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Felix Brooke #1
Go Saddle the Sea
Despised by his Spanish relatives and ignored by his distant grandfather, twelve-year-old orphan Felix Brooke is lonely and unhappy. So when he's given a parcel with a blood-stained letter from his dead father, it inspires him to track down his long-lost English family. Felix packs his bag, jumps on his trusty mule and heads for the coast and a new life. But his journey across the mountains and over the sea does not prove to be plain sailing - as Felix soon discovers . . .
416 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1977
17 people are currently reading
491 people want to read
About the author
Joan Aiken
331 books601 followersJoan Aiken was a much loved English writer who received the MBE for services to Children's Literature. She was known as a writer of wild fantasy, Gothic novels and short stories.
She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge. She worked for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war, and then as an editor and freelance on Argosy magazine before she started writing full time, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).
Her most popular series, the "Wolves Chronicles" which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, was set in an elaborate alternate period of history in a Britain in which James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution,and so supporters of the House of Hanover continually plot to overthrow the Stuart Kings. These books also feature cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite and her adventures and travels all over the world.
Another series of children's books about Arabel and her raven Mortimer are illustrated by Quentin Blake, and have been shown on the BBC as Jackanory and drama series. Others including the much loved Necklace of Raindrops and award winning Kingdom Under the Sea are illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.
Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited and Jane Fairfax.
Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye (now a National Trust property). This ghost story recounts in fictional form an alleged haunting experienced by two former residents of the house, Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom also wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a small number of notable ghost stories.
She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge. She worked for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war, and then as an editor and freelance on Argosy magazine before she started writing full time, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).
Her most popular series, the "Wolves Chronicles" which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, was set in an elaborate alternate period of history in a Britain in which James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution,and so supporters of the House of Hanover continually plot to overthrow the Stuart Kings. These books also feature cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite and her adventures and travels all over the world.
Another series of children's books about Arabel and her raven Mortimer are illustrated by Quentin Blake, and have been shown on the BBC as Jackanory and drama series. Others including the much loved Necklace of Raindrops and award winning Kingdom Under the Sea are illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.
Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited and Jane Fairfax.
Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye (now a National Trust property). This ghost story recounts in fictional form an alleged haunting experienced by two former residents of the house, Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom also wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a small number of notable ghost stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
January 31, 2009
The first in a series of three: Bridle the Wind come next, and The Teeth of the Gale concludes the series. I especially loved the main character in this first book--so delightfully naughty. I love the way Aiken never backs away from throwing her characters in the very worst possible circumstances, and then gets them out of trouble in the most creative ways, usually by putting them in even worse situations than before, which sometimes hardly seems possible. The only reason I didn't give this five stars was because of the ending--it just stops, rather strangely, with no feeling of conclusion. Good thing it's not over; two more books to read before you're done.
April 10, 2024
Goodbye to every last one of you, thought I. No one will miss me - except old Gato.This edition has precisely 286 pages, ISBNs are 0140311556 and 978140311556, Puffin, 1989, paperback, if a librarian would like to update this sucker. ;)
Saying goodbye to old Gato, the stable cat, nearly made Felix change his mind about running away. But you can't stay in a place just because of a cat, and Felix hated his grandfather's huge, gloomy Spanish home where no one seemed to care about him. He was determined to get to England and discover where he really belonged.
And so begins a hazardous journey which leads him into the most unimaginable adventures.
Cover illustration by James Bareham
Well, seeing as we've declared 2024 as the Year of Joan Aiken in the Forgotten Vintage Children's Lit We Want Republished! group, I figured I'd best get cracking with this trilogy I've had seated on my shelves for a year (or two... or longer, who knows). While this series is technically not still in print (last edition by Red Fox in 2013), you can (at time of writing, 17/03/24) buy new copies at Blackwells for 6.99 GBP, or for half the price (3.50, and up) as a used copy from WOB. (Coincidentally, my used copy has an original black Penguin price sticker on it for precisely 3.50 pounds. So you're paying 1989 prices! Win!).
