( 13 reviews )
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Posted: Jul 29 2009
I don't know, maybe I missed something in the book that I should have seen. Maybe I went started the book with the wrong mindset. Maybe I didn't pay as much attention to the book as I should have, but I honestly don't see much in this book worth reading. In real life, I'm sure Dana's life at sea was somewhat exciting, but I found very little excitement in this book. It didn't help that I knew almost nothing about sailing, for example, the names of the different ropes and masts. Dana spent so much time describing the process of preparing a ship and working the ropes. I still don't know what to "well" a rope means after reading the book. I also didn't realize that the main character was the author until half way through the book, since there was hardly any dialogue, and they never said his name. That's probably the thing that did it for me the most. There are pages on end with NO dialogue, and, to me at least, dialogue usually keeps a book more interesting. I did, however, learn more about life at sea and in California in the 1800s. The parts where he is in California tanning hides were somewhat interesting. I had to read Two Years Before the Mast for school. If this is also your fate, I sympathize. However, if you MUST read it, let it be known that you CAN do it. It's not impossible, as much as it may seem at times. If you are considering reading this for fun, go ahead and try, but don't feel bad if you don't finish it. I and others like me understand. If you want to learn about life on a ship and California in the 1800s, don't mind a slow read, and have a very long attention span, then go ahead and dive into this book!
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Posted: Mar 19 2009
Teachers miss a great opportunity to create good readers when they don't introduce young people to this book. Perfect for males age 12 to 99.
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( 0 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jan 21 2009
My husband requested this book, but hasn't read it yet. He is looking forward to reading it after he finishes reading "Twenty Years After the Mast".
