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Mr. Midshipman Easy Kindle Edition

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 459 ratings

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0084ALYXK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (May 17, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 17, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 897 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 350 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 459 ratings

About the author

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Frederick Marryat
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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
459 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story engaging and entertaining. They appreciate the humor and cynical writing style. The adventure is fascinating and sets young men's imaginations free. Readers praise the book for its pacing and value as an old treasure. They find the themes of equality and hierarchy interesting. Overall, customers describe the book as a light read that offers a different perspective on Napoleonic times.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

32 customers mention "Story quality"32 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging story. They find it entertaining, endearing, and edifying. The content is good and the book is considered great summer reading. Readers appreciate the interesting adventures of a young man changing from a child to an adult.

"...past, who loved having the time and reason for sitting down to a good story." Read more

"...Ignore any notion of serious intent, and this is a seaside beach read that may have set the mold for such like high seas Nelson’s Navy stories...." Read more

"...But there are several exciting scenes, including the siege of a hacienda where Easy is holed up with his romantic interest; the author is quite..." Read more

"In this amusing romp our hero, Jack Easy, is immersed in notions of equality by his very foolish father and relentlessly indulged by both of his..." Read more

8 customers mention "Humor"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the humor in the book amusing. They mention the turns of phrase often have them chuckling, and the tale of a clueless boy who goes to sea and becomes a man is humorous. The author is amusingly cynical about most of his characters.

"...This thoughts, conversations, and antics will leave you chuckling with each chapter...." Read more

"...Mr. Midshipman Easy is my favorite to date. It is a humorous tale of a clueless boy who goes to sea and becomes a man...." Read more

"...where Easy is holed up with his romantic interest; the author is quite amusingly cynical about most of his characters; and the treatment of Mesty,..." Read more

"...The turns of phrase often had me chuckling and were sometimes hilarious...." Read more

6 customers mention "Adventure"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the adventure in the book. They find it fascinating, entertaining, and edifying. The characters grow on them as the story progresses. Readers appreciate the author's insight and colorful storytelling.

"...It is not long on navel jargon, or details, but colorful in its story and gives a glimpse of life on a sailing ship...." Read more

"...It is completely entertaining, endearing, and edifying. For me, this is the dear Captain at his very best. Please read it." Read more

"This character really grew on me as the book progressed. What good fortune and propensity for adventure!..." Read more

"...Considering that he wrote these books in 1836 to 1840, his insight was amazing...." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They find the author an able man who understands the ways of the world. The book is described as the captain at his best, showing hard work, bravery, and honesty.

"...many of the same themes as the other Marryat novels I've read: hard work, bravery and honesty leads to success, wealth, honor and love...." Read more

"...For me, this is the dear Captain at his very best. Please read it." Read more

"...a child of the enlightenment and its extreme philosophies to a very able man who understands the ways of the world and the necessary hierarchy of..." Read more

"Captain Frederick Marryat was an amazing person. Considering that he wrote these books in 1836 to 1840, his insight was amazing...." Read more

3 customers mention "Book value"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's value. They find it an old treasure and mention it was written for a generation past who loved adventure.

"...Just remember that this is a book written for a generation past, who loved having the time and reason for sitting down to a good story." Read more

"Firstly, a big Thank You for providing me with such an old treasure. I loved this book, I mean loved it...." Read more

"This character really grew on me as the book progressed. What good fortune and propensity for adventure!..." Read more

3 customers mention "Philosophies"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the philosophies interesting. They mention the themes of equality and hierarchy in society, both in and out of the military.

"...The theme of various philosophies concerning equality was interesting, and a reminder that there are often significant differences of belief from..." Read more

"...able man who understands the ways of the world and the necessary hierarchy of society, both in and out of the military." Read more

"...He has many interesting adventurers, discusses the equality of man & the consequences of living as if everyone is equal in all respects." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read with a different perspective on Napoleon. They describe it as a light and funny summer read.

