Rating: 
Summary: Informative, hardly "The True Story", but still a good read
Review: The good aspects of this book are that is quite informative and easy
to read. Nautical terms are clearly defined and easy to
understand. Several charts explain the Profile, Deck, Spar Plan,
Sailing Plan, Points of Sail, and Wind and Water Currents. Diagrams
also explain how a full-rigged ship is tacked (turned) and follow the
course of the ship during its maiden voyage, which was most
interesting around Cape Horn. Several photographs reproduce a painting
and engraving of the "Flying Cloud", its builder Donald
McKay, and Captain Creesy. Unfortunately no photo of Mrs. Creesy is
reproduced. Still the charts, diagrams and photographs are very
helpful.Another good aspect of the book is that Shaw provides quite
a lot of information regarding the "Flying Cloud", which is
why I bought the book.... Information is also given on how much water
was carried, that it was for drinking and not bathing, and what type
of provisioning was loaded. Shaw writes about the nature of the cargo
and that the value of the shipping costs equalled "Flying
Cloud's" building costs. We are informed about the contents of
the Medicine Cabinet, about the livestock taken aboard, about
Celestial Navigation, the fact that fresh foods iced lasted for over a
month, and much more. Here the book is very strong. The book is
really about Captain Creesy's wife, Eleanor, who was the navigator on
the journey described, and who worked as a partner with her
husband. Shaw tries very hard to show what an intelligent and unusual
person she was for her time, or really any time at all, and what an
excellent navigator she was. She is portayed as a kind, sensitive,
concerned and brave person, popular with both passengers and crew
alike, devoted to her husband and the ship. I can imagine that it must
have been difficult to recreate her persona, from the doubtless scant
sources. Shaw brings this off fairly well. The worst aspect of this
book is that it is not the "True Story" of the Flying
Cloud. All dialogues, and fortunately there are not too many, are
invented, and are times rather tedious. For example, tender moments
between Captain Creesy and his wife are not credible, and are also
written, as most of the other dialogues, in an unmistakable Twentieth
Century Style. This greatly distracts from the Story. Other dialogues,
such as that of the Captain and the first Mate, Thomas Austin, are
also much too obviously contrived, as are those between the
passengers, which are just plain unbelievable. Shaw should not have
titled the Book "The True Story", or he should have not
included dialogues. It seems that Mr. Shaw had difficulties with these
sections as the style shifts markedly between these and the maritime
portions of the book, where he is much more knowledgable and obviously
more comfortable. For the reader these shifts are
distracting. ....Also Shaw would have
done well to work with an Editor to correct the many stylistic flaws,
especially in the dialogues. Had he done so, the book would have been
great, instead of just a good read, and could have become a classic
book in an often overlooked area of American History. I still
recommend this book for leisurly reading. It's enjoyable to read and
informative.
Rating:
Summary: Informative, hardly "The True Story", but still a good read
Review: The good aspects of this book are that is quite informative and easyto read. Nautical terms are clearly defined and easy tounderstand. Several charts explain the Profile, Deck, Spar Plan,Sailing Plan, Points of Sail, and Wind and Water Currents. Diagramsalso explain how a full-rigged ship is tacked (turned) and follow thecourse of the ship during its maiden voyage, which was mostinteresting around Cape Horn. Several photographs reproduce a paintingand engraving of the "Flying Cloud", its builder DonaldMcKay, and Captain Creesy. Unfortunately no photo of Mrs. Creesy isreproduced. Still the charts, diagrams and photographs are veryhelpful.Another good aspect of the book is that Shaw provides quitea lot of information regarding the "Flying Cloud", which iswhy I bought the book.... Information is also given on how much waterwas carried, that it was for drinking and not bathing, and what typeof provisioning was loaded. Shaw writes about the nature of the cargoand that the value of the shipping costs equalled "FlyingCloud's" building costs. We are informed about the contents ofthe Medicine Cabinet, about the livestock taken aboard, aboutCelestial Navigation, the fact that fresh foods iced lasted for over amonth, and much more. Here the book is very strong.The book isreally about Captain Creesy's wife, Eleanor, who was the navigator onthe journey described, and who worked as a partner with herhusband. Shaw tries very hard to show what an intelligent and unusualperson she was for her time, or really any time at all, and what anexcellent navigator she was. She is portayed as a kind, sensitive,concerned and brave person, popular with both passengers and crewalike, devoted to her husband and the ship. I can imagine that it musthave been difficult to recreate her persona, from the doubtless scantsources. Shaw brings this off fairly well.The worst aspect of thisbook is that it is not the "True Story" of the FlyingCloud. All dialogues, and fortunately there are not too many, areinvented, and are times rather tedious. For example, tender momentsbetween Captain Creesy and his wife are not credible, and are alsowritten, as most of the other dialogues, in an unmistakable TwentiethCentury Style. This greatly distracts from the Story. Other dialogues,such as that of the Captain and the first Mate, Thomas Austin, arealso much too obviously contrived, as are those between thepassengers, which are just plain unbelievable. Shaw should not havetitled the Book "The True Story", or he should have notincluded dialogues. It seems that Mr. Shaw had difficulties with thesesections as the style shifts markedly between these and the maritimeportions of the book, where he is much more knowledgable and obviouslymore comfortable. For the reader these shifts aredistracting.....Also Shaw would havedone well to work with an Editor to correct the many stylistic flaws,especially in the dialogues. Had he done so, the book would have beengreat, instead of just a good read, and could have become a classicbook in an often overlooked area of American History. I stillrecommend this book for leisurly reading. It's enjoyable to read andinformative.
