Rating: 
Summary: Mr. Christian, Call Your PR Agency
Review: It's about time someone set the record straight about the mutiny on the Bounty. As Caroline Alexander points out, Captain Bligh was no brutalizing monster. He had men flogged far less often than other ship commanders in the British Navy. And Fletcher Christian was certainly no romantic hero. Christian forced Bligh and the crew members who supported him into a small launch, knowing there was a good chance all would be killed. Thanks to Bligh's skill, the men survived and reached England. It was an amazing feat of navigation that captured the public's imagination. But before long Bligh was seen as a cruel scoundrel and Christian a hero. How did this happen? How could anyone consider Christian, a man who callously sent his shipmates overboard to face almost certain death, a hero? Why has history treated Bligh so shabbily? Alexander's greatest contribution is that she answers these questions; she examines the psychology of the Bounty incident, noting that Bligh failed to understand that his enemy was not Christian but the power of a good story. Bligh naively believed the truth would bear witness to his sufferings and exonerate him. He never expected that Christian's "spin doctors" would try to take over the narrative. But they did and handed down a version that simply does not square with what happened. This is a well written and compelling book, based on impressive amounts of research. It might have been interesting for Alexander to examine the Bounty's influence on popular culture and to take at least a cursory glance at the film and novelizations that the tale has inspired. But this is a minor complaint. This is a long overdue book that deserves to find a wide audience.
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Summary: Shiver 'me timbers! A jolly good read, by jove!
Review: I'm still feeling my land legs after finishing this salt-sprayed, historically accurate version of the famous mutiny. Exhaustively and painstakingly researched, this is a ripping good yarn that sheds some new light on the personalities of William Bligh and Fletcher Christian. This book reads more like the story portrayed in the film version "The Bounty" starring Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins, rather than in the Nordoff/Hall-based fictions of "Mutiny on the Bounty" starring Gable/Laughlin or (ugh!) Brando/Howard. After reading the wonderful "The Bounty," this land-lubber can't wait to see "Master and Commander" with Russell Crowe.
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Summary: Tremendous Revelation of Truth in this Intriguing Story
Review: This is a fascinating look at the Bounty from a well-researched and objective perspective. Alexander proves that Bligh eventually became a victim of the better connected as his reputation is besmirched after the infamous court martial of the captured mutineers by the writings of Fletcher Christian's brother supported by literary figures and members of the elite. Bligh survives 3000 miles in an open boat saving the lives of 18 occupants out of the initial 19 only to fall victim to malicious and broadly stated propaganda that portrays Fletcher Christian as a man driven to act by a despotic captain to a hero leading his men to a new perilous journey away from England. In actuality, Bligh takes the Bounty out on a much-delayed start because of the Admiralty's indifference, without Marines and without any commissioned officers. In actuality, Bligh rarely punished his men by physical means such as the cat of nine tails. Like his mentor Cook, Bligh cared for his crew by utilizing a diet to prevent scurvy and he used dance as a means of exercise. Due to his late start, Bligh has to layover in Tahiti for an extended 5 months. Upon the return voyage as the Bounty nears the point where the winds will make it difficult to turn back, a mutiny arises under Christian. Based on the court martial, it's unclear why the mutiny took place but it appears that Christian may have had a low constitution for criticism (often broke out in a sweat) and drink may have contributed and once he started the mutiny, he couldn't step back. Bligh slept in an unlocked cabin apparently much shocked by the mutiny he never expected. Irregardless of Christian's motivation, he set 19 men afloat in a small overcrowded launch with insufficient food, no guns and little in navigation instruments with minimal chance of survival. The survival of these men in open waters far from a friendly port is truly amazing. In retrospect, it is phenomenal to ever imagine that Christian can be portrayed as a reluctant here. The other side of the story is Peter Heywood, the young 16-year-old midshipman that sailed with Christian because he was forced or because, as he put it, the launch had such a small survival chance he stayed with the Bounty. Heywood voluntarily greets the ship sent to capture the mutineers and becomes a prisoner himself who eventually escapes death through his own elitist connections and subsequent exceptional representation. Ironic that he proclaims his innocence but at a later time he seems to supply Christian's brother with damning and apparently half-truths to portray Bligh as an oppressive tyrant fueling the story that Christian was driven to act. Alexander does a wonderful job of tracing the modest histories of the survivors particularly John Adams, the lone mutineer survivor on the Pitcairn Island whose many versions of how Christian died creates a virtual unsolved mystery that later reveals that some including Peter Heywood think that Christian made it secretly back to England. While it took many years for an English ship to reach Pitcairn, Adams hinted that ships may have come earlier and the treasure of the bounty was never found. Bligh has an extensive career, which in every negative turn, his detractors fall; back on his Bounty history to at least allege that he had an oppressive tongue. Ironically, Heywood's stepdaughter marries a Lieutenant who was on one of the early ships to land at Pitcairn Island and this Lieutenant seemed to gleam a lot of information from Adam's perhaps enough to make Heywood uncomfortable. Ironically, the Lieutenant's own reputation was severe as he was much disliked and as a captain, he court-martialed many officers under his command. And, he passed a syphilitic disorder onto Heywood's stepdaughter. Perhaps the maltreatment of Bligh was returned to Heywood in another form. Outstanding book that makes one realize how history can be written to favor the victor or the well connected, just ask Richard the III.