Joan Aiken, who would be 100 in 2024 had she still been alive, is not my area of expertise, but our group does boast some real afficionados - please stop by if you wish to discuss all things Aiken. :)
Taking place all along the northern coast of Spain, beginning in Oviedo and heading east to Llanes and Santander (with retrospective mentions of the famous pilgrimmage trail to Santiago de Compostela), Felix leaves a miserable existence as the barely-accepted bastard son of British solider and a beloved daughter of a noble Spanish family who died giving birth to said bastard son... many adventures and treacherous mountainous passes on a grumpy donkey, meeting murderous bumpkins in backwards hidden villages, making new friends (and foes), Felix, at once foolhardy and capable, stumbles his way towards England, birthplace of his father. There's so much action here: , and treachery. It's a wonderful historical fiction boy's adventure story, which I thought would be exactly what I'd like to read (bought the trilogy!).... but somehow, I was misinformed on the 'low-fantasy' or 'magic' aspect of this. I'm still trying to figure out which were the bits that lead to such a description... I think the word serendipitous if not Providential happenstance is a far more correct description of the contents. Or maybe you could say "historical accuracy mixed with unlikely escapades" and leave it at that.
As I said, I don't know Aiken, and my good friend here thinks I'm potty to have started with this series by way of introduction. What little of her I had read beforehand showed remarkable imagination and execution (she's famous for a reason), and wow - the sheer scope of her work! She really runs the gauntlet in terms of genre, and she can write it all so well.
The reason I've only given this 3 stars (let's say 3.5, but I've rounded down) is that I found it a bit of a slog. I think I was expecting something just a shade more like The Dark Is Rising, even if only echoes of that. This is NOT that sort of book. This is more of the sort of read that would appeal to someone who found The Wool-Pack capitvating. I didn't. I didn't dislike it, it was great (as was this) - but historical fiction is... just not my thing. I can do a book annually or so, and enjoy it, but any more and I start to wonder where the magic spells are at, or why they haven't found a hidden cave containing knights in enchanted sleep yet.
I'm going to take a break before picking up more of this series. I might, still, and it's mostly because of the wild cover art on book #2 (magic? Sorcery? What are these Emperor Palpatine-esque eye rays?). I have to accept the fact that most of that story is going to be Felix-being-rash and then having to get out of some unexpectedly terrible circumstances, and then having identity issues. All good, but, again - I think I've finally sorted out what constitutes a 'good read' for me.
Give this a go if you like the idea of a towheaded, hardheaded problem child of a son breaking free and fighting the odds as he sees the world (the world being the north coast of Spain and , fairly briefly).
June 24, 2013
Twelve-year-old Felix Brooke, ill-treated at home in Northwest Spain, resolves to travel to England to find out the truth about his father. Thus begins a young adult novel, set after the Peninsular Wars in the early 19th century, that is enjoyable both on its own merits but also for its many references, influences and intricacies. Joan Aiken wrote this after field trips to Galicia and her careful research and attention to detail add weight to the seeming authenticity of the story told by its young hero, whom one implicitly believes is a thoroughly reliable narrator.
Initially Felix recalls Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island in that there is a document (a letter from his father in place of the map of Stevenson’s novel) which initiates a quest from home to a port and thence by sea to the sought destination. But Felix (whose father’s middle names are, significantly, Robert Lewis) though no less resourceful is a more reflective character than Stevenson’s Jim. There are also aspects which remind one of Dickens’ rags-to-riches tales of young men, such as Oliver Twist or Pip in Great Expectations. There is even a school setting that could have been partly inspired by Dotheboys Hall in Nicholas Nickleby by way of Tom Brown’s Schooldays, but which could just have easily reflected the experiences of the 12-year-old Joan at Wychwood Boarding School in Oxford in 1936; a similar scenario is depicted in Aiken’s The Shadow Guests.
However, the text that may have most influenced the plot of Go Saddle the Sea is arguably Northanger Abbey, by the author who shared the same initials as Joan Aiken. Aiken proposes that the first draft of this novel, originally titled Susan, was – unbeknown to Austen – actually published, a treasured copy finding its way to Spain via his Felix’s father. Both novels start from the protagonist’s fictional home, Fullerton in Wiltshire for the tomboy Catherine and Villaverde in Galicia for Felix. Both youngsters travel across country, Catherine across southern English counties and Felix across northern Spain, largely traceable on the map. Both arrive in the Somerset spa town of Bath, where extant roads and buildings supply verisimilitude to the two tales. The second volume of Austen’s novel then takes us to the fictional Gloucestershire residence of Northanger Abbey where Catherine’s expectations are finally overturned, not least by the boorish behaviour of General Tilney and her enforced return to Fullerton. At the end of Go Saddle the Sea Felix is no less disappointed by his reception by the Duke of Wells and Taunton at the fictional Asshe House, setting the scene for a planned return to Galicia in the sequel.
