lego et scribo

Not So Jolly

Revisado: 07-27-22

The author has clearly done a great deal of research, but there are many gaps, multiple repetitions, and a few errors. Her tone is bizarrely perky for the realities of death, slavery, sex work, and other very serious matters under discussion. Neither she nor her editor paid attention to details like:
--Odysseus did NOT have wax stuffed in his ears (that's why he was tied to the mast) when he and his men (who DID have wax in their ears) sailed past the sirens.
--If you say in one chapter that the pirates shared their plunder equally, you can't say in another chapter that a captain got a share and half, officers got a share and a quarter, etc - which is it? (The second, I believe.)
--Daniel Defoe did not write the first English-language novel. Aphra Behn and Eliza Haywood are at least two women who beat him to it.
--Phrases like "turn a blind eye" and "turn a deaf ear" are ableist and should be avoided.

The overall impression is one of giddy sloppiness. The author clearly loves (and sympathizes with) her subjects, which might have made her unable to recognize nuances and conflicts. I managed to finish the book, but overall I found it very disappointing. As another reviewer noted, the information provided is often repetitive, yet it is also skimpy. There are throwaway lines like "We'll never know!" or "It's a mystery!" Arguments are not developed, and she continually credits people of the late 16th through 18th centuries with emotions and attitudes without providing clear evidence or support. She seems to assume that pirate hangings were the only executions that drew a crowd, which is simply not true - she provides no historical context or discussion about what else was going on in the print explosion. The book is largely based on speculation and is really quite exasperating.

Also, a narrator of a seafaring book should know how to pronounce "quay" and "boatswain" correctly (hint: not phonetically).

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Intriguing idea, disappointing story

Revisado: 05-05-21

The sweeping themes of Faustian bargains, love, reality, remembrance, art, and three hundred years of history provide an ambitious concept. But it falls flat. The characters don't really develop or draw the reader in, and the author's overall commentary on the tropes she's introduced remain murky. There are also many stylistic choices that become repetitive, predictable, and tiresome. There are a few lovely moments, but ultimately the story doesn't fulfill its promise.

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Lovely story, lackluster narrator

Revisado: 03-02-21

Like many reviewers, I was thrilled to see more Barbara Pym titles available on Audible. And I was also crestfallen when I listened to the narrator. Who in the world pronounces "relax" as "relocks"? Her accent was utterly unconvincing, the sort that Americans do when they're trying to sound posh, and her delivery was fey and monotonous. I'm partially blind, so my options are limited - I can't just find a paperback somewhere and read that if I don't like the narrator. Now, I must choose between listening to a narrator make a sad hash of truly delightful books or limit myself to "Excellent Woman," which has a fine narrator. Barbara Pym deserves better.

If you can handle the lamentable narration, I do recommend the book - it is funny and bittersweet, just what I'd hoped for.

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NOT unabridged

Revisado: 09-12-12

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes and no. I have already recommended the book to my fellow grad students, but I would caution them against purchasing this version. The Audible recording inexplicably omits the final two chapters, the list of resources, and the appendices. I found everything in the book helpful, so I can only imagine that these missing pieces would be interesting as well. The book itself gets a high rating, but Audible's representation of their product is misleading, and the decision to end the book where they do is baffling (not to mention stupid).

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