heights, all the while providing fertile ground for the germination of the South Sea idyll stories that followed in its wake, both on film and in literature. I've yet to read Caroline Alexander's The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty, which apparently debunks much of that earlier romantic myth-making, especially concerning the character and motivations of the principals. No, this version is to deeply etched into my memory to disturb, I think.
A few things to remark upon regarding what I see in its origins and structure:
First, the power of the storytelling is immense. The narrative is clean, punctuated with just the right moves to advance to the next level of the tale. I'm imagining that the strong structure of the novel is due to Nordhoff more than Hall. At least that is the point Paul Briand made in his double biography of the two authors--that Nordhoff at the beginning of their partnership and later supplied the discipline that Hall needed.
Second, early in his career Nordhoff became a successful author of boys adventures books. There is a trace of that lingering in Mutiny on the Bounty. But with the narration of Mutiny being through the eyes of young Roger Byam, having a touch of the boys adventure creep into the pages actually works to the benefit of giving the novel its verisimilitude.
Third, the syntax, vocabulary, rhythm of the language seems perfectly to fit to the 18th century subject matter. There is a touch of the archaic to it that is effective in detail and in overall effect.
------------------------------
Now, below, is the review I made of Mutiny on the Bounty some years ago. This is how I remembered it. Turns out that my memory was strong and accurate, for I still stand by it.
This is what I read for adventure when I was twelve years old. Still a good choice. Inspired by the Clark Gable/Charles Laughton film, I found my way to the trilogy and discovered Men Against the Sea and Pitcairn's Island to be the equal of the first book. Together, all three volumes elevate the story of the mutineers and their captain to mythological heights, all the while providing fertile ground for the germination of the South Sea idyll stories that followed in its wake, both on film and in literature. I've yet to read Caroline Alexander's The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty, which apparently debunks much of that earlier romantic myth-making, especially concerning the character and motivations of the principals. No, this version is to deeply etched into my memory to disturb, I think.