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Summary: Bligh and Christian Reconsidered
Review: In historic narrative, and especially in the movies, we all know about one particular naval mutiny, that of the _Bounty_ in 1789. The movies do their job of simplifying and giving form to a history that actually was extremely complicated and lacking in some basic documentable facts. This realization runs throughout _The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty_ (Viking) by Caroline Alexander. Even in her detailed recreation of the court-martial of the mutineers, for instance, she cannot reproduce the testimony of Captain Bligh, for he was off at sea and did not participate, nor, of course, can she tell us what the chief mutineer, Fletcher Christian, had to say. Not only was he never brought to trial, but he never wrote down his story, and we don't even know for sure how he eventually died. Nonetheless, Alexander has taken what we can know, informed us what we never will be able to know, and has produced a vigorous history that, even with its inevitable voids, makes compelling the crime and its outcome on the participants. Bligh was the protégé of Sir Joseph Banks, the naturalist, who had sailed with Captain Cook in the Pacific and who took up the pet project of importing breadfruit from Tahiti to the West Indies to be a staple for the slaves there. Bligh's model for captainship was Captain Cook with whom he sailed, and whose example of humane treatment he meant to emulate. He fed his men well, was careful not to let them get scurvy, and he tried to avoid flogging any of them. He did wind up flogging them, but far less than their previous commanders did. Alexander shows how Bligh's insistence on minute detail and his harsh tongue may have been part of the explanation for the mutiny, but it would be odd if sailors were so oversensitive to being closely overseen or to strong language. Absurdly, the mutiny was sparked by a theft from a shipboard supply of coconuts. Bligh accused Christian of being a thief and scoundrel, and this was too much for a man of honor, or so Christian's supporters tried to make out. When Bligh arrived in England, having made the amazing 48-day, 3,600 mile trip to Timor via the overloaded open boat in which he and 18 loyal crew members had been set adrift by the mutineers, he was a hero. He went on to further nautical successes, but families of the mutineers started a series of attacks against him. In the end, what sealed the reputation of Bligh was "a force more formidable and unassailable than any enemy he would meet at sea - the power of a good story." It is a tale of the young hero triumphing over his master into an island paradise. What is more, it is the brooding romantic breaking chains from the stern rationalist. It was at the dawn of the Romantic age, and Alexander shows how writers like Wordsworth and Coleridge took up Christian as a romantic hero. Alexander's book is far more than a fair reevaluation of the reputation of Captain Bligh. She has given details about sea-going, class struggle, and especially the complicated legal wranglings by the accused mutineers, including the ones who successfully used what we would now call spin against their former captain. The _Bounty_'s story here is exciting, but Alexander's fascinating narrative of the repercussions shows how history is made, or in some cases, made up.
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Summary: Bounty not the best
Review: I recently completed this book and must admit that I found it informative. My criticism is that the book seems a bit flat when all is said and done. It was good as a factual recounting and I learned much new information about the Bounty incident. That is the strength of this book but also the weakness. The characters just did not seem to come alive amid all the historical data and chronology.Compare to FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS by James Bradley. In that book there is plenty of data yet you feel as if you know each character like a good buddy or a family member. Because of this you are transported to the time and place of the story. That did not happen with this book.
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Summary: The last word on The Bounty
Review: Caroline Alexander has written a truly masterful work about one of the most legendary and enduring episodes in maritime history. The Bounty is thoroughly researched and I can't imagine that she has left anything out of her account. Anyone who has read Alexander's book on Ernest Shackleton will know they're in for an amazing time and a real treat. This book is really compulsively readable and incredibly entertaining. It's bound to be the standard against which all future books on this subject are judged, and rightfully so. Bravo!
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Summary: The Best Bounty Book Available
Review: For an event that has been so thoroughly treated in print and on film (even on stage and in verse!) it is hard to imagine that there is room for another book on the topic. But this is it. Though not as lavishly produced as her excellent "Endurance", Alexander's latest book brings a fresh new perspective to the Bounty story and is not only an essential addition to any Bounty library, but is perhaps also the best first book on the topic. What distinguishes this book is its exploration of the social and cultural web relationships in England that were ultimately responsible for shaping how we see events that occurred far away in what was then literally the end of the world with only a few surviving witnesses -- all of whom had vital interests in how those events were interpreted. Alexander's extensive use of primary sources brings authenticity and immediacy to the story, and here careful avoidance of trying to play detective engages the reader: she lays out quite a bit of evidence and we are left to puzzle out what it means. This is refreshing, as is her through coverage of not only the events on the bounty, but the evolution of the mutineer's settlement on Pitcairn, the voyage of the Pandora, the court marshal proceedings, and the ultimate fates off the entire Bounty crew. Only one minor complaint, which is really not unique to this book, but ultimately makes it much harder to read than it ought to be: because of the tremendous expanse of space and time covered by the events of the Bounty saga, and especially because of the extensive treatment of the web of players, relations, patrons, and other interested parties in the mutiny story, this book could have benefited greatly from more and better maps (there are only three and these are sparsely labeled and mostly decorative) and from some tables (the closest one comes is a simple crew manifest) and charts depicting the social networks.
