Rough Passage to London: A Sea Captain's Tale

by Robin Lloyd

Lyme, Connecticut, early nineteenth century. Elisha Ely Morgan is a young farm boy who has witnessed first-hand the terror of the War of 1812. Troubled by a tumultuous home life ruled by the fists of their tempestuous father, Ely s two older brothers have both left their pastoral boyhoods to seek manhood through sailing. One afternoon, the Morgan family receives a letter indicating that one brother is lost at sea; the other is believed to be dead. Scrimping as much savings as a farm boy can muster, Ely spends nigh every penny he has to become a sailor on a square-rigged ship, on a route from New York to London a route he hopes will lead to his vanished brother, Abraham. Learning the brutal trade of a sailor, Ely takes quickly to sea-life, but his focus lies with finding Abraham. Following a series of cryptic clues regarding his brother s fate, Ely becomes entrenched in a mystery deeper than he can imagine. As he feels himself drawing closer to an answer, Ely climbs the ranks to become a captain, experiences romance, faces a mutiny, meets Queen Victoria, and befriends historical legends such as Charles Dickens in his raucous quest.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Adventure

376 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Robin Lloyd's early years were spent on the island of St. Croix, where his parents owned a dairy farm and milk plant. As a boy, he grew up sailing in the Caribbean. Lloyd was a foreign correspondent for NBC News for many years, where he reported mostly from Latin America and Africa. He also covered the White House during the Reagan and Bush administrations. Lloyd has created and produced news programs with foreign networks as well as documentaries and segments for domestic stations, including Maryland Public Television. Among his prestigious awards are four Emmys from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay region and an Overseas Press Award. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

“Robin Lloyd is a great reporter, and he has shaped meticulous research into a rollicking story of the sea and the tall ships that sailed the North Atlantic in the 1800s. Amazingly, he hadn't planned to write a novel when he began reading about his ancestor, Elisha Ely Morgan—who knew everyone of his day, from Charles Dickens to Queen Victoria. We can be glad that the more [Lloyd] read, the more he realized he had the makings of a fine story.” — Bob Schieffer, chief Washington correspondent, CBS News

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 adventurous stars! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Rough Passage to London: A Sea Captain’s Tale is the second book I’ve read by Robin Lloyd in the past month! That should speak volumes as to my thoughts on his writing!

By the way, before I get started, Robin Lloyd discovered that he is related to Elisha “Ely” Morgan and that is where his interest in this story began. In the early 1800s in Lyme, Connecticut, Ely Morgan is a young farm hand who unfortunately was not immune to the War of 1812 happening right before his eyes. His home life is hectic, and his father rules with an iron fist, which pushes his older brothers to leave home to seek life at sea.

A letter arrives to the home announcing that one brother is dead while the other is lost at sea. Ely saves every penny he has to leave on a ship to look for his brother, Abraham. One day his ship literally comes in, and he is on his way from New York to London learning the rough life of a sailor. His mission is only to find his brother, but a much bigger mystery unfurls in front of him.

Ely never gives up and climbs the ladder of success to captain, rubs elbows with Queen Victoria, and meets Charles Dickens! What a life! What an adventure.

Yes, what a thrilling adventure this story of Ely Morgan is. Steeped in the history and atmosphere of the time, I thoroughly enjoyed Ely’s discovery of life at sea, his endless search for his brother, and his devotion to his new career. The mystery is fun to piece together and left me guessing with some nice tension, and Ely’s chance encounters are extraordinarily fun. I never forgot the personal connection the author has to Ely, and that just added to the fun. I would love to have had such an adventurous relative to research. Well-done, Robin Lloyd! I hope you are already at work on another adventurous historical novel.

I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com

[Kate Vocke (bookapotamus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you thought that dude on the rum bottle was the coolest Captain Morgan - think again! This guy runs circles around him! Captain Ely Morgan is one of those characters (who is a REAL LIFE captain from the 1800’s btw) that you immediately respect, you long for his happiness and success, and you most definitely will want to sit down and have a bit of rum with him!

Full disclosure: I’m not a huge historical fiction fan. I tend to get bored with the historical details. But I jumped at the chance to work with Suzy Approved Book Tours and Get Red PR again. AND, I make all exceptions when it comes to pirates, ships and sailing, or anything that has to do with the sea! Man, this one did NOT disappoint. I actually found that that this story kept me riveted and engaged the ENTIRE time. It read so smoothly, transitioning through time, across oceans and continents, and I found not one instance where I was bored, or bogged down with any boring details. The pace is fast, the adventure is exciting, and the story is fascinating. It sails full speed ahead from start to finish. I loved the momentum and the mystery was insanely intriguing.

There’s a bit of something for everyone in this sea tale - based on a true story, it’s a fictionalized account of the author’s ancestor, Elisha Ely Morgan. We meet Ely as a young boy, on his family farm during the War of 1812 where him and his brother Abraham get just a tad too close to the action. Fast forward a few years when a letter arrives - telling his family that of his two brothers who were since sent off to war, one has died, and the other, missing. Eli runs off to begin the life of a sailor, determined to find out what happened to his brother, and may very well end up spending the rest of his life doing so. After all - he could be anywhere in the world, and what better way to search the world than to sail its' seas? I’ve even purchase My. Lloyd’s most recent novel “Harbor of Spies” because I loved this one so much!

There are all the necessary elements that make this tale well worth reading… from family and love, to pirates and mutiny, through hurricanes and war - all fