First sentence: Soldiers pressed towards the harbour, forcing their way through the crowd. Jed turned his back towards them and came face-to-face with a young man, their noses so close they were almost touching. ‘Who are you? Haven’t seen you before.’ The young man’s tone was abrasive. ‘I can’t believe Master Jones let you board an overcrowded ship. What’s so special about you?’ Jed shook his head. ‘There’s nothing special about me.’ Passengers crammed onto the deck. Every man, woman and child jostled for an unobstructed view of those gathered to wave goodbye. Jed pressed his palms against the smooth wood of the gunwale behind him and pushed his body forward to avoid being crushed.
Premise/plot: Jedediah Trelawney is the protagonist of Dionne Haynes' new historical novel chronicling the voyage of The Mayflower in 1620. He is a young man with a secret that may or may not come back to haunt him. It seems SOMEONE on board knows the secret he is running from. But he doesn't know who or what they intend. He works for his keep on board and eventually becomes assistant to the doctor and the barber/surgeon on board. He plans to continue his 'apprenticeship' of sorts when they land. The book covers almost all aspects of life on board. And there is nothing glamorous and charming about it. It gets gritty and gross at times. (For example, when he's popping boils on personal locations of others.)
My thoughts: I liked this one well enough. It was a big graphic medically. There was one sexual fantasy/dream that was a bit graphic. But it was clear that it was his fantasy and not actually happening. Since it was such a small snippet of the book, that I can overlook. But some of the gritty perhaps all too realistic scenes of medical treatments turned my stomach a bit. Boil popping should not be the stuff of fiction!!!!
© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
1 comment:
That's an amazing cover!
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