A Country Of Our Own: A Novel Of The Civil War At Sea [Large Print] [Hardcover]

David Poyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2003

After fighting on the shores of the Potomac, Lt. Ker Custis Claiborne runs the blockade out of New Orleans aboard a converted side wheeler-turned-Confederate raider. He and his saturnine mentor, Captain Parker Trezevant, burn, sink, and destroy across the Caribbean, to undermine the Union's financial might and force a truce favorable to the Confederacy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Civil War at sea is the unusual backdrop for this second volume in a series (after Fire on the Waters) following the career of Ker Claiborne, hero of the haplessly inadequate Confederate Navy. As one of several hundred officers who reluctantly leave U.S. service and offer their swords to the Southern cause, Claiborne initially finds himself a sailor without a ship. Following a brief but bloody land skirmish in which he demonstrates his bravado and strategic genius-as well as his loyalty to the South, something that has been questioned by his arch rival Henry Minter-Claiborne is finally appointed second officer aboard the CSS Montgomery, a hastily converted side-wheeler, now commissioned as a raider. Following a flurry of successful adventures, the Montgomery is disabled, and Claiborne is appointed captain of the CSS Maryland, a Yankee opium clipper he manages to seize. From the helm of this magnificent ship, Claiborne leads his intrepid crew on a series of high adventures that find their climax in a stunning sea battle. Poyer's determination to present a complex, historically accurate sea yarn is impressive, but his tendency to clutter the narrative with technical detail and terminology will befuddle those without nautical expertise. Sailing enthusiasts will be in their element, however, and diehard Civil War enthusiasts will find that the breadth of scope and breathlessness of pace compensate for the overload of naval detail. The prolific Poyer leaves plenty of loose ends dangling, so more is to be expected of Claiborne and his crew of swashbuckling rebels.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Poyer's determination to present a complex, historically accurate sea yarn is impressive....Sailing enthusiasts will be in their element."

-- Publishers Weekly

"Will receive -- and deserves -- a warm welcome from the C. S. Forester/Patrick O'Brian audience."

-- Kirkus Reviews

"If you have any love for ships or the sea, Poyer's narrative reads, as the critics say, as well as Conrad, Melville, and Wouk."

-- The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 715 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (November 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786258365
• ISBN-13: 978-0786258369
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,150,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Country of Our Own, July 26, 2003

By 

K. Freeman (Apple Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Country of Our Own : A Novel of the Civil War at Sea (Hardcover)

In this sequel to Fire on the Waters, Ker Claiborne becomes captain of a commerce-raider.

Country of Our Own is a bit disconcerting as a sequel because only Claiborne's point of view appears. He's an engaging, well-drawn character, but what happened to the other protagonists from the first book? I would have liked to follow them as well.

The book is completely from Claiborne's perspective, including his feelings about secession and the Confederate flag (which some modern readers may find disconcerting, but which seem historically probable) and slavery. Some of the secondary characters -- Olivia, Minter, Henshaw -- show promise, but vanish disappointingly; Minter, a main antagonist, is hustled out of the story in an expository section, and it's not clear whether Henshaw survives to the end of the book or not. An African-American point of view would have made a good counterpoint, but unlike in the first book Poyer does not give us one, and Ker's servant Romulus seems more a stereotype than a person.

Battle and action scenes are very strong throughout. The plot moves fast and grips the reader, and most of the sentence-level writing is vivid, with some striking images. Despite my reservations about the handling of secondary characters, I enjoyed the book very much and recommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Country of Their Own by David Poyer, January 11, 2007

By 

Thomas Plantenberg (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Country of Our Own: A Novel of the Confederate Raiders (Paperback)

Excellent novel about the Civil War at Sea. David Poyer's research and knowledge, coupled with his ability to capture personalities and frame events is unmatched. I've been in the Navy for 38 years, and have never found a better writer about issues relating to the Sea.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good solid Civil War read, October 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Country of Our Own : A Novel of the Civil War at Sea (Hardcover)

I came to this after reading James L. Nelson's latest novel, "Glory in the Name," so there was some danger in getting too much of a good thing. Both books are about the naval fronts of the Civil War, but that is where the likenesses between the books begins to end. This is solid good stuff, and it's obvious that Poyer has done his homework. If you like Nelson's book, which squeaks out this one by just a nubbin because of Nelson's great sense of humor, you will probably enjoy the further advntures of Custis Claiborne in this book.