Percival Keene

Percival Keene is the illegitimate son of a nobleman who likes to play pranks and be mischievous. After alienating his relations with his boyish tricks, his mother agrees to send him to sea where he receives a commission as a midshipman. Percival desires more than anything to have his real father acknowledge him and goes to great lengths to prove himself worthy to be called his son. I found this an entertaining read. Its hard to imagine this story is several hundred years old. The narrator did an excellent job of bringing Keene and the other crew members alive. Downside? I didn't like Keene as much as I liked some of his other protagonists. Keene is a liar, and his pranks are dangerous and not very funny. At times, I felt his bad behavior was rewarded, and his quest to be acknowledged by his father (who seemed a bit self-absorbed jerk to me), seemed pointless. Instead of being happy with who he is Keene, struggles and strives to be a nobleman which just seemed a bit meh. I also thought Keene became a bit of a snob towards the end, and the way he and his mother treated the poor marine father made me feel bad for him. Overall, this is an entertaining read, still quite relevant to modern day, but I would've liked it more if Keene had been a nicer person.

A truly wonderful British man of war seafaring novel. Marryat is a wonderful story teller. Good characterizations a little mystery. One difference in the Marryat novels is the stories he tells about the pranks that some of the sailors and officers get up to onboard ship and ashore. And of course this is a usual part of shipboard life but the other officers such as O'Brien don't give us as much of this side of life at sea. Some of the pranks had me laughing nearly out of control

This book was a lot of fun. There are a few great characters besides Percival. Captain Delmar, heir to a title and a large estate, is the father of illegitimate Percival and never acknowledges him as his son. He does take Percival on as a midshipman and guides his career. My favorite character is the young coxswain, Bob Cross. He takes care of our hero, protecting and advising him, and teaching him the ways of the navy. Our hero voyages on and goes through some adventures, fights some good battles, is captured by pirates, and saves the life of his future love. The book ends with a violent storm off the French coast and a shipwreck that is described in great detail. The first part of the book is devoted to Percival's Mother and his early childhood. Young Percival is a scamp, a rogue, and a prankster. He is not a particularly pleasant young man. His antics are funny and I felt sorry for his first schoolmaster. All of Marryat's books have a similar theme. A young man of noble birth (usually unknown to him) goes to sea, does good, wins promotion, meets his love, then return home to title, wealth, and fame. But Marryat's books are all a lot of fun and worth reading. They were written by a Royal Navy Captain that served in the Napoleonic War.