Customer Reviews

Captains Courageous (Tor Classics)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Captains Courageous is a wonderful story of a pampered and indulged boy, the son of a millionaire, named Harvey Cheyne. He has no responsibilities and is given anything he wants. He lacks respect for anyone and that includes himself. He is washed overboard from a luxury liner while on a trip with his mother and is picked up by a fisherman. The fishing boat can not return him immediately because they have a crew that needs to earn a living. Harvey's family presumes that he is dead, drowned at sea. The story of Harvey's growing up involves responsibilty, hard work, trust and honor. Rudyard Kipling tells the story marvelously. The story is brilliantly crafted and a pure delight to read. The language of the story gives it the feel of the times and helps illustrate the rough lifestyles involved. This is a grand morality tale of adventure, human nature and the value of real love. I read this as a young teenager, but now (many years later!!) I see what an awesome author Kipling truly was!!!! This is a book to be read again!

Many people say this is a boring book, or has no story line, or is just about someone working their b---- off, but I found it to be a *wonderful* book.

Harvey Cheyne is a spoiled brat who falls off a ship and is picked up by a small fishing boat. Since the boat can't possibly go back to port without getting a full load of fish Harvey will have to wait. Meanwhile, since he _is_ eating their food (the man who does not work shall not eat...), they quickly have him join in on the work aboard ship. He goes against it at first, but gradually comes to see what really matters in life. It's not how much money you have- but how you affect those around you. Harvey learns diligence and plain, hard work. Sure- it's not always a ton of fun, but no one said life was pure fun. He learns many lessons through different experiences. I found this to be *very* enjoyable. I also liked reading about the different descriptions of how fishing was done back then.

All in all, this made for a very fascinating read, and I recommend it to anyone!

Is The Captain Courageous enough for a Critique? The book "Captains Courageous", written by Rudyard Kipling is the struggle of a young, immature boy learning what it is to be a real man through different hardships and ordeals he encounters. The young boys name is Harvey Cheyne. The book is an adventure story take takes place on the ocean. The struggle that Harvey goes through could be argued that it is similar to Kipling's life in a way. Harvey is a fifteen-year-old boy whose parents are extremely rich. He has a very demanding and strong personality that shows up early in the novel. Harvey is thrown into a situation where he has to learn to become a man so he can survive. In the beginning Harvey falls of his ship into the ocean where he is then rescued by a small New England fishing boat. He demands that the captain returns him to his home with his parents and wealth, but the captain and crew do not listen. If they were to turn around they would lose several hundred dollars. Instead the captain makes a deal with Harvey. He tells him, that they will feed and clothe him if he helps on the ship. Harvey has no other choice so he accepts the deal. When he first begins work he is clumsy and slow at getting it done. He has never really had to do physical work before, so this is all new to him. Harvey works for months on the fishing vessel and some changes finally become apparent. His hands are rough and covered in work calluses, unlike the soft and smooth hands he use to have. He also begins to realize what it is like to be a real man. He has to work not only for himself, but for others as well. He also learns that everyone has to put their best effort into everything they do so everyone benefits. Later in the book Harvey witnesses a death of a Frenchman. While watching the funeral he realizes how important life and death really is. At the end of the story Harvey is returned to his family, but not as an immature boy, but as a strong and stable man with a new look at life. Throughout the novel Harvey goes through different hardships that shape him into a new person. Kipling also went through different events that changed him into a different person. At an early age Kipling was put into a foster home where another family then took him to the South Sea where he was beaten and bullied. He was left with psychological scars and a sense of betrayal. Kipling was taken away from his family where he had no control, just like Harvey when he fell into the ocean and then had to stay on the fishing boat for several months. Kipling was also bullied in a way just like Harvey was. Harvey had to do things he wasn't use to and it wasn't his choice. He had to do this to survive and Kipling had to do things to keep progressing through his life. Kipling was also reunited with his family after some his life changing events took place. Kipling also experienced a death like Harvey, but it was a bit different. Kipling had to experience dealing with the death of his son John. His son was killed in action during World War 1. This death was different then the one Harvey saw, but it still left a huge impact on his life. After facing his childhood events and going through a war and the death of his son, Kipling had many ideas he could use in his writings. The events might not have been good ones from his life, but they stuck with him for his whole life. Throughout the novel Kipling used many descriptive words to help give me the whole idea of what was going on. At times it was like I was there and was experiencing it in first person. Kipling did a good job at keeping me interested throughout the book. He didn't leave the story hanging, or have many slow and boring points in the book. There was always something to keep my interest. I also like how it was easy to understand and I didn't have to analyze everything to make sure I knew what was happening. I like how he seemed to base some of his ideas for this story on his own life. I think in doing this he gave the story extra thought into how it was wrote. I also think because he bases some of it on his own real life experiences he knew how to describe the events in the story better. The book, "Captains Courageous", is a well-written adventure story about boy and how he changes through part of his life. With well describe scenes and a good story line; Kipling keeps the reader interested through the whole book. If you are a person that likes a good adventure story or likes to read about opinions on how some people change throughout their lives then I recommend this book. I think that the story would have been a bit better if at the end the story had continued a bit into Harvey's life once he was back with his family with his new knowledge. Overall, I think that Kipling did a good job with the descriptions and whole idea of the story.

The main character of this book,15-year-old Harvey, is one year older than I am, so I am in a unique position to know that he was very fortunate to be taught the life lesson he learned. I know some people who would benefit from this lesson. This book tells of a story where arrogance must be tossed overboard to survive the challenges of life. Harvey learned about that the hard way. It paid off tremendously. He finally appreciated his parents instead of torturing them emotionally. He learned how to fish and to earn his keep. Harvey became a genuine person to his father, to his mother, to the crew on the We're Here, and to himself. Perhaps you should read Captains Courageous, too.

