Richard Carvel [Hardcover]

Winston Churchill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2004

No boyhood could have been happier than mine, and throughout it, ever present with me, were a shadow and a light. The shadow was my Uncle Grafton. I know not what strange intuition of the child made me think of him so constantly after that visit he paid us, but often I would wake from my sleep with his name upon my lips, and a dread at my heart. The light -- need I say? -- was Miss Dorothy Manners. Little Miss Dolly was often at the Hall after that happy week we spent together; and her home, Wilmot House, was scarce three miles across wood and field by our plantation roads. I was a stout little fellow enough, and before I was twelve I had learned to follow to hounds my grandfather's guests on my pony; and Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Carvel when they shot on the duck points. Aye, and what may surprise you, my dears, I was given a weak little toddy off the noggin at night, while the gentlemen stretched their limbs before the fire, or played at whist or loo. Mr. Carvel would have no milksop, so he said. But he early impressed upon me that moderation was the mark of a true man, even as excess was that of a weak one. And so it was no wonder that I frequently found my way to Wilmot House alone. . . .

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 428 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080959806X
• ISBN-13: 978-0809598069
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,903,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating book and not just because of its famous author, June 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Richard Carvel (Hardcover)

Winston Churchill wrote this book when he was still in his twenties ; this intrigued me enough to read the book. It is a novel that focuses on the life of Richard Carvel ; a wealthy young man from a prominent Maryland family just before and during the Revoloutionary War. Although sweeter and more sentimental than the modern approach itis still a captivating and exciting story.

3.0 out of 5 stars Revolutionary War-era adventure story, March 15, 2006

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Richard Carvel (Paperback)

This was Churchill's first historical novel (his second book), and it was wildly popular (historical fiction was all the rage at the time). Set at first around Annapolis, it's about a boy (Carvel) who is kidnapped and sent to England by pirates under his wicked uncle's direction in order to cheat him out of his estate. Meeting all sorts of major figures of the day, including John Paul Jones and Edmund Burke, he has all kinds of adventures in London. When the war breaks out he goes to sea again, this time aboard a ship commanded by Jones. He participates in the famous sea battle between the "Bonhomme Richard" and the "Serapis" (these might be the best scenes in the book). Wounded, he is brought to London to recuperate; he marries his childhood sweetheart there and they both sail to Annapolis to live.

It's a rousing good adventure story, though it does have some major flaws. The biggest for me was that Carvel is the narrator of his own story, which makes for very awkward situations when he is involved in heroic and daring deeds. How does a "hero" brag, or even talk, about himself under those circumstances? Well, he can't, so Churchill has to come with ways to get around that, which is not too easy or natural at times. Some of the character portrayals are pretty stiff and unbelievable, the worst perhaps being George Washington (Jones he gets down fairly well). The novel presents a very idealized story with all things either black or white, good or evil, right or wrong; yet the historical aspects of the book are accurate (Churchill did his homework). If one can suspend belief along the way in terms of character portrayal, and take the book on the level of pure adventure story, one might get enjoyment from Churchill's book.