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Summary: A compelling read....
Review: I found Alexander's The Bounty to be generally well researched and fairly presented. As one other reviewer correctly points out, she is uneven in places. However, given the nature of the subject and the fact that she is dealing with 200 year old documents, themselves probably uneven, The Bounty is certainly worth the time it will take to read it. The story is familiar. The Bounty, commanded by Bligh, is sent to Tahiti to collect breadfruit specimens for the West Indies. Christian, Bligh's friend and former shipmate is invited to sail by Bligh. The crew, seemingly more educated than the average British naval crew, is somehow changed by their visit to the island paradise. And why not. Bligh is an easy commander given the norms of the day. Alexander points this out by comparing the number of lashes handed out by Bligh over the entire length of the voyage of the Bounty to the number of lashes given out by the commander of the HMS Hector during the time of the trial of the mutineers. Bligh loses. In fact she points out that Bligh, while having a sharp tongue was a kind and caring leader. It is, perhaps, this kindness that is perceived as weakness by the crew.
Read the book and make up your own mind. Caroline Alexander proved her metal when she undertook to write the definitive book on the Endurance. She is a first class researcher and a wonderful writer. She again proves herself with The Bounty. Read the book and then watch the movie, the one with Mel Gibson.
The other two movies dealing with this topic are a waste.
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Summary: Where is Mr. Christian?
Review: Before I comment on Caroline Alexander's extremely well researched and detailed narrative of the Bounty, Captain Bligh, and his crew I must admit that I have always been drawn to this story. In fact, I may be the only person in my generation to have liked the 1962 Marlon Brando film version of "Mutiny on the Bounty". So when I saw Caroline Alexander's book I simply had to read it and although I enjoyed and appreciated the scholarship of the work I found it uneven, and maybe a bit to ambitious. The first chapter, which covers Captain Edwards and his ship the Pandora sailing to capture the mutineers, is simply marvelous. It's a story that cries out to be a book all by itself. The rest of the book sets up as a defense of Captain Bligh and the views of each crew member with an emphasis on Peter Hayward all to explain how Bligh became the villain of the Bounty mutiny rather than it's hero. And much of this I found compelling and interesting. However, and I can not help feeling it is a big problem for the narrative here, Fletcher Christian (they called him, in fact, Mr. Christian) is almost a phantom, with others (the crew and Bligh) left to tell Christian's side and explain his motives. This may explain why many of the popular Bounty books are novels rather than the "true story". It is not, of course, Caroline Alexander's fault that Christian is an enigma here. She tries hard to define him by bring forth-different perspectives offered by the crew as he increasing becomes the villain of the piece. Yet, with what little direct evidence there is Christian becomes an invisible (off stage) personality in this narrative. Is it fair to point this out? I think yes. But at the same time Caroline Alexander can only tell the story from what is know and the documents and historical evidence and tell the story she does with an excellent eye for all sort of details, personality, social status, and the incredible . Yet, it's strangely unsettling to read her present the evidence the Christian did not die on Pitcairn Island, but some how, returned to England to live in semi-secret. Who knows? Who will ever know? And this is the frustration and beauty of this multi leveled narrative.
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Summary: HISTORY - RELIVED AND REVISED
Review: After three movies, several poems, and numerous vignettes, most of us probably think we know the story of that ill-fated ship the Bounty. Many will remember Charles Laughton's unforgettable portrayal of the cruel, tyrannical Captain Bligh. Forget everything you've seen and read because most of it is completely untrue, as is revealed in this landmark history of one of the world's most famous mutinies. Stellar British actor Michael York, acclaimed for his stage and screen roles, offers an impeccable reading of The Bounty in the abridged versions. The unabridged version is in the capable hands of veteran vocal performer Simon Prebble who also gives a top-notch delivery. Surprised listeners will learn, perhaps for the first time, that rather than being an oppressive taskmaster, Captain Bligh was in actuality a fine leader who went to great lengths to avoid using physical punishment. He was, in effect, tossed overboard, sent to sea in a small boat with meager rations, and a few who remained loyal to him. Despite the odds he was able to save all of their lives and take them to land. Perhaps the most spellbinding segment of Ms. Alexander's story is the court martial of the mutineers who were found in Tahiti and returned to England. Remembering the day in 1789 when Fletcher Christian led the insurrection listeners are able to relive that fateful time as they hear it related in the voices of the participants. The author has accomplished an amazing work of scholarship, and the readers give it remarkable voice. - Gail Cooke
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