The mutiny on board HMS Bounty has become one of the most abiding
of all the great sagas of the sea. Over the years, myths and
legends took their place alongside the facts, creating a distorted
version of history. William Bligh was often portrayed as a harsh
and ruthless captain while the mutineer Fletcher Christian was
romanticised into an avenging hero. Caroline Alexander takes a
fresh look at this famous historical event, employing extensive
research to bring new information to light. Using contemporaneous
accounts, she allows the mutineers to tell their story in their own
words. This is an adventure story full of colour and excitement,
complete with exotic locations, death and disease, dissent and
rebellion and survival against all odds. On 28 April 1789, just
before sunrise, master's mate Fletcher Christian and three other
armed men entered the cabin of their captain, William Bligh, tied
him up and took control of the ship. Under the disturbed command of
Christian, they put Bligh and other dissenters into a 23-foot craft
and sent them out to sea, certain that they would perish. Against
all the odds, Bligh commandeered the little ship across 4,162 miles
of frequently perilous oceans to safety in the Dutch East Indies.
The drama of their 45 days adrift, surviving on meagre portions of
food and water and catching sea birds to eat, is vividly conveyed.
Throughout the ordeal, Bligh held on tenaciously to his sanity and
his navigational expertise to ensure the survival of his desperate
crew. When he finally returned to England in 1790, the Admiralty
mobilised an expedition to hunt down the mutineers and the story
tracks the details of the fate that awaited Christian and his
followers. This account of the story begins before the Bounty
sailed and ends with the death of the last participant, looking at
the backgrounds and personalities of the men and how these might
have influenced events. The personal letters and accounts give the
narrative an immediacy that recreates the atmosphere of the time.
This is history at its best. (Kirkus UK)
The bestselling author of The Endurance reveals the startling truth
behind the legend of the Mutiny on the Bounty -- the most famous
sea story of all time. More than two centuries have passed since
Fletcher Christian mutinied against Lt. Bligh on a small armed
transport vessel called Bounty. Why the details of this obscure
adventure at the end of the world remain vivid and enthralling is
as intriguing as the truth behind the legend. Caroline Alexander
focusses on the court martial of the ten mutineers captured in
Tahiti and brought to justice in Portsmouth. Each figure emerges as
a richly drawn character caught up in a drama that may well end on
the gallows. With enormous scholarship and exquisitely drawn
characters, The Bounty is a tour de force.
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