Rating: 
Summary: Adventure and Americana together
Review: This book is a must read that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Any one who has a love of sailing will be immediately swept away by this tale of the great clipper ship Flying Cloud and her maiden voyage from NYC to San Francisco. At the time of her first voyage, the Panama Canal had not been built yet and ships had to sail all the way around South America and the feared Cape Horn. Flying Cloud set a new-world record of just under 90 days on her first trip. She would later better her own record. The author does a wonderful job of describing the conditions of sail and the perils and problems faced by the captain, and the crew.The armchair sailor, without much experience but a desire to dream of distant places will also enjoy this book as it takes you on a remarkable trip on the high seas. The writing is clear and descriptive and makes it easy to close your eyes and imagine yourself standing on the pitching deck or climbing the slippery ratlines to reef the sails. The author has included descriptions within the narrative (and a glossary) that make it easy for a landlubber to understand the nautical references describing the actions taking place. In fact, I learned that "dead reckoning" is actually short for "deduced reckoning" - see the book to learn more! For the history buff, this book is a wonderful depiction of the clipper ships that played such a big part in Americas past. Not only that, but the Cloud's navigator was the captain's wife - which was truly remarkable considering that the Victorian era was a man's world that allowed women very few freedoms or liberties. This book is a work of history that actually reads like a best-selling work of fiction. The author has captured the danger, excitement and adventure in compelling detail. Once begun it was impossible to put down. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Clipper Ship book!
Review: This book is about the Clipper Ship FLYING CLOUD and her record breaking voyage between New York and San Francisco in 1851, a record that would stand for over 100 years. The navigator was Ellen Creesy, the wife of the captain, Perkins Creesy. Ellen was interested in science and the natural world, rare for a woman of her day, and still rare even today. She must have been a jewel, in addition to being an excellent navigator. The book covers life aboard a Clipper Ship very well, from the viewpoints of the sailors, officers, captain, passengers, and also of Ellen. Clipper Ships were primarly used to transport cargo at a speed unattainable with sailing ships of previous designs. The passage around the treacherous Cape Horn is also covered well. This book is very well written, a joy to read and at times hard to put down. The Clipper Ship era was one of the romantic times of sailing. I understand that no surviving examples of the Clipper Ships remain to this day. I would love to see one, and if I am wrong someone please do a review of this book and inform us.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book, Good Read!
Review: This is not a history book, nor does it claim to be. So if you are a sailing purist, looking for a true history of what actually happened on Flying Cloud's maiden voyage, you will be disappointed.
If, however, you are looking for a good historical novel, and there is nothing wrong with using a novel's format to teach truly GOOD history, then you will be delighted. Based as much on fact as could be assembled, this is a story about the remarkable accomplishment of an excellent navigator who utilized as much of the scientific advances of her time as was then currently available, to achieve truly remarkable results.
I think most reviewers miss the point of this work. Eleanor Creasy, the story's pivotal character, was likely the first navigator on a truly fast ship to incorporate Matthew Fontaine Maury's, Physical Geography of the Sea. This compendium of seasons, winds, and currents flew in the face of all previous navigational works back to the beginning of time. It was the most remarkable sailing advance ever. Its impact on sailing was akin to the impact the Internet has had on the world over the last 20 years. Eleanor's adoption of it, her use of the most advanced scientific navigation tool of her time, is the reason HER achievement, not Maury's, stood for over 100 years. Her drive to win, to succeed in the great sea races of her time, her willingness to take risks no one else took, is the true essence of her story.
And those characteristics, when combined with what had to be her own innate excellence as a navigator, are why her achievement stands so tall. She really had to be quite remarkable as an 1850s navigator: Why else would she have been entrusted with her ship's owners and her husband, the captain's, complete confidence. She simply had to be darn good before this trip. Thinking outside the box, as she likely often did, is what made her great.
This is a good book. Don't miss it.
Rating:
Summary: I still feel the wind in my hair
Review: This was a wonderful account of the maiden voyage. The hardships faced by the passengers and crew made my realize how difficult it must have been to sail during those times. The detailed course charts were facinating to me. I highly recommend this book for those interesting in this famous ship.
Rating:
Summary: I still feel the wind in my hair
Review: This was a wonderful account of the maiden voyage. The hardships faced by the passengers and crew made my realize how difficult it must have been to sail during those times. The detailed course charts were facinating to me. I highly recommend this book for those interesting in this famous ship.
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