The Wreck of the "Grosvenor" (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

By W. Clark Russell

Mr. Royle, a young second mate aboard a British Mercantile Marine vessel, copes with the cruel Captain Coxon, his callous first mate, and a mutinous crew. A beautiful young woman rescued from a shipwreck only complicate matters, both in safety and in love. This 1877 novel, boldly subtitled "An Account of the Mutiny of the Crew and the Loss of the Ship When Trying to Make the Bermudas," was Russell’s most popular--and led to reforms in conditions aboard merchant vessels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Release date: Apr 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9781411451117

Reviews for The Wreck of the "Grosvenor" (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

[schmerguls · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have wanted to read this book for years and when I came across a copy I was glad.. The book was first published in 1877. apparently by Dodd, Mead * Company.. The copy I read was published by Grosset and Dunlap but no year of publication is shown in the book. It starts out very excitingly and event is piled on event, including a rescue of a beautiful woman and her aged father and a murderous mutiny. There is a fierce storm, but after the mutineers leave the ship the story becomes didactic and overly sentimental and its very predictable conclusion made the book less satisfactory. , There is a lot of sailing ship language which certainly suggests the author knew a lot about sailing ships but adds nothing to the enjoyment of the story.

[stbalbach_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Wreck of the Grosvenor (1877) was the most popular mid-Victorian melodrama of heroism and adventure at sea, according to Johnathan Sutherland. Russell was admired by Joseph Conrad and the similarities are striking. Russell is at best good genre fiction - Conrad took it to a new level. If your looking for an easy to read 19th century sea tale with heroic deeds, evil captains, epic storms, salty old seamen who would stick ya, this is probably one of the best. It's not high literature but the action is non-stop and it feels authentic. Its portrayal of the heroin is hilarious at times but instructive of how far we have come. All around good light fun with a forgotten classic of the 19th century.