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Summary: The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty
Review: Countless rebellions have taken place since Fletcher Christian overtook Captain William Bligh in 1789, but it is the story of the mutiny on the Bounty that has taken permanent hold of the public's imagination, to be played and replayed on stage and screen. Why this is so is amply demonstrated by Alexander's ( The Endurance, 1998) fast-reading and gripping narrative, which draws on a host of primary-source materials, including letters, diaries, logs, and court transcripts, to provide an in-depth, well-researched look at all the elements that went into the history-making event. From the overly cramped quarters of the ship to the enticing depiction of the generous and sensual Tahitians to Fletcher's elusive motivations, Alexander leaves no detail unexamined. She makes a convincing case that Bligh has been unjustly maligned, mainly due to the machinations of mutineer Peter Heywood, who escaped the hangman's noose at his court-martial but sought to deflect evidence of his central role by exaggerating accounts of Bligh's temper tantrums; furthermore, Alexander underlines Bligh's navigational skills with hair-raising descriptions of his 4,000-mile voyage in an overloaded open boat, which brought the loyalists to safety. Other narrative highlights include the discovery, after many years, of the mutineers' families on Pitcairn Island. A rollicking sea adventure told with enormous confidence and style.
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Summary: A stirring sea adventure
Review: For anyone who has ever had spray in their hair or wind in their face this is a must read. The Bounty and her crew will live forever as one of the great sea stories.
Rating: 
Summary: Enthralling and interesting
Review: This is an informative and interesting presentation of Bligh's mission on the Bounty and the events which followed. The book lends particular focus on how the Haywood and Christian families "spun" the tale after the fact to make the mutineers seem more "noble" and Bligh more "evil". As far as I can tell, it's a straight-up, honest and well-researched account of what really happened.However, it does seem to me that the book spends proportionally too much time on the court martial and Peter Haywood's family and life, and not enough on the events onboard ship or on Pitcairn Island; I suppose this reflects the amount of material available on each. Further, the author assumes an understanding of geography and nautical terms that could be explicated by a glossary and more (and better placed) maps. And the narrative is quite jumpy, at least at first, going back and forth in time, when a straightforward approach would probably serve the reader better.
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Summary: Enthralling, Exciting (4.2 on a scale of 1 to 5)
Review: "The Bounty" is a well-researched piece of history that translates into an exciting and enthralling story. Alexander delves into the facts and the myths of the famous "mutiny on the bounty."
For those not familiar with the story: in the 1790's a british ship, captained by a William Bligh, was seized by its crew led by a Fletcher Christian. Bligh and some crew numbers were cast overboard in a small craft in the middle of the South Seas, basically left to die. Amazingly, they survived and made it to mainland. Christian and company returned to the paradise of Tahiti. Some crew members stayed there (and were eventually captured and brought back to England for court martial) while Christian and company (with the addition of some beautiful Tahitian women)sailed on to Pitcairn Island.
History and Hollywood have embellished the story: Bligh was pure evil, Christian pure nobility. The crew wanted to return to Tahiti where they had found true love.
Alexander debunks most myths. Bligh certainly was tough; however, no more so than most captains of his era. Christian was impetuous, likely borderline mad, and had been drinking heavily the night before the mutiny. Most interesting, Christian's family--and that of a fellow mutineer and Christian relative Peter Heywood-spent a tremendous amount of time and resources in the future decades defending their relatives' reputations and reshaping the story into the present day myth. (They were then helped by Hollywood.)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Alexander captured the tension of the mutiny and subsequent court martials brilliantly. I feel (like other reviewers) that she had a bit of bias towards Bligh (thus the four stars) and I almost wish she had just written it from his perspective.
Still I would recommend this book to those who love historical stories, seafaring books (e.g., "Master and Commander") and just plain old good yarns.
