Customer Reviews

Mutiny's Daughter

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In her latest historical novel, Ann Rinaldi tells a "what-if" story. She imagines what might have happened had Fletcher Christian, who led the famous mutiny on the HMS Bounty, returned to England with Mary, his daughter by his Polynesian wife. Mary Christian is fourteen when this novel opens, and ever since she was brought to England at five years old, she has been forced to live a lie. Raised by her grandmother, she must tell anyone who asks that her uncle is her true father, for her grandmother cannot bear that the good name of the family be tarnished. When she is sent off to London to be educated in a school for girls from wealthy families, the secret of her true parentage becomes even harder to keep. At the same time, she longs to see her father again, but she knows she may never, for her went into hiding after leaving Mary with her grandmother, and she has not heard from him in all those nine long years.

Ann Rinaldi has a knack for taking lesser known stories from history and shaping them into fascinating historical novels, and she has done so again in Mutiny's Daughter. I highly recommend this book to all of her fans, and to new readers who enjoy historical fiction. I had never before heard of Mary Christian, but I found her story fascinating, and after reading this book, wished I could find out what really happened to her.

I really enjoyed this book!! I didn't really like Gwen, but over all the story was amazing!! The way she tied the father in through disguises was interesting. One question I had when I finished the book that was never answered, was- what happened to Langston? After he brings Mary her letter from her brother Thursday October,(which was funny in itself!) he goes back to Cambridge. But they never say what happens to him, and if he ever got his question from the beginning anwered. One thing I did like was that the author didn't make Mary and Langstons' relationship go too far. :) *****

S. Moore March 15, 2007
Historical Fiction Book Review


"Before he was finished, his voice was coming as if from very far away, way above me, getting fainter, while my legs got weaker and weaker, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. It was then that my knees buckled and I fell to the floor," thought Mary Christian when she finally found her father. Mutiny's Daughter, by Ann Rinaldi, is about a girl named Mary Christian who longed to see her father again. Fletcher Christian, Mary's father, risked being hanged in 1789 by leading a mutiny against the captain of the Bounty. He survived a massacre in the South Pacific, and he brought Mary back to England when she was five years old. At Misses Hartsdale's School for Young Ladies, Mary faced problems once she discovered that a local doctor was really her father; she was blackmailed by her evil roommate, Lizzy. I enjoyed reading Mutiny's Daughter because it had a great story line.

I liked this historical fiction novel because it had a happy ending. Once Mary found her father, she continued to see him. Dr. Katterfelt, Fletcher Christian's alias, never admitted to being Mary's father, but he didn't have to. He gave her a package of ribbons and money for a voyage to America, where he would soon flee, for Christmas. The money came with instructions that she had to finish her schooling first, respect her family (who had been informed of his plans), and she could only go when her Uncle Charles thought she was ready. After all that Mary went through in trying to find her father, the end of the story was heartwarming.

I also liked Mutiny's Daughter because I could relate to the characters. In a novel, is important to have characters that you can identify with, even if it is set to a different time period. While reading Mutiny's Daughter, I felt like I was a close friend of Mary Christian, who could feel the same things she did in the story. When Mary was sent to Misses Hartsdale's School for Young Ladies, I felt her pain. Also when Mary found her father, it felt as if I shared her excitement with her.

Another reason that I liked this novel is because it kept me interested. Mutiny's Daughter was so interesting because I was always trying to predict what would happen later in the novel. The thing that I guessed about most was whether her father had come back to England. In the book, Doctor Katterfelt was always giving Mary special treatment when he came to her school to teach. Another thing that interested me about this novel is how Lizzy tried to blackmail Mary. She listened into Dr. Katterfelt and Mary's conversation, and she found out that they were father and daughter. If this secret was discovered Mary would be expelled for lying about who her father was, and Fletcher Christian would be KILLED.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story. This novel had all the elements of an interesting book. It had well -developed characters, a great story line, and it was heart warming. The best thing about Mutiny's Daughter was that it wasn't predictable. For example, It was very unpredictable when Lizzy attacked Mary for playing with her cat, Dick Turpin. This book was wonderful because it was a perfect balance of humor and drama.

Ann Rinaldi is a great historical fiction author, but this book made me doubtful. Unlike her other books, it doesn't quite hook you in. You read it to finish it. There isn't much depth and is quite shallow. Mary is scared that her father's identity will be found, but the author doesn't quite make you "feel" what Mary feels. As if whatever, okay she's scared so what? I thought that was the worst problem, the shallowness of the book. This book isn't that great a book, but don't be mistaken, it isn't that bad a book either. Although I would recommend her other works instead of this book. Such as time enough for drums and a break with charity. I greatly respect historical fiction writers and dispite this book, she is still one of the best in this genre.

Mary Christian hides a bitter secret. Her father is Fletcher Christian, the man responsible for one of the most scandalous mutinies in all naval history. As a first mate under the Captain William Bligh Christian had become disgusted with Bligh's style of mistreating the crewmates and he encouraged a small group of men to mutiny, setting Bligh and his supporters in a small boat with enough provisions to last a short time (Bligh is noted for piloting this boat the 1000+ miles home to England with no map, no compass, and barely enough food) before sailing back to Tahiti and then onto Pitcairn Island. Legend has it that Christian eventually stole back to England, since no where on Pitcairn Island is his grave. Whether or not this is true is up to what one believes. Before leaving he married a native girl who bore him three children, one of whom was a young girl named Mary... and this is her story.

Mary arrives in England when she is a child and grows up among her father's kin, many of whom are scandalized by his misdeeds. Her Uncle Charles acts as a surrogate father, but in public he asks that Mary calls him Father, so that they might hide her secret. All seems well until Mary is old enough to go to an all girl's private school, where scandalous pasts are but the norm thanks to a girl named Lizzie who is the [...] daughter of renown children's author Charles Lamb. Suddenly, Mary's past is under severe scrutiny as Lizzie has decided to uncover her sordid past,. Can Mary keep her family secrets just that, or will she fall prey to Lizzie's cruel blackmailing nature?

As a historical fiction this is so-so. I suppose to a child who is unaware of the details of the infamous mutiny this may seem like it's chock full of facts. It is true there is enough info to pacify most historically inquisitive minds, however the bit of data does not make up for the fact that this is a mediocre book. To a large extent it feels as if it's "The Little Princess" rewritten. There is nothing remarkable nor terrible about it, and some may enjoy it. But to me it was just an uneventful book.

"Mutiny's Daughter" was not one of the better books by Ann Rinaldi, sadly. It was Rinaldi who "got me hooked" on historical fiction book, so when I'm at a loss for book to read, I always turn back to her. She usually writes historical fictions about better-known historical occurrences (Salem Witch Trials and The Civil War, for example), and she usually has strong heroes and heroines as her protagonists who overcome their troubles. With this book, neither is the case. Unless you're familiar with Fletcher Christian (who I don't think is even in the history textbooks anymore, at least that I've experienced, and I only know about him through the movie "The Bounty"), or if you want to read about a weaker protagonist who hardly stands up for herself, this book may come as a slight shock to you, seeing as it is an Ann Rinaldi book. It's a fast read, and will introduce you to this time in history. I "sorta" recommend.