Captain Caution

Chronicles of Arundel #4

by Kenneth Roberts

It is 1812 and America has declared war on Britain. The American ship Olive Branch is waylaid by a British cruiser. Captain Dorman is killed, and his crew is taken prisoner, including the captain's pretty and strong-willed daughter, Corunna. Widely recognized for his careful attention to historical details, Kenneth Roberts portrays the bravery of American seamen, their sufferings in the mist-shrouded walls of Dartmoor Prison, the invention of the Gangway Pendulum, and the sailors' dangerous and dramatic escape.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, American History

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 12, 1934

About the author

Kenneth Lewis Roberts, a noted American, wrote his historical novels, including Northwest Passage (1937), about the colonial period.

Roberts worked first as a then popular nationally known journalist with the Saturday Evening Post from 1919 to 1928. Roberts specialized in regionalist historical fiction. He often wrote about terrain of his native state and also depicted other upper states and scenes of New England. He for example depicts, the main characters in Arundel and Rabble in Arms from Kennebunk, then called Arundel; the main character of Northwest Passage from Kittery, Maine, with friends in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; the main character in Oliver Wiswell from Milton, Massachusetts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth...

Reviews

[Dannica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The worst Kenneth Roberts I've read so far, largely bc his romances are always bad but this one was worse than usual. Fundamentally when you hinge a book around a man being kind of sexist at a woman and then the book ends with the man being right about everything, it's just not gonna hit for me, you know.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Kenneth Roberts' historical fiction. Arundel, Rabble in Arms, and Oliver Wiswell are among the best novels ever written about the Revolutionary War. ,Captain Caution is not in their league, but is a quick and entertaining read and a fun adventure.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was all right, but the main guy seems a bit wooden, lifeless. The French Captain is far more lively. Perhaps that is for contrast. In fact almost all of the other characters seems a lot more alive than Captain Caution himself. The sailing facts seem to be a little off as well. I don't know who would ship long 24 pounders in the bow. long nine pounders where the preferred chase guns. That's a mere quibble though. I'm fairly certain that the "gangway pendulum" was actually developed by the British,. Though it may have been a modification of something developed by the Americans. the British version was mounted on the back of an individual gun. They used it to defeat the U.S.S. Chesapeake in Boston harbor after a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the then new U.S. Navy.

[Brian Mcphee]

I love the historical novels written by Kenneth Roberts, starting with Arundel as my favourite. This is the second book by him which I have read and is an altogether different setting with the same ingredients that make it an enjoyable and quick read. In my opinion Arundel is superior in both its story and historical content while this book is great fun for any maritime enthusiast with an interest in the circumstances surrounding the War of 1812.

[J.D. Brayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my fave from Roberts, his characters were a bit derivative (esp The Frenchman and the Black fighter, Little White) That said, it was the 30's. His nautical knowledge and sailing terms were, however exemplary- making the book worth reading and keeping for reference.

[Kbullock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect to find tutorials on bare-knuckles boxing and roulette in a Kenneth Roberts novel, but here they are. The characterizations of the lead male and female characters are not great, but the supporting characters make up for it.

[Tommie Haag · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ganska självgod kapten som i slutänden visar sig ha rätt (duh...) utan vidare komplikationer. Det marina temat med båtstrider är inte riktigt min grej, och det relativt arkaiska skrivsättet imponerar inte. Den var säkert the shit på sin tid, men föll mig helt enkelt inte i smaken.

[Matt Kelland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ho-hum historical adventure. It has about as much going for it as a 1930s B movie - probably exciting enough at the time, but pretty yawnsome now.

[Stan Winn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is a cracker.

[David Rubin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final volume in Kenneth Roberts' Arundel series. It is not the best of series, but I recommend it highly. Roberts had a unique way of presenting history in the novel form. The book was written in 1934 and its language is a bit archaic. The other books in the series are more exciting and describe the Revolutionary war in the far North of America and Canada. "Oliver Wiswell" takes a unique perspective on the American struggle because it approaches history from the viewpoint of a British loyalist. Some of the books may be hard to find as they are not all available electronically. Fortunately, Captain Caution is.

[Beakerkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is small by Roberts Standards. It has many strengths and is fairly under rated. Often when reading Kenneth Roberts the lead is the weakest part of the book. The exceptions are in Arundel, Northwest Passage and this book. The lead in this book is excellent and the side kick is pretty good.

Many people beat this book up unfairly in the reviews. One should judge this book on its own merits and not by the impossible standards of Rabble in Arms or Northwest Passage.

Word of warning after page 100 the book picks up nicely.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

And thus I finish my 40 year quest to read all of the novels of Kenneth Roberts, known in his time in the 1930s to 50s as America's greatest historical novelist. His novels can be read today with pleasure. This book is about the War of 1812.

[Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

How on Earth could you make the naval campaign of the War of 1812 boring? The fact that I read this at the height of my age of sail kick and during my trip to San Diego where I visited the navy museum and still hated it speaks volumes all these years later.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adventure on the seas during the impressment of Americans by the British. Good story.

[Steve Schinke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes a series of books should know when to end. This Roberts series should have ended as a trilogy. Captain Caution has little to offer and should only be read out of idle curiosity or the desire to see how a decent series of historical fiction can come to mediocre end.