Still, despite the fiction, Aiken manages to introduce further real places, albeit under different names. Asshe, where Felix’s English grandfather lives, is probably a compound of several genuine localities. First, the stables are based on Arno’s Castle in the Bristol suburb of Brislington; this is a Gothic-style folly built from copper-slag giving it its more familiar name of the Black Castle (the author of The Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole, called it “the Devil’s Cathedral”). There was even a tunnel linking it to the nearby Arno’s Court Mansion, which may thus be the model for Asshe; or it may be the more imposing Ashton Court further west, the name of which is at least suggestive. (There is also, as Aiken will have known, a village called Ashe, the neighbour of Steventon where Austen revised Northanger Abbey.) Of course modern Bristol also encompasses Blaise – Austen’s Blaize – Castle, the folly that Austen mentions early on in her novel though planned visits there never materialise, and so her concept of Asshe may be another way of referencing the earlier novel by choosing a similar setting.
The sending-up of Gothic romances in Northanger Abbey is however reversed in Aiken’s novel. Where Catherine’s fears are mostly self-generated, Felix’s are real. Law and order can’t be taken for granted in a Europe suffering from the aftermath of the Napoleonic conflicts. The individual may fall prey to brigands, conniving relatives, corrupt officials or even kidnappers of the most sinister kind: as described by Victor Hugo, the Comprachicos were in the habit, using surgery and potions, of deforming children who fell into their clutches. This evil practice is apparently referred to in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream when a character is told Get you gone, dwarf; | You minimus, of hindering knot-grass made. This is Gothic horror indeed. So many villains stalk the pages that Felix, lucky by name and nature, is fortunate to fall in with decent human beings in almost equal measure.
Go Saddle the Sea is full of Aiken trademarks in her use of tropes and themes. In her fiction, especially in The Wolves of Willoughby Chase sequence, villains often meet their downfall by drowning, villainesses are much in evidence as is folklore in the form of songs, instrumental music, doggerel and traditional proverbs, and storms at sea and wolves running free are ever a danger. (Other animals though get a mention here including a cat, horse, pig, mule, ox, parrot and, obliquely, a ring-dove.) Aiken also introduces potential McGuffins: like the slip of paper in the closet of Catherine’s bedroom in the Abbey which turns out to not reveal a secret, we wonder if the treasured letter from Felix’s father is a false lead; another possible red herring is the gold of General Moore’s army lost in the Spanish hills, the goal it seems of every adventurer and opportunist in North Spain whose path Felix happens to cross.
Joan Aiken is a delightful writer, offering us a yarn which is neither parody nor pastiche but instead a homage to nineteenth century adventure stories, with their wrongdoers, derring-do and cliffhangers. But she is also more subtle than that: with her use of authentic language and convincing recreation of period and place you can relax and enjoy the unfolding chronicle without fear of anachronism. And while Victorian authors often serialised their novels in instalments before publication in book form, the chapter headings here retain an older descriptive style, such as Chapter 2 “In which I encounter dangers from swamp, fire and wolves; & am enabled by God’s help to foil some Assassins”, or the final “In which I am sent to School, and come to a Decision”.
And as always, the more you examine what she writes the more you are rewarded. For example, Felix’s Spanish grandfather rules with a tight rein. You won’t be surprised then to learn that Cabezada, the family name, is Spanish for ‘bridle’; and that the next novel in the sequence is Bridle the Wind.
http://wp.me/s2oNj1-saddle
Initially Felix recalls Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island in that there is a document (a letter from his father in place of the map of Stevenson’s novel) which initiates a quest from home to a port and thence by sea to the sought destination. But Felix (whose father’s middle names are, significantly, Robert Lewis) though no less resourceful is a more reflective character than Stevenson’s Jim. There are also aspects which remind one of Dickens’ rags-to-riches tales of young men, such as Oliver Twist or Pip in Great Expectations. There is even a school setting that could have been partly inspired by Dotheboys Hall in Nicholas Nickleby by way of Tom Brown’s Schooldays, but which could just have easily reflected the experiences of the 12-year-old Joan at Wychwood Boarding School in Oxford in 1936; a similar scenario is depicted in Aiken’s The Shadow Guests.
However, the text that may have most influenced the plot of Go Saddle the Sea is arguably Northanger Abbey, by the author who shared the same initials as Joan Aiken. Aiken proposes that the first draft of this novel, originally titled Susan, was – unbeknown to Austen – actually published, a treasured copy finding its way to Spain via his Felix’s father. Both novels start from the protagonist’s fictional home, Fullerton in Wiltshire for the tomboy Catherine and Villaverde in Galicia for Felix. Both youngsters travel across country, Catherine across southern English counties and Felix across northern Spain, largely traceable on the map. Both arrive in the Somerset spa town of Bath, where extant roads and buildings supply verisimilitude to the two tales. The second volume of Austen’s novel then takes us to the fictional Gloucestershire residence of Northanger Abbey where Catherine’s expectations are finally overturned, not least by the boorish behaviour of General Tilney and her enforced return to Fullerton. At the end of Go Saddle the Sea Felix is no less disappointed by his reception by the Duke of Wells and Taunton at the fictional Asshe House, setting the scene for a planned return to Galicia in the sequel.
Still, despite the fiction, Aiken manages to introduce further real places, albeit under different names. Asshe, where Felix’s English grandfather lives, is probably a compound of several genuine localities. First, the stables are based on Arno’s Castle in the Bristol suburb of Brislington; this is a Gothic-style folly built from copper-slag giving it its more familiar name of the Black Castle (the author of The Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole, called it “the Devil’s Cathedral”). There was even a tunnel linking it to the nearby Arno’s Court Mansion, which may thus be the model for Asshe; or it may be the more imposing Ashton Court further west, the name of which is at least suggestive. (There is also, as Aiken will have known, a village called Ashe, the neighbour of Steventon where Austen revised Northanger Abbey.) Of course modern Bristol also encompasses Blaise – Austen’s Blaize – Castle, the folly that Austen mentions early on in her novel though planned visits there never materialise, and so her concept of Asshe may be another way of referencing the earlier novel by choosing a similar setting.
The sending-up of Gothic romances in Northanger Abbey is however reversed in Aiken’s novel. Where Catherine’s fears are mostly self-generated, Felix’s are real. Law and order can’t be taken for granted in a Europe suffering from the aftermath of the Napoleonic conflicts. The individual may fall prey to brigands, conniving relatives, corrupt officials or even kidnappers of the most sinister kind: as described by Victor Hugo, the Comprachicos were in the habit, using surgery and potions, of deforming children who fell into their clutches. This evil practice is apparently referred to in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream when a character is told Get you gone, dwarf; | You minimus, of hindering knot-grass made. This is Gothic horror indeed. So many villains stalk the pages that Felix, lucky by name and nature, is fortunate to fall in with decent human beings in almost equal measure.
Go Saddle the Sea is full of Aiken trademarks in her use of tropes and themes. In her fiction, especially in The Wolves of Willoughby Chase sequence, villains often meet their downfall by drowning, villainesses are much in evidence as is folklore in the form of songs, instrumental music, doggerel and traditional proverbs, and storms at sea and wolves running free are ever a danger. (Other animals though get a mention here including a cat, horse, pig, mule, ox, parrot and, obliquely, a ring-dove.) Aiken also introduces potential McGuffins: like the slip of paper in the closet of Catherine’s bedroom in the Abbey which turns out to not reveal a secret, we wonder if the treasured letter from Felix’s father is a false lead; another possible red herring is the gold of General Moore’s army lost in the Spanish hills, the goal it seems of every adventurer and opportunist in North Spain whose path Felix happens to cross.
Joan Aiken is a delightful writer, offering us a yarn which is neither parody nor pastiche but instead a homage to nineteenth century adventure stories, with their wrongdoers, derring-do and cliffhangers. But she is also more subtle than that: with her use of authentic language and convincing recreation of period and place you can relax and enjoy the unfolding chronicle without fear of anachronism. And while Victorian authors often serialised their novels in instalments before publication in book form, the chapter headings here retain an older descriptive style, such as Chapter 2 “In which I encounter dangers from swamp, fire and wolves; & am enabled by God’s help to foil some Assassins”, or the final “In which I am sent to School, and come to a Decision”.
And as always, the more you examine what she writes the more you are rewarded. For example, Felix’s Spanish grandfather rules with a tight rein. You won’t be surprised then to learn that Cabezada, the family name, is Spanish for ‘bridle’; and that the next novel in the sequence is Bridle the Wind.
http://wp.me/s2oNj1-saddle
August 15, 2013
So I read this series 100% out of order and finished up with the first book. WOW! It is thoroughly delightful, just like the second book, BRIDLE THE WIND.
