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The Sand Pebbles (Bluejacket Books) Paperback – May 1, 2001

by Richard McKenna (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 771 ratings
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This now-classic novel by Richard McKenna enjoyed great critical acclaim and commercial success when it was first published in 1962. The winner of the coveted Harper Prize, it was on the New York Times bestseller list for seven months and was made into a popular motion picture that continues to be shown on television today. Set in China on the eve of revolution, the book tells the story of an old U.S. Navy gunboat, the San Pablo, and her dedicated crew of Sand Pebbles on patrol in the far reaches of the Yangtze River to show the flag and protect American missionaries and businessmen from bandits. The plot revolves around a newcomer to the boat, machinist's mate Jake Holman, a maverick and loner who dramatically alters the lives of the crew and the people they have come to save. A faithful engine-room coolie and a pretty young missionary help Holman gain an appreciation of China and its people and discover a world of humanity and promise he has never known. It is a story of old loyalties versus new values, of violence and tenderness, tragedy and humor, and it engages the reader from the first line to the last. This new paperback edition includes in informative introduction by Robert Shenk, written for the Naval Institute's Classics of Naval Literature edition in 1984.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    624 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Naval Institute Press
  4. Publication date
    May 1, 2001
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.5 x 8.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9781557504463
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1557504463
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1557504466
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Naval Institute Press (May 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781557504463
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1557504463
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 771 ratings

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Richard McKenna

Richard McKenna

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
771 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kim Crosser
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the top overall books ever about life in the Navy, set in 1920's China
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2023
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This is an important book. Not just an engaging and interesting read, it really lets you experience what a sailor's life is like.
Yes - it is fiction, BUT, like so much good fiction, there is a ton of true information supporting the fictional narrative. Many of the individual scenes could (and probably did) occur on the ships in which Richard McKenna served, or on the ships whose stories he heard from the old hands.
The Sand Pebbles holds up an unflinching eye to life in 1920's China, when the U.S. Navy patrolled the Yangtze to protect U.S. merchant interests. Missionaries distrust the Navy and vice-versa, and cultural divides ensure that conflicts arise and explode.
The movie actually was quite good and quite true to the book, though obviously limited due to time in how much of the story could be told.
Even if you have seen the movie, reading the book will give you a new appreciation for McKenna's writing, and give you a deeper understanding of what was happening in the 1920's in China.

For those who want more non-fiction information about this period, I highly recommend:
Yangtze Patrol, by Kemp Tolley - great book
Gunboat on the Yangtze, the diary of Captain Glenn F. Howell of the USS Palos, 1920-1921 - true extracts from the diary of a U.S. gunboat on the Yangtze
The Old China Hands, Charles G. Finney - wonderful stories of life in China (out of print)
4 people found this helpful
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Meyers
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful rendition.
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2024
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Beautiful rendition of an unearthly great book. And it's movie was perfect also.
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Chollie
4.0 out of 5 stars Good View of Historical Events
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2018
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'The Sand Pebbles' is an historical fiction which portrays events and characters in China's 1926 uprising. I think Richard McKenna gives a very FAIR look at history and I cannot see McKenna’s account of these events as revisionist in ANY way whatsoever. McKenna pretty much called it like it was; he was, after all, in 1930’s China. All fictional characters notwithstanding, the novel gives a good representation of actual events. (Read the book ‘The Sailor’s Homer’ by Dennis Noble to read the bio of McKenna’s life and Naval service).

The movie by the same name, was excellent, but gives a slightly skewed slant to McKenna's novel, putting the protagonist Holman into deserter’s territory near the end of the film, as he tells his skipper, "Shove off, Captain". This is one departure from the book; not in line with the actual plot line of McKenna’s written work.

The movie is quite well made though and was able to capture a lot of the period quite accurately. I'd recommend anyone who’s seen the movie to also read McKenna's novel.
15 people found this helpful
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James J. Bloom
5.0 out of 5 stars A BRILLIANT, ENGROSSING MASTERPIECE
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2014
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Having seen the 1966 movie with Steve McQueen, Candice Bergen and Richard Crenna, It took me far too long to get the novel. After almost 50 years, I regret not having read it much earlier. It is quite simply one of the finest novels I've ever read. I rank it on a par with the greats--of Hemingway, Faulkner, Wolfe, Fitzgerald, Styron et. al. It's hard to believe that this is McKenna's FIRST novel and that he didn't start his writing career until relatively late in life--his mid-40s. It is quite regrettable that this was his ONLY novel before his untimely death at age 51 in 1964. Not only did he live the life of the Yangtze Patrol gunboat sailors he so meticulously and compassionately describes, but he has brought to life the chaos of Revolutionary China on the eve of the Kuomintang revolution that wracked this fascinating land for 15 years before the Japanese invasion and culminated in the Nationalist/Maoist split that sent Chiang kai Shek to rule a rump republic in Taiwan, with Mao and he glaring threateningly across the straits. It is sometimes forgotten that for a while Chiang was the arch-enemy of the American, British and Europeans who enjoyed "treaty privileges" thanks to the cannons of their roving river gunboats. Of course he became an ally of convenience when the Red Scare dominated American attitudes towards the Far East. The roles and attitudes of the missionaries, at times in conflict with the sailors and marines who perforce defended them, are portrayed with finesse and nuance.

Besides the wonderful word pictures of China and its people during these turbulent years, McKenna has crafted a finely honed naval adventure tale, without the facile bravado of so many military authors. More importantly, the characters he draws, especially that of the tragically fated Jake Holman and his might-have-been life companion Shirley Eckert are skilfully depicted, not to mention the various minor characters, especially Frenchy Burgoyne and the conflicted Chinese-American Mailly. This novel is not only a wonderful sociological study of the American gunboat Navy of the 1920s and the conflicts wracking revolutionary China but works on every level--character evolution, plot development and deeper meaning. It is a novel one can read and re-read, evoking new meaning at each.
40 people found this helpful
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inland sailor
5.0 out of 5 stars Steve McQueen
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2023
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This was a great movie and for me epitomizes Steve, McQueen‘s acting ability. It was an odd time in US history, but it is a very personal look at the sailor who is not interested in politics. Not a great deal of dialogue, but McQueen manages to make his point with facial expression, and his actions, I enjoyed it so much that I also ordered the Directors cut, which adds a lot to the enjoyment of this movie
I was interested to read that they even had reunions of the cast to celebrate the making of this movie.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Atl Canuck
5.0 out of 5 stars better than the movie
Reviewed in Canada on September 29, 2020
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Was made into a movie with Steve McQueen...book is better.....easy to get engaged in story.
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Lizzie
5.0 out of 5 stars Good as new
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2019
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A weighty, fascinating, book which the excellent film, starring Steve McQueen. follows more or less to the letter.
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Tom (Peak District)
5.0 out of 5 stars Good quality pre-owned hardback..
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
No dislikes. The book is in better condition than the seller's photo suggested. I previously read this book in a battered , second hand paperback that cost more than this hardback, and which disintegrated. I am very pleased to have this copy. It appears to be of the American first edition. It is clean, intact and is not so much second hand as "pre loved". I would say it is an heritage copy. Thank you.
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Anthony M. Bennett
4.0 out of 5 stars Deep & Interesting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2013
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I remember reading this book after seeing the film on its release in the 60's. More interesting and deeper than the movie, it still requires a lot of effort to finish but it is worthwhile. The scenes in the engine room are pretty accurate in my experience as a watchkeeper on vessel's much larger than The Sand Pebble.
5 people found this helpful
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clyro ken
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2018
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Brilliant story of a China sailor
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