THE GUINEA BOAT IS GREAT!
While it
features different characters and craft, The
Guinea Boat can be regarded as a very satisfying sequel to Bond’s first
foray into the world of freebooting during the Age of Nelson, Turn a Blind Eye. This time, his story
features two likely lads who are struggling to survive in the shore-side village
of Hastings, England, one firmly on the right side of the law (and bullied
because of it), and the other an opportunist with his eye on profit and
fortune. The focus is a smart little fishing
lugger, mortaged to a pair of roughs who demand the impossible sum of guinea a
week.
In the first of
several edge-of-the-seat thrills, the boys are snatched by a press gang, to be
rescued by a flamboyand free-trader, whose real name is Prettyman but is known
as Ugly Joe—and a rotten scoundrel of a pirate he is, indeed. And, from then
on, life gets even more complicated, as he involves the boys in his nefarious
doings. Excitement piles on excitement as Nat and Alex follow their different,
but often converging, paths, leading up to about the best climax to a seafaring
tale I have ever read. Alaric Bond is an experienced writer, and this shows, as
does the deep love of the sea and sail that runs in his veins. The Guinea Boat is recommended to all lovers
of tales of adventure at sea, as teenagers will enjoy it just as much as their
parents and grandparents, if not even more.
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