Captains Courageous (Penguin Classics) [Mass Market Paperback]

Rudyard Kipling (Author), John Seelye (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: May 31, 2005

First published in 1897, Captains Courageous tells of the high-seas adventures of Harvey Cheyne, the son of an American millionaire, who, after falling from a luxury ocean liner, is rescued by the raucous crew of the fishing ship We’re Here. Obstinate and spoiled at first, Harvey in due course learns diligence and responsibility and earns the camaraderie of the seamen, who treat him as one of their own. A true test of character, Harvey’s months aboard the We’re Here provide a delightful glimpse of life at sea and well-told morals of discipline, empathy, and self-reliance.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up-By Rudyard Kipling. Narrated by Flo Gibson.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Review

"Throughout the world his voice commanded more respect than any citizen other than heads of state."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142437719
• ISBN-13: 978-0142437711
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,771,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars grand tale of adventure and human nature, January 29, 2003

By 

jeanne-scott (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Captains Courageous (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

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!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story about diligence, sea faring and fun!, August 13, 1999

By 

Nicole C "englishlitstudies" (midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Captains Courageous (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

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!

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Is The Captain Courageous enough for a Critique?, May 30, 2001

By 

blackGT2 (Gorham,ME) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Captains Courageous (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

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.