"A light read with a remarkably different viewpoint on the Napoleanic era...." Read more

"Lightweight amusement" Read more

"Great summer reading. Light and funny." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2015
    This book was written by a retired sea captain in the British Navy, about the life of a Midshipman in the navel service. It is not long on navel jargon, or details, but colorful in its story and gives a glimpse of life on a sailing ship. It might be looked at as a coming of age story about a rather spoiled, wealthy young man, who enlists in the Navy without a clue about what he is doing. His underlying character carries him through and makes him both friends and enemies on board. This thoughts, conversations, and antics will leave you chuckling with each chapter. Just remember that this is a book written for a generation past, who loved having the time and reason for sitting down to a good story.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2024
    Mr. Midshipman Easy is a systematic take down of what was an emerging philosophy, The Rights of Man. How emerging? In one of several forms it was a discussion topic and a philosophical bases to be found in both The American and French Revolution. Author Captain Frederick Marryat RN Ret., had close experience with the war that grew out of the French revolution. As a distinguished fighting officer of the Royal Navy he would have been well acquainted with the real problems a so called sea layer could cause aboard the close quarters and highly class based discipline of a Royal Navy warship.

    For too many pages he gives us a well-funded member of the landed gentry, Mr. Easy. A philosopher and extreme advocate of the universal rights of man and especially the natural equality of all. including the shared right to access all that nature provides. Marryat has a grand time puncturing and lampooning Mr. Easy, his overly protective wife and their thoroughly spoiled son.

    Convinced, through his ignorance that the life of a midshipman is the best way to spread this philosophy, Mr. Easy lavishly underwrites an otherwise impecunious newly made commanding officer of a warship and with this influence has his son posted to this new command as a midshipman.
    In other circumstances the young man would have been broken, beaten and most likely abandoned in some faraway port; left to his no longer Navy self to get home. However, much of life will come easy to Midshipman Easy. Instead he is accomplished enough as a fighter to out bully the bullies of the Midshipman’s mess and his kindly commanding officer is sufficiently aware of his debt to the fool of a father, and aware that there may be the makings of an officer in the young man to allow him favors and deferment not to be had by any other midshipman.

    What follows is a near rollicking set of adventures. Our hero is at once bright enough to find ways into and out of scraps and fights across a broad expanse of plot. Nothing about the book, other than its open disdain for philosophers and philosophies can be read as more than classic high seas adventure. Perhaps unintended, our hero finds valuable friends among the high and the low, especially a former salve, former African Prince, who routinely talks him into high risk and higher reward escapades that are routinely counter his orders, but too entertaining and remunerating to be entirely suppressed. Something of the author’s sense of humor can be summed up by the name assumed by the escaped slave, Mephistopheles Faust.

    For me, the opening several chapters focused on the foolishness of philosophers and the stupidity of what will read to a modern reader as communism goes on for too long. Ignore any notion of serious intent, and this is a seaside beach read that may have set the mold for such like high seas Nelson’s Navy stories. About 100 years later, C.S. Forester would tweak the formula into the Hornblower saga, and almost another 50 years later the Patrick O'Brian, Aubrey–Maturin series would make for the best of what this format can offer. Not a bad range of influence for what is a book about foolishness.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2020
    I've enjoyed every Marryat novel that I've read so far (6 or 7 of them). Mr. Midshipman Easy is my favorite to date. It is a humorous tale of a clueless boy who goes to sea and becomes a man. It contains many of the same themes as the other Marryat novels I've read: hard work, bravery and honesty leads to success, wealth, honor and love. Be warned, though, that this book was written in early 19th century England and there are many incidents of prejudice and the racism that was common in those days. (Unfortunately, that is still true of our modern society, too.)
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2019
    Every other review you're going to read will mention that the author, Fredrick Marryat, was a real-life Napoleonic naval captain. But although he's authentic, his book Mr. Midshipman Easy is not a masterpiece. It's quite episodic, and Easy gets away with stuff that would have resulted in anyone else being cashiered. And the end is definitely a deus ex machina (spoiler: Easy has private means which allow him to quit the Navy and return to a life of ease ashore.)

