space
Reader Reviews | |
Review by Chrissi (010202) Rating (8/10) Review
by Chrissi I remember going to see HMS Victory in Portsmouth many years ago and I got to sit in one of the hammocks that they slept in below decks. To an eleven year old it all seemed wonderful but spending six months in close company with other sailors and no fresh food, banging out the weevils from your ships biscuits, I really do not think that I would thank you for it. And yet I am extremely glad that those men did, and that someone thought enough of them to write this book. Nathaniel,
although the title character, is not the main thread of the story.
The majority of the narrative concerns the early Spice Trade of
the East Indies. The main protagonists are the English and the
Dutch, and in vying for the spice trade and the amazing wealth
that it would command. This is one of the instances where what
was historically a loss actually turned out to be the complete
polar opposite. It all doesn't make sense until fairly close to
the end when the history is all revealed, but you will be so enthralled
that you will not care. I certainly didn't. |
|
Column Ends |
space