Felix jumps off the page as a likable, authentic kid dealing with crazy family dynamics and dangerous plot twists. He's not a saint, but he's full of heart and very good with his instincts. I love that the book portrays traveling in such an interesting but not sugarcoated way. There are complex morality lessons which are presented in a very accessible manner.
This book does get dark--on the cover it says it's meant for readers over 12--but it's not a depressing read. If you have a sensitive reader in mind, you might want to preview pages 249-250. To me, that was the most hardcore part in the book.
This is Joan Aiken at her finest. This series is just great for tween readers and I loved it at age 32. While the third book in the series isn't as thrilling/awesomely good, just get all three--they should be together.
Felix jumps off the page as a likable, authentic kid dealing with crazy family dynamics and dangerous plot twists. He's not a saint, but he's full of heart and very good with his instincts. I love that the book portrays traveling in such an interesting but not sugarcoated way. There are complex morality lessons which are presented in a very accessible manner.
This book does get dark--on the cover it says it's meant for readers over 12--but it's not a depressing read. If you have a sensitive reader in mind, you might want to preview pages 249-250. To me, that was the most hardcore part in the book.
This is Joan Aiken at her finest. This series is just great for tween readers and I loved it at age 32. While the third book in the series isn't as thrilling/awesomely good, just get all three--they should be together.
January 7, 2010
This is the first book of an excellent YA historical fiction (with a touch of fantasy) trilogy, just as exciting and fast-paced as I expected from Aiken. The orphaned son of an English soldier and a Spanish noblewoman, Felix has been raised in his grandfather's stern household in Spain, the only love he has known given him by the cook, Bernardina. On her deathbed, she gives him some of his father's possessions, including a mysterious letter which sets him off on a quest to find his heritage; along the way, there are gypsies, shipwrecks, intrigues, murders, and other excitements galore. The historical background (post-Napoleonic Spain) is excellently done, and Felix himself is a vivid, engaging character; Aiken handles his development (the three books cover six years or so of his life) beautifully and provides a host of other colorful characters as well.
July 15, 2021
High adventure on the high seas (and also: trauma that haunts you for life!)
I came to Joan Aiken via Calmgrove.wordpress.com's numerous posts about her Dido Twite series about an alternate version of England and a young girl's many adventures as she makes her way back to her friends and defeats plots against the king. It's a fantastic series (and those posts are well worth the read), so I thought I should try Aiken's Felix Brooke series. After all, I love Aiken and I love adventure. Why not?
Felix Brooke is a young boy in Galicia whose mother died when he was young and whose father has never shown hide nor hair. Felix lives with his mother's family. His grandfather, the governor, is a stern old man who has outlived nearly all of his children. Needless to say, raising a mischievous grandson like Felix is no small task. And Felix is too young to see this! (It doesn't help that other adults around Felix have less than kind regards for him, e.g. his mean aunt, a fire and brimstone tutor, and so on.)
When Felix loses a good friend and finds himself without allies, he decides to take off and find his father's family in England. For that, Felix must travel through the mountains and fields to reach a port and set sail. He meets danger, friends, feuds, duels, and hidden treasure along the way.
Is it a gripping read? Absolutely. Are some of Felix's tribulations harrowing? Yes, yes they are. Felix tells us as much. A near escape from death. The sight of a drowning man sinking beneath the waves. Nightmares about suffocating underground. Good grief, Joan Aiken did not tone this down for the children, and that's probably part of what makes her work so affecting. I particularly love how Aiken has her young protagonists struggle to understand older people and finally grow into better, happier versions of themselves. The character of Sam, a young sailor with a tragic past and unbelievably sunny disposition, is one of the best members of the cast, and I'm a little sad at the thought that he may not return in other books.
I am genuinely excited to read the next two installments, not just for the adventures they promise, but for the moving endings that Aiken never fails to provide.
Recommended if you like high adventure, pirates & thieves fiction, and friends overcoming danger together.
I came to Joan Aiken via Calmgrove.wordpress.com's numerous posts about her Dido Twite series about an alternate version of England and a young girl's many adventures as she makes her way back to her friends and defeats plots against the king. It's a fantastic series (and those posts are well worth the read), so I thought I should try Aiken's Felix Brooke series. After all, I love Aiken and I love adventure. Why not?