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Summary: Fabulously Interesting
Review: This was my first experience with the story of the Mutiny on the Bounty. So for that reason alone, it was an incredible story. Right up there with the story of the Donner Party in its elements of survival, betrayal, and heroism. BUT, only four stars. Because: 1) Alexander seems to have an axe to grind. I.e., She is so dead set on defending Bligh and impugning others, particularly Peter Heywood, that her vision becomes clouded. Ms. Alexander, this man was mutinied against THREE times if we are to include the events in New South Wales to the tally. Not just two times. He has to have been a difficult person. Mutinies don't happen, after all, in a vacuum. And yet Alexander spends little effort to understand him, merely to say that he was just like all the other captains of his day. 2) She spends too much time on Peter Heywood and his family. Probably could have cut fifty pages from the book and still made the same point about the distorting influence this man had on the Bounty saga. 3) Spends too little time on the Pitcairn part of the story. The "Lord of the Flies" aspect of Pitcairn would make for truly fascinating reading. I felt shortchanged in this regard. Still a great read. An important work. A worthy read.
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Summary: A Bountiful Book !
Review: My first reaction to a cover indicating the "true story" of the Bounty was it would be similar to the trash much like the National Inquirer.
Not so.
This book is a terrific journey from the beginning to when all surviving members of the voyage are deceased.
It was well researched with the author blending the FACTS without any distortion. One could draw their own conclusions from the text.
It needs to be read slowly and savored - well worth your time
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Summary: History buff alert!!
Review: I had to scrape the barnacles off my hull after reading this one!
I have to admit that I was initially a bit intimidated by the size of this book but after starting could not put it down. The details provided are astounding but may be a turn-off for the casual reader looking for some light reading. At times I did find myself overwhelmed with more facts than I felt I needed but then all of a sudden the pace picks up and it becomes pure pleasure. Covering the early life and career of Captain Bligh, Fletcher Christian and a cast of dozens more, Caroline Alexander carries us through the voyage, the mutiny, Bligh's unbelievable survival at sea, the trial of the mutineers and the aftermath. This is thoroughly enjoyable reading for history buffs and even for those with a passing interest in a time when Britain ruled the seas and a sailor's life was short and cheap.
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Summary: Very enjoyable.
Review: I don't know when last I have enjoyed a work of non-fiction as much as this thorough examination of a subject which has fascinated people for over 200 years. The mutiny itself, although an astonishing act of treachery, is something of a non-event. The mutineers tied up Bligh and forced him and his supporters into the ship's launch at gun-point, then sailed away with the intention of returning to the "happy island" (Tahiti) on which they had recently spent what must have been the most incredible five months of their lives. Properly understood, putting the 19 men into the launch was all but murderous on the part of Christian and the other mutineers. The chances of survival for Bligh and his supporters were very slim indeed and the mutineers must have known this. Bligh's incredible feat of seamanship in getting 18 of the 19 safely through a 3,000 mile voyage to Timor was against all the odds. Bligh is the true hero of the story. However, history and Hollywood have been very cruel to Bligh in perpetuating an unfair version of the circumstances of the mutiny, in which Bligh was cast as a cruel tyrant under whom naval service was unbearable. This was a version originally put about by the well-connected family of Peter Heywood, one of the mutineers eventually returned to England in chains, in a desperate attempt to save his life and their reputation. Bligh never seemed able or willing to deal vigorously with the PR campaign that was waged against him by the Heywoods and his occasionally explosive temper did nothing to help him in this regard. Despite the fact that he rose to the rank of Rear Admiral and served with bravery and distinction in various naval campaigns throughout the remainder of his career, public opinion was divided about him for the rest of his life. That Fletcher Christian became a romantic figure and quasi-hero is perhaps the greatest injustice of all. He seems to have been unable to do his duty under a commander who was as skilled and as fair as any in service, but who might also be fairly described as a bit rude and impatient. Bligh obviously saw Christian as a promising protege and had previously sent home glowing reports of his abilities and his conduct, which facts throw the treachery of the mutiny into even starker relief. Of the incident wherein Christian's feelings were apparently hurt by Bligh's accusation that he had stolen some coconuts which Bligh had stored on deck, Caroline Alexander provides the reader with a clear understanding of naval life at the time and shows us what a ridiculous explanation for the mutiny this was in that context. The true motivations for the mutiny were varied and complex, but principal among them seems to have been the simple choice confronting the mutineers between the hard, dirty and dangerous life of a British naval seaman and the chance to live like a king amongst the friendly natives and swaying palms of Tahiti, with easy (and uninhibited) sex with beautiful women, a delightful climate and delicious food thrown into the bargain. The second option would seem to have been impossible for the mutineers to resist. All around, a well written and engrossing account of a fascinating subject.
