Mutiny on the Bounty: A Novel

I've read "Mutiny on the Bounty" more times than I can count since I was a teenager and I've read just about everything I have been able to find about the Bounty since then. "Mutiny" is not a history but a romantic novel about the ship and crew. In that regard it paints Bligh as the villain and Christian as the hero. The reality was that Bligh's biggest problem was with his harsh tongue and that Christian's act of mutiny was impulsive. Nevertheless, the saga of the Bounty is perhaps the most famous and enduring sea story. A small ship, about 90 feet long and 20 feet wide leave in 1787 on what should've been an obscure expedition to deliver breadfruit from Tahiti to the Caribbean and instead the crew sailed off into immortality. "Mutiny" is a very romantic telling of the story through the eyes of the young midshipman, Roger Byam (in reality, Peter Heywood). Byam is befriended by and admires Fletcher Christian and he witnesses the abuses of Bligh towards the crew. The ship sojourns in Tahiti which is almost Eden-like to the English sailors. Soon into the homeward journey Christian leads a revolt and throws Bligh and his loyalists off the ship, he returns to Tahiti where the crewmen who couldn't go with Bligh are abandoned along with some of the mutineers who want to take their chances and Christian and 8 others of the crew sail off into oblivion. Byam and the others are caught by a British frigate sent off to avenge the taking of the Bounty and after an ordeal of their own Byam and the others stand trial for mutiny and face the hangman's noose. While not historically accurate it "Mutiny" is still a very enjoyable book and a deeper book than it is given credit for. The clash of cultures, men rebelling against oppression is what "Mutiny on the Bounty" is about. Part III of the Bounty Trilogy, "Pitcairn's Island" is even better than "Mutiny".

I finally got a copy of this book after a lifetime of seeing the story altered and parodied in cinema and television. If you want a great account of the events, that is also interesting reading, look no further. Dont bother to rent the DVD version of the movie, which has just been released. Otherwise you would think that Bligh returns to tahiti to capture Christian personally, which isn't in the book. You would think that Byam got to confront Bligh after being wrongly accused, which isn't in the book. And you would think that people were being keel-hauled from the bounty, which was explicitely stated in the book as being a practice banned years before. If you must watch a movie , watch Mel Gibsons version, but first read the book so you can seperate facts from Holywood "artistic license."

Although "Mutiny" may be one of the "classics" usually thoroughly despised by young people I must say that after reading it I have a much more open mind when it comes to other "classics". "Mutiny of the Bounty" is a thrilling historical fiction adventure at sea. One of the most amazing things about the book is that it has the excitement of a fiction book while staying fairly true to its historical roots. It is a harsh demonstration of seagoing life in the late 1700's (the voyage takes place in 1788-1789) and a beautiful description of life on primitive Tahiti. Nordhoff and Hall use imagery on par with the best authors of our times to bring a view of 18th century Tahiti to our minds where we can imagine the peacefull life of the Indians and sailors there. It also does a great job of creating a theme so emotional that it is difficult to put to words. Another reviewer on this site accurately described it as something along the lines of "a story of misuse of power and the necessity of men to support authority figures to keep order even if they abuse their power" (not an exact quote). This is especially relevant to life at sea where without strict discipline a ship and her crew would be in constant peril. The narrator, Rodger Byam (a fictional character based very strongly on a real midshipman on Bounty named Peter Heywood), tells of his life on Tahiti with his adopted family, his wife and daughter, and his trip in irons back to Mother England, where he discovers that he is to be tried for a mutiny which he had no part in. In several amazing plot twists however his case goes from death to freedom when a man thought to be dead surfaces from a tragedy at sea. I give the book five stars as it is not only on of the most well written books I have ever read, with simply dazzling imagery, but also conveys very emotional theme. It is a must read for anyone of any age capable of reading it.

Mutiny on the Bounty is a stunning work of historical fiction that is a pleasure to read. The novel chronicles the events of the HMS Bounty as seen through the eyes of Roger Byam, a midshipman on the infamous Bounty. Through his eyes, the reader sees the terrible events unfold aboard the ship--the cruelty of Capt. Bligh that ultimately leads Fletcher Christian and much of the crew to mutiny against the captain. With Bligh left at sea, the crew returns to the South Pacific, seeking to make a new life for themselves and hoping to avoid capture and court martial by the British authorities. The conclusion of the novel is heart-wrenching and simply superb (and will be left as a surprise). This novel relies a good deal on historical fact, though the authors clearly fill in the gaps with literary license. The characters are superbly developed and the story is riveting throughout. There is much nautical vocabulary, but this shouldn't distract readers as it can be glossed over without losing any significant content. I am not a historian and can make no statements about the veracity of the portrayals in this book. I do know that readers will find this novel difficult to put down. It is simply a classic story.