Felix Brooke is a young boy in Galicia whose mother died when he was young and whose father has never shown hide nor hair. Felix lives with his mother's family. His grandfather, the governor, is a stern old man who has outlived nearly all of his children. Needless to say, raising a mischievous grandson like Felix is no small task. And Felix is too young to see this! (It doesn't help that other adults around Felix have less than kind regards for him, e.g. his mean aunt, a fire and brimstone tutor, and so on.)
When Felix loses a good friend and finds himself without allies, he decides to take off and find his father's family in England. For that, Felix must travel through the mountains and fields to reach a port and set sail. He meets danger, friends, feuds, duels, and hidden treasure along the way.
Is it a gripping read? Absolutely. Are some of Felix's tribulations harrowing? Yes, yes they are. Felix tells us as much. A near escape from death. The sight of a drowning man sinking beneath the waves. Nightmares about suffocating underground. Good grief, Joan Aiken did not tone this down for the children, and that's probably part of what makes her work so affecting. I particularly love how Aiken has her young protagonists struggle to understand older people and finally grow into better, happier versions of themselves. The character of Sam, a young sailor with a tragic past and unbelievably sunny disposition, is one of the best members of the cast, and I'm a little sad at the thought that he may not return in other books.
I am genuinely excited to read the next two installments, not just for the adventures they promise, but for the moving endings that Aiken never fails to provide.
Recommended if you like high adventure, pirates & thieves fiction, and friends overcoming danger together.
August 31, 2018
3 1/2 stars. I read every Joan Aiken book I could find when I was 10-12 years old. 'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase' had me hooked and looking for more. I can't say I remember much beyond that first book (it has been over 30 years), so when this one was in a box of books, I grabbed it. Felix runs into quite a bit of trouble and adventure, but when you are on a road trip with low funds that is not too inconceivable. He is extraordinarily lucky though. Even though it is geared towards children (at least aged 10yrs) it was still enjoyable to me. I have to credit Joan Aiken with contributing to my expansive vocabulary (that I mostly only use for reading). It may be difficult for some to read, but it is a good way to learn (figuring out a word by its context). This book is the first of three books centered on Felix. It is a grand adventure and I hope my grandchildren read this series and the wolf series.
October 5, 2015
This was completely different from what I'd expected. A fabulous adventure, and the main character (a Spanish-reared lad of 12) was really rather an unusual hero, being such a fabulous mix of vulnerable, fearless and resourceful, quite unlike anything English, Australian or American we have come to expect. The story-telling voice was of the time, so only confident tweens would get into it. (I'm not sure my kids of 10 and 11 would manage it, being more drawn to a contemporary voice.) Once into it, they would be gripped until the main part of the adventure was complete. After that, not sure if they'd hang on for the really rather poetic resolution of the story. The ending was so right, and lovely.
Some seriously gruesome themes there.
Some seriously gruesome themes there.
August 22, 2016
A picaresque novel for children, packed with incident and daring deeds. Though some of the luck and kindness the main character encounters may seem unlikely to the reader, as well as the unlikelihood of his various schemes, this is still a very enjoyable and exciting novel that I would recommend to anyone who likes adventure. Aiken's understanding of the individual and the details she uses to evoke 19th century Spain help to elevate this beyond the level of a Boy's Own type of story into a compelling and clever narrative.
May 29, 2012
I actually could give this a 5- maybe I'll change it...Such a great adventure book, and no science fiction (not that I'm a hater, the field is just SO saturated with non-reality right now and I've kind-of lost interest). It's not the easiest kids read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it- have already read the 2nd book as well and am waiting for the last one to be available at the library.
Just changed it to a 5. I was looking at the books I rated 4, and realized I liked it more than most of those.
Just changed it to a 5. I was looking at the books I rated 4, and realized I liked it more than most of those.
March 16, 2020
Putting together my lists of books and favourites I was sure Joan Aiken had to go among my best-loved authors. When I looked at the titles I'd read I couldn't quite think why, however, until I got to Go Saddle the Sea. Yes, it is amazing.
With most of her other books there was always some sort of a niggle – too many clichés, a flawed plot, just too over the top... although the sheer pace of her writing and her style are her great assets, too.
With most of her other books there was always some sort of a niggle – too many clichés, a flawed plot, just too over the top... although the sheer pace of her writing and her style are her great assets, too.
