Customer Reviews

Richard Carvel

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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.

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.