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Summary: Refuting the "Black Legend" of Captain Bligh
Review: We have all seen the brilliant portrayal of "Captain Bligh" by Charles Laughton. Laughton portrayed Bligh as an evil sadist, and so powerful was his acting that this image of Bligh has imprinted on everything to do with the Bounty. This book provides an excellent antidote. Hitherto books have given the softer picture of Bligh but have also over-sympathized with Christian. Alexander's Christian is a wimp who let himself be manipulated by others into hijacking the ship. Besides Bligh, Alexander's main focus is on the "neutrals" who claimed afterwards to have had no choice but to stay with Christian and the mutineers on the Bounty. She shows convincingly that the most notable of these (Peter Heywood) was probably guilty, and that it was Heywood's family (who were related to Fletcher Christian) who blackened Bligh's reputation and made it possible for young Heywood to get a pardon. He later became a captain in the Royal Navy, which shows that the mutiny left no stain on his character. Bligh had a distinguished career, but one which might otherwise be more notable. My main trouble with the book is the skimping on the details of what happened to Christian and his companions when he slipped anchor and left Tahiti secretly, marooning some of his comrades to be picked up by the Royal Navy, and kidnapping Tahitian women for the pleasure of him and his friends. It is hinted that life on Pitcairn was more like a hell on earth, especially for the women, that the earthly paradise of noble savagery we are used to hearing about, and which we would probably like to hear. Alexander should have gone more into this. We have enough evidence to see that Bligh was a true hero - on a later voyage, although sick, he went aloft to guide his ship through the Great Barrier Reef. On the Bounty, he lacked a good second officer - hence his dependence on Christian whom he probably overloaded with responsibility, and over-reacted when Christian failed to live up to expectation. Perhaps he just was not a good judge of character, and his quick temper did not help. But on the open-boat voyage, he stepped up. The boat was overloaded and short of food, yet he only lost a single man. Compare the survival rate with those who stayed on the Bounty! His voyage compares with Shackleton's from Elephant Island to South Georgia, though Shackleton could hand-pick the best men to come with him. Bligh had no choice. By contrast, Christian led his party and himself to premature destruction. That should be enough to smash the romantic legend of the Bounty. Altogher a very good book, but not a definitive one, on the Bounty mutiny. Hopefully it will whet the readers' appetite for more.
Rating:
Summary: A very good book, but not great.
Review: I'm in the minority by thinking this is only a four star book, not worthy of the generous five star praise of other reviewers. Overall, it is still a very good book that compells you. What I liked: As with her other books, this is both a compelling read with first-rate research. The book will keep you occupied and turning pages. She also restores Captain Bligh's reputation, not as the tyrant of a taskmaster, but someone who did a good job, albiet with some shortcomings. The writing is crisp and the story telling engaging. Why I take off one star: There are three reasons. First, the book skimps on the story of Mr. Bligh's open boat voyage and the events of Pitcairn's Island. As Mr. Bligh's voyage is one of the greatest nautical feats ever, and will all of the mutiners but a couple dying by violent means after settling on the island, there is a very juicy story here, but it's not developed. Instead, the author spends a great portion of the later half of the book developing Peter Heywood's trail. While well written, the material itself isn't as interesting. Second, the author doesn't provide insight or speculation into Mr. Heywoods actions on the night of the mutiny, thereby leaving his guilt or innocence an open question. We know what the court decided, but what conclusion did all of her research point her to? Third, there is insufficient analysis of Christian Fletcher, the instigator of the mutiny. The author develops some paragraphs of guesses, but where she places into the mind of so many historic characters into their inside thinking, the author fails to provide insight into Mr. Fletcher's thinking, and how he came about to his fateful decision. So, buy this book, it's a good read, although I don't think it's the author's best work.
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