Ship of Fools (Paperback)

~ Katherine Ann Porter (Author) "August, 1931 - The port town of Veracruz is a purgatory between land and sea for the traveler, but the people who live there are..." (more)
Key Phrases: jenny angel, zarzuela company, washhand stand, Herr Rieber, Frau Rittersdorf, Frau Schmitt (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The story takes place in the summer of 1931, on board a cruise ship bound for Bremerhaven, Germany. The passenger list is long and portentous, and includes a Spanish noblewoman, a drunken German lawyer, an American divorcee, a pair of Mexican Catholic priests, and a host of others. This ship of fools is a crucible of intense experience, out of which everyone emerges forever changed. Rich in incident, passion, and treachery, the novel explores themes of nationalism, cultural and ethnic pride, and basic human frailty that are as relevant now as they were when the novel first appeared in 1962.

From AudioFile

Porter's passengers are extremely diverse in nationality, age, class, education and experience. Grace Conlin does a splendid job portraying them. S.G.B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (May 30, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316713902
• ISBN-13: 978-0316713900
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #307,409 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Closely Observed; A Superior Work, December 25, 2001

By	Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Less a plot-driven novel than a closely observed portrait, Porter's famous novel deftly exploits the author's ability to focus on the telling details of personality--and the result is a sometimes funny, often touching, and ultimately stinging examination of the insularity, hypocrisies, and pretensions of shipboard passengers en route from Mexico to Germany on the eve of World War II.

Porter's cast of characters are primarily German, but a handful of Spanish, Mexican, Swiss, and American characters give the novel an international perspective. Whatever their individual backgrounds, the characters tend to adopt reactionary postures toward and make assumptions about their fellow travelers based on both class and nationality; consequently, they tend to regard each other in a stereotypical light--but even as they fail to understand the truths behind the stereotypes, Porter highlights their lack of comprehension in a frequently comic but extremely disconcerting manner, thus demonstrating that her characters are at sea in more ways than one.

There is obviously a certain symbolism to the novel, but Porter does not belabor it, and we are free to decide if we wish to read for pure pleasure or for deeper meanings. Fortunately, there is an abundance of both. Still, this not a novel to read quickly or casually. It requires time to develop clearly in the mind, so readers are advised to approach it with ample time in which to enjoy this superior work.

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Will Grow On You, May 3, 1999

By A Customer

Ship Of Fools is a bone chilling account of a world moving into the second world war. Those seeking to get inside the German frame of mind should read this book for it predicts(the book was written before the concentration camps were even discovered)the horrowing images of German hate toward the Jewish Religon. Through all the hate and "Proud German Order" Porter asks us to perform a difficult task; to find love or forever be lost on a ship of fools.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Writer's Writer, April 14, 2001

By	David E Reed (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I stumbled across this by novel by accident only to discover that this must be one the 10 greatest works of fiction! While a darkish portrayal of the human condition, and man's inability to escape the pettiness of mankind, this is a very clever novel that entertains while thrusting more truth your way than you may be prepared to accept.