August 5, 2016
This is a great adventure book for middle-grade kids . . . and for me. I really enjoyed it :-) Felix is a headstrong boy who runs away from his grandfather's home, has many hair-raising adventures, and learns important lessons along the way.
I wouldn't call this story realistic, but it is well researched and a lot of fun!
I wouldn't call this story realistic, but it is well researched and a lot of fun!
March 16, 2015
This author has a mastery of authentic nineteenth century language reminiscent of Georgette Heyer. And in fact the author's sister Jane Aiken Hodge wrote a biography of Heyer. Good pace, a rather unlikely ending, must read the next two in the series.
February 11, 2019
This first book in the Felix Brooke series tells a story with a logical ending point but obviously has more of Felix's adventures to tell in the rest of the series. I would not think it makes sense to read the series out of order.
Sadly, this story never really hooked me and it was difficult for me to push through and I ended up scanning much of it. I am very much not a fan of journey stories. My dislike of the book is personal taste.
The beginning is slow before he leaves his grandfather's house. After that it is one adventure and peril after another. Felix has a creative mind and finds his way out of those perils, some on his own, and others with help. Felix frequently prays to God and gives thanks for the divine help he receives which in other stories would just be called coincidence.
It is only to be expected that Felix is terribly naive and inexperience in problems of the world. He has an innate kindness and generosity but also a wild side enhanced by a quick temper. He also has a mostly optimistic approach to life, but not always. He becomes fast friends with Sam who is one big help on his journey. Sam is also mostly kind and very loyal.
There is much humor both situational and in dialogue.
Mature themes: there is absolutely no sex. There is plenty of violence including physical abuse by those in authority and threats of more serious abuse by scoundrels.
Despite my poor rating, I can see how other readers might greatly enjoy this book.
Sadly, this story never really hooked me and it was difficult for me to push through and I ended up scanning much of it. I am very much not a fan of journey stories. My dislike of the book is personal taste.
The beginning is slow before he leaves his grandfather's house. After that it is one adventure and peril after another. Felix has a creative mind and finds his way out of those perils, some on his own, and others with help. Felix frequently prays to God and gives thanks for the divine help he receives which in other stories would just be called coincidence.
It is only to be expected that Felix is terribly naive and inexperience in problems of the world. He has an innate kindness and generosity but also a wild side enhanced by a quick temper. He also has a mostly optimistic approach to life, but not always. He becomes fast friends with Sam who is one big help on his journey. Sam is also mostly kind and very loyal.
There is much humor both situational and in dialogue.
Mature themes: there is absolutely no sex. There is plenty of violence including physical abuse by those in authority and threats of more serious abuse by scoundrels.
Despite my poor rating, I can see how other readers might greatly enjoy this book.
September 6, 2018
The story itself isn't too bad, although there's a lot of "and then this miraculous happened, because I was nice to so and so" or "this person died right in front of my eyes and I remember it forever. Did God really want that to happen?" and a whole lot of "grass is greener" and "maybe most of these people weren't as bad as I thought. Maybe it was just me?"
Probably a younger reader would enjoy it more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2020
Series are so comforting, especially in the midst of all this uncertainty. So happening upon a hitherto unknown trilogy by a favorite author is like being handed an unexpected but welcome gift.
Aiken's Wolves books are some of the best series reading I know. Now I've got my hot little hands on her Felix Brooke historical trilogy, and I'm not letting go until I read the last word. Go away and don't bother me. I'm reading.
Aiken's Wolves books are some of the best series reading I know. Now I've got my hot little hands on her Felix Brooke historical trilogy, and I'm not letting go until I read the last word. Go away and don't bother me. I'm reading.
June 30, 2024
I loved this book, it was the perfect adventure book at the perfect time. Hit all the tried and tested points in the adventure narrative (running away from a childhood home, meeting people and doing kindnesses and having adventures along the way, discoveries about family and parentage, set up for what comes next), and hit them perfectly. Could not have enjoyed this more.
April 12, 2025
I truly like this kind of adventurous tales, I truly enjoyed it, and it is not boring for a single minute, I liked it so much that I am in mind to pick the second one right now. I love the concept of a kind well mannered protagonist, who encounters good as well as bad people.and how he gets out of trouble by kindness in many forms.
February 4, 2019
This was pretty slow to get started, at least for me, but was quite an enjoyable read once Felix gets on the road.
