A Wild Winter Swan by Gregory Maguire

Pub. Date: 6-Oct-2020
Rating: 2 Stars

When a book is compared to great classics you are setting a very high bar from the start. The reader is expecting to be blown away and rightly should be. However, when you failure miserable at meeting that high standard, the reader is terribly disappointed. This is exactly what happened to me.  

There are two main reasons I didn’t enjoy this story. First is Laura. She was very whiny. I get that her parents are no longer in the picture and she is very resentful of having to live with her grandparents whom she finds very dull. She is also not happy in school and does not have any friends. All a recipe for feeling sorry for yourself. I get that. What I have issue with is that the whininess bled over into all the aspects of the book and it became boring after the first forty pages.

Secondly, there was not much going on with the plot. It was so slow. You have to read to about the halfway point before anything happens of interest. Then the author packs everything into the latter part of the book. As it stands, I think this would have been better as a novella.

I received a free copy, from the publisher, via LibraryThing’s early reviewer program.

The Traitor of Treasure Island Blog Tour

BLURB

Buried for over 300 years and now brought triumphantly to light by Dr Livesay, this is, at last, the true story of what happened on the fateful Treasure Island…

The truth about Captain Flint and his fabled death.

The truth about Long John Silver and his coveted wife.

And the truth about Jim Hawkins, that double-dealing turncoat of the first order: The traitor of Treasure Island.

John Drake

AUTHOR BIO

John Drake trained as a biochemist to post-doctorate research level before realizing he was no good at science. His working career was in the television department of ICI until 1999 when he became a full-time writer. John’s hobby is muzzle-loading shooting, and his interests are British history and British politics (as a spectator), plus newspapers, TV news, and current affairs. He is married with a son and two grandchildren.

The Traitor of Treasure Island by John Drake

Pub. Date: 19-Aug-2019
Rating: 4 Stars

If you are looking for an adventure story involving pirates and treasure, The Traitor of Treasure Island by John Drake, is that and more. A grand retelling of Stevenson’s Treasure Island that includes a fair portion of the original cast of characters. I found it to be a swash buckling good read!

At the opening of the story the reader is told of a seaman’s chest, that was purchased by the author. It contained the journals of Dr. Livesey, the ship’s physician aboard Hispaniola, the ship from the Treasure Island expedition. The journals reveal the “true” story of what happened. Therefore, it is no surprise that much of the story is told from the POV of Dr. Livesey.

Dr. Livesey gets involved with the expedition by being at the wrong place at the right time. He has been frequenting the Admiral Benbow inn because he is smitten by the wife of the owner. One evening a blind man comes to the inn to find Billy Bones, a regular patron of the inn, and bring him a dire warning. If seems that the infamous Captain Flint is not dead, as what was previously thought, and is coming for Billy and the treasure map he is hiding.

Dr. Livesey takes charge and sends for Squire Trelawney who arrives at the inn, with a group of armed men, just as a fire fight with Flint’s men is ending. Though Flint manages to slip away unharmed, the cat is now out of the bag about the treasure and the Squire sets about purchasing a ship and finding a crew to man her in order to recover the treasure. The Doctor tries to discourage the expedition. However, the Squire insists on it saying he is doing “for the thrill of it”. So ensues the adventure!

This is truly an action and adventure novel. It is totally plot driven, and for those that read my reviews regularly know that I prefer books that are character driven. Not surprising, the plot moves very quickly and the character development is somewhat lacking. I am actually a little surprised how much I enjoyed this book even without the character development I crave. Just goes to show a well written story can overcome other short comings.

As I mentioned above, the character development is lacking. The only character that got the attention deserved was Dr. Livesey. I understood him and his motives well. I saw his devotion to Charlotte and his distaste for her son Jim. I can’t say that for the rest of the characters. It is important to me to understand why a character does something in a story. I hate to be left scratching my head wondering why the heck did he/she do that?

While this was not my favorite style of writing, the story is really good. Don’t let my comments on character development deter you from reading this one. If you love action and adventure stories this is a must read for you. In addition, the quality of the story and the obvious research that went into getting the historical and nautical history correct will also appeal to readers of historical novels.  I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.