When I started this book, I couldn't help but make some comparisons to Jack London's, Sea Wolf. The protagonist is picked up by a boat at sea and wants to be dropped off on shore, but the captain refuses and, instead, solicits his help on the ship's voyage, hoping to teach him something about real work along the way. And right about there the two novels diverge. While Jack London's, Sea Wolf goes through an increasingly complicated plot and conflict, Rudyard Kipling's, Captains Courageous simply lets us in on the cruise. Though they take two very different courses, I think that they both succeeded in their separate endeavors. Kipling relies on his description and scenes to set the story before us, and he achieves this masterfully. Describing life on board a fishing vessel could very easily turn out to be tedious, but Kipling uses such nice language and great characters that you almost feel as if you are there experiencing it with them, through the good and the bad. The ending is hardly surprising, but more importantly it feels right. One thing to note is that, while Kipling does describe things fairly well, this is still written back in the age of sail, so many of the terms are taken for granted for someone not well versed in that era. If that is the case, the reader might feel lost for a good portion of the story. Still, the writing is pleasant enough that you almost don't need to know what is going on, you're just happy to be along for the ride.

An exciting, sea-faring adventure, Captains Courageous was first published in 1896. It takes place in the North Atlantic in the late 1800s. The main characters are:

Harvey Cheyne, a 15-year-old boy raised in high society who has been indulged with the best of everything;

Disko Troop, captain of a small fishing boat, the We're Here, who teaches Harvey some important lessons; Dan Troop, Disko's son and Harvey's comrade while stranded on the ship.

Summary:

The rich and spoiled Harvey Cheyne was on a large ship with his adoring mother in the middle of the sea when he tumbled overboard. His own ship couldn't find him in the thick fog. Luckily, a Portuguese fisherman hauled him into his dory and brought him safely back to a fishing boat, the We're Here. Harvey told the captain of the boat, Disko Troop, how he had fallen overboard and that he would be generously rewarded by his father, the rich Mr. Cheyne, when he took him home. Disko thought Harvey had "swallowed too much seawater." Instead, he put the boy to work. At first, Harvey did not accept this as he had never done a days work in his life, but Disko Troop made it clear that unless he wanted to swim home, he would work for his stay. So Harvey worked. At first, he got the most undesirable jobs like cleaning and salting the cod they caught, as well as mopping the deck. Gradually, as Harvey began to prove himself a hard worker, Disko Troop gave him jobs that required more responsibility. As Harvey learned the ropes of the fishermen, he grew to like it and began to be accepted as one of them. But, when will he get home? Will he want to go home? What will the fishermen say when they find out who he really is?

On a scale of 1 to 10, Captains Courageous deserves a solid 9 because it's a great adventure and the characters become real people in one's mind.

This book is loaded with convincing and picturesque details of life at sea in a small fishing boat, and details particular to the time. But these are the book's best points.

Characters are 2-dimensional and relatively unconvincing, the prose is loaded with jargon (interesting and picturesque jargon, but still jargon), and the story line, though believable, is uninspired.

The basic tale is this: a spoiled rich brat falls off a luxury liner, and is saved from death in the depths by a small fishing boat. On the boat, for the first time in his life the brat must follow orders, and do some real work. It's a good basis for a story, but done unrealistically. (If you want to see the same basic idea done well, read "Sand", by Will James) The supposedly incorrigible brat converts overnight, and begins doing his best to learn the ropes. The conflict is over instantly, and all that is left to the book is the details of day-to-day on the fishing boat, with an occasional adventure.

It's not terrible; it is believable in most ways, loaded with interesting detail, and has a satisfying ending. But it has little or none of Kipling's more typical tales' whimsy and grace of language.

Like many other teenagers, I was quite reluctant to begin the task of reading Captains Courageous. Since it was required reading, it couldn't possibly be exciting reading, right? Wrong! I found Captains Courageous extremely entertaining, exciting, and thought-provoking. I feel like many people, young and old alike, can learn a lesson from Harvey Cheyne. Though Harvey saw himself as a big-shot, he was just another laborer in the eyes of the We're Here crew. In the overall scheme of things, we are all equal. When it came to sea-life, Harvey's privileged upbringing availed little. I would certainly reccomend this book to anyone who likes adventure stories, or who just likes a good book!

For a better experience, watch the movie instead. This 'classical' work is full of accents (o -> aou, as in naouw rather than now) and nautical jargon. Deciphering them detracts from the experience of reading. Be prepared to skim.

Harvey Cheyne falls off his cruise line and gets picked up by poor fishermen. They don't believe he's rich and make him work, beating the bad habits out of him (violence solves problems, nice life lesson). Harvey accepts his situation unrealistically fast. The major conflict is over within twenty-five pages, and swiftly the novel is reduced to a tedium of everyday life on a fishing boat circa 1890, English waters. The other high point (near the end) is Harvey having a heart-to-heart talk with his Dad about his adventures.

A good beginning and end, but tedious middle. This is a window into old fisher customs, and not a coming-of-age novel (minor theme). As a man's man, Captain Long Jack finds his way into derivative works, and I was curious enough to read the original. This 'classic' work needs modern editing for readability and story flow.

With such a classic novel like this, its important that the image you get from a casseste is the same you get in your head from reading it. The cast of this cassete does an extraordinary job of bringing the crew of the 'We're Here' to life. The voices are great and the sounds and stories of daily ship life make you feel like you're there pulling up fish with Dan and Harvey! Great listening!!