Go Saddle the Sea [Hardcover]

Joan Aiken (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 1978

Despised by his Spanish relatives, orphan Felix Brooke is lonely and unhappy until he is given a parcel containing a letter from his dead father, which inspires him to track down his long-lost English family. First published in hardback in 1978.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] spellbinder . . . Suspense, fun and a fair share of spooky doing and evil plots embellish this energetic and superbly written tale."--Parents Magazine

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

Joan Aiken, daughter of the American writer Conrad Aiken, was born in Rye, Sussex, England, and has written more than sixty books for children, including The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd (March 16, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 022401546X
• ISBN-13: 978-0224015462
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,324,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joan Aiken (1924-2004) was the daughter of Pulitzer prize winning poet Conrad Aiken and started writing herself from the age of five. During her lifetime she published over one hundred books for children and adults, including the acclaimed Wolves of Willoughby Chase series. In the UK she received an MBE from the Queen for her services to Children's Literature.

This year sees the publication of a brand NEW story collection - The Monkey's Wedding - with previously unpublished material that shows Aiken on top form. This collection of funny, spooky, unexpected but classic Aiken stories has received wonderful reviews and will delight her readers. See below for details.

Her work continues to be adapted for film and television; she is established as a consummate storyteller,and recognized as one of the best loved authors of the twentieth century.

"The Wonderful World of Joan Aiken" is at www.joanaiken.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-paced and whimsical, July 11, 2000

By 

Jane Massey (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Go Saddle the Sea (Hardcover)

Aiken is in top form in this (sadly) out-of-print children's novel. Felix, the main character, is engaging without being perfect; the minor characters are drawn with an eye to the amusing improbable detail. As usual, the plot is wild and rapid, but the pace is steady enough to make it all feel satisfyingly real . . . The trilogy (Go Saddle the Sea, Bridle the Wind, In the Teeth of the Gale) shares many stylistic characteristics with her other alternate history series, which begins with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. In some ways these three books are even better, being a little slower and more coherent as a single narrative. Of side interest to Austen fans is Aiken's use of _Lady Susan_, which appears occasionally throughout the story. I won't spoil the details, but the series makes a nice companion read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner by Joan Aiken, February 3, 2007

By 

octobercountry (the Land of Trees and Heroes) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Go Saddle the Sea (Hardcover)

Here's another of Joan Aiken's "ripping yarns"---no one could write this sort of adventure story like she did! The plot is summed up in the editorial review above, so no need for me to go into detail. I'll just say that it's a very enjoyable read, certainly. I enjoyed the construction of the story: the book has a bit of the feel of the early Victorian magazine serials. In fact, the style of the first-person narrative put me very much in mind of Dicken's "David Copperfield." Each chapter is almost a self-contained adventure of its own, another step in Felix's journey from his grandfather's home in Spain, to his paternal father's family near Bath. (It's unfortunate that I know almost nothing whatsoever about the geography of northern Spain. I think if I had been better able to imagine what sort of landscape Felix travels through, it would appear more vividly in my imagination. Aiken perhaps is not a writer given to lengthy descriptions of the scenery. But that's not really a complaint about the story at all, just an observation.) The novel certainly is a exciting yarn---such adventures Felix has! While this book is a complete tale in itself, once you have finished it you will surely wish to read more about Felix; his adventures are continued in "Bridle the Wind."

I wonder if this story is, in fact, set in a sort of "alternate history" universe just like the Aiken's "Wolves of Willoughby Chase" series was. Because I found it interesting that Felix, throughout the journey, reads passages from a book of his father's titled "Susan." It becomes obvious that this book is, in fact, none other than a Jane Austen title---though in "real life" Austen did not have a book published by that name. It isn't spelled out at all---I daresay a lot of people reading this book wouldn't give a second thought to what Felix was reading---but I got a kick out of noticing that...

The dust jacket illustration on my old copy is very mediocre, though---a rather dull painting of a boy riding a mule by the seaside on a sunny afternoon. Honestly, it makes the novel look like some sort of animal story, not a hair-raising adventure at all. I see that these books are going to be reprinted soon, and the new paperback designs are considerably more exciting and dynamic than the old hardcovers were.

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Go Saddle the Sea is predictable, February 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Go Saddle the Sea (Hardcover)

Go Saddle the Sea is about a boy called Felix. It is quite exciting but predictable. A dying servant gives him a package. He cannot make out what the writing on a piece of paper is...