The Bounty

By Caroline Alexander,

Book cover of The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty

Book description

More than two centuries after Master's Mate Fletcher Christian led a mutiny against Lieutenant William Bligh on a small, armed transport vessel called Bounty, the true story of this enthralling adventure has become obscured by the legend. Combining vivid characterization and deft storytelling, Caroline Alexander shatters the centuries-old myths surrounding…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Bounty as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

My first exposure to the 1789 mutiny on H.M.S. Bounty was watching the 1935 Best Picture Oscar winner, Mutiny on the Bounty, in which a sadistic Captain William Bligh had sailors keel-hauled at the drop of a naval hat. Later film versions make Bligh socially awkward, lacking first-mate Fletcher Christian’s easy rapport with officers and men. What if none of the dramatizations have it right?

I was interested in Caroline Alexander’s emphasis on how Bligh struggled against class prejudice. I hadn’t realized that so many men wanted to stay with Bligh that there wasn’t room for them all in…

Most of us are aware of the Mutiny on the English ship Bounty from the movie or are only aware of the uprising on the ship. The Bounty story, however, is so much more. One aspect is the survival story of Captain Bligh who was put into a small launch with a few of his loyal followers and set adrift at sea. The movie portrays Bligh as an uncaring bully, and perhaps a bit of that is true, but he was also a smart sailor and leader, who guided that tiny open boat thousands of miles to safety. Readers have…

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