    But there are several exciting scenes, including the siege of a hacienda where Easy is holed up with his romantic interest; the author is quite amusingly cynical about most of his characters; and the treatment of Mesty, African war chief become ship's cook, is interesting, and Mesty's mastery of psychology and warfare is refreshing.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2010
    In this amusing romp our hero, Jack Easy, is immersed in notions of equality by his very foolish father and relentlessly indulged by both of his parents from birth onwards. Between his father's philosophy, and his parents' overindulgence, by adolescence Jack has become such a spoiled brat that even his mother can't abide him. Jack decides there is no equality on land so he will go to the high seas to find it...in the Royal Navy! Will the Navy be the making of the indomitable Midshipman Easy?

    The turns of phrase often had me chuckling and were sometimes hilarious. Easy's early life and naval adventures are episodic and make me wonder if it was written by Frederick Marryat as a serial story. The number and outrageousness of these adventures began to pall after a while. Nevertheless this Kindle book is well worth reading. I am so glad these classics are being made available for free!. 3-1/2 stars
    9 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2014
    Being interested in both the genres of Royal Navy stories and nineteenth-century literature, it is no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed this work. The first few chapters were amusing in their own way, but it wasn't until later in the book that my interest was truly engaged.
    The theme of various philosophies concerning equality was interesting, and a reminder that there are often significant differences of belief from one century to the next.
    This edition was very nicely done, and I thank all those who made this free copy possible! The quality was good, and did not detract from the story.
    All in all, I highly enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more of the author's works.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2014
    Firstly, a big Thank You for providing me with such an old treasure. I loved this book, I mean loved it. It is completely entertaining, endearing, and edifying. For me, this is the dear Captain at his very best. Please read it.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Andy L
    1.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to read
    Reviewed in Australia on October 24, 2020
    Might be me, but I could not enlarge the font to readable size on my Kindle. So I gave up.
  • Gantock
    5.0 out of 5 stars Somehow thought this was a "Hornblower" type story and it ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2016
    Somehow thought this was a "Hornblower" type story and it is not. It is interesting and wr

    Somehow thought this was a "Hornblower" type yarn, and it is not. It is a vivid and humorous account of a character, his upbringing and subsequent career, with an emphasis on social status, also his vivid experiences in the Royal Navy. The author wrote this book 180 years ago, and was in the literary circle of Charles Dickens. His works were much admired by many famous men including Hemingway and Twain, and his own career in the navy was eventful in the time of Napoleon. He resigned with the rank of post captain to take up full-time writing.
  • MartinB
    4.0 out of 5 stars Life in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars - and a warning to Jacobinical toffs
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2017
    I read this when ten or eleven, in what must have been a much-redacted version (Regent's Classics, I seem to recall). Coming face to face with an authentic text, I found it very dated but oddly enjoyable as a very savage Tory satire on notions of freedom and equality. Worth a read even it is a bit careless of the Rights of Man!
  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Ok but language a bit archaic. Prefer Navy seafaring ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2014
    Ok but language a bit archaic. Prefer Navy seafaring novels of Alexander Kent. Couldn't put down 'till read whole series
  • Vee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Fabulous!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2011
    What a GEM! I have been working my way through several titles from the 1800's and what a lovely find this was. This treasure contains wonderfully simple, charming, believable characters, adventurous, inoccent romping across sea...(and land in Mr Easy's case,)a wonderfully written storyline with quite charming wording that is simply lost in much of today's writings.

    I would recommend this novel to everyone from teenage onward. (I was introduced to Hornblower by my dad as a teenager and I have a fondness for historical adventures.)

    I am off to add the other Marryat eBooks to my kindle. If only the hard copies weren't so expensive and hard to come by. I would love to have these beautifully written novels on my shelves!

    Enjoy this lovely read, it really is a 'book to curl up with'.
    Hugs Veronica

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