August 29, 2021
Fun, fun, fun from beginning to end.
December 21, 2023
De verdad me encantó este libro, una aventura, un viaje, lo super recomiendo.
August 6, 2025
Nostalgia read. I love this adventure/coming of age trilogy.
October 5, 2020
Excellent historical fantasy, set in Spain at the beginning of the book and later in Cornwall, UK.
Aiken is a brilliant historical writer, so am not remotely surprised this was good. Nothing will beat the Wolves Chronicles for me though as Dido is one of my all time favourite literary characters, but it was still immensely enjoyable and I will revisit the rest of the trilogy at some point.
Aiken is a brilliant historical writer, so am not remotely surprised this was good. Nothing will beat the Wolves Chronicles for me though as Dido is one of my all time favourite literary characters, but it was still immensely enjoyable and I will revisit the rest of the trilogy at some point.
March 24, 2011
Terrific book. Exciting from start to finish. I'm going to read it again because I enjoyed it so much. Felix runs away from home and his strict grandfather, grandmother, and tutor. He knows his father's side of the family is from England so he plans to travel across Spain to get on a ship that will take him to England. Not everything goes as planned and he almost dies at the beginning of his journey from a foolish mistake. Along the way he meets people and helps them. There is also a plot against his life which we find out later. This is book one in a trilogy.
September 15, 2011
Go Saddle the Sea is standard Joan Aiken. It features a plucky young hero who journeys about righting wrongs, encountering bumbling adults, making friends etc. Felix Brooke is half-English, half-Spanish 11-year-old, living with his hateful relations in Spain. Deciding to chuck it all, he runs away, hoping to find his father’s family in England. Along the way he encounters bumbling adults, makes friends, rights wrongs, etc. In the end, family secrets are revealed and Felix begins a new, better life.
In other words, standard Joan Aiken.
In other words, standard Joan Aiken.
September 28, 2012
This book was OK. Boy goes off on a journey, has a little adventure in each place he stops along the way.
I wanted to like it more than I did, not sure what put me off it. Maybe just the style, or the unrealism of the situations and solutions? It's not just me, I gave the book to my mum and she didn't finish it.
There are some good characters, and the sea journey towards the end was very exciting. But overall I found myself stubbornly reading on to see what happened in the end rather than for the enjoyment of it. I was glad to finish it.
I wanted to like it more than I did, not sure what put me off it. Maybe just the style, or the unrealism of the situations and solutions? It's not just me, I gave the book to my mum and she didn't finish it.
There are some good characters, and the sea journey towards the end was very exciting. But overall I found myself stubbornly reading on to see what happened in the end rather than for the enjoyment of it. I was glad to finish it.
September 20, 2016
Felix sets out from his unhappy home in northern Spain to travel to England in search of his father's family with nothing more than a handful of words deciphered from his Father's unreadable letter. With only a stubborn mule for company he crosses the mountains and has one adventure after another, with only his wits and ingenuity and a talent for music to win him through. From feuding villages to trapped oxen to a forbidden duel, from jail to a strange mountain village to danger on the sea, this is a thrilling and exciting tale filled with unexpected encounters and marvelous characters.
October 16, 2011
Felix is the half-English grandson of a Spanish aristocrat. His mother died when he was born and his family scorns him. With his two friends and protectors in the household dead, he sets out for England to find his father’s family. I was honestly surprised by the major twist in the story. But I had a hard time believing it. Still, Aiken’s characters are vivid enough that I might keep reading (apparently it’s a trilogy). [Feb. 2010]
July 28, 2010
Felix, a twelve-year-old boy, lives in his grandfather's house in Spain. He is unloved, other than by the cook. When she dies early in the book, Felix sets out alone on a mule to find his mother's family in England. Along the way he experiences exciting and sometimes terrifying adventures, meets some delightful people, and learns a great deal about the world.
This is really a book for younger teenagers, but it's extremely well-written and makes an excellent read-aloud book.
This is really a book for younger teenagers, but it's extremely well-written and makes an excellent read-aloud book.
August 11, 2010
Really loved this book! It started out a little slow and the main character's motivation in a couple of instances was a little juvenile, but then again this is a kid's book! By the end of the story I had really become invested in the character. He developed nicely and his relationships with other characters were also realistic and well developed.
I have the sequels on my list of "must read SOON!"
I have the sequels on my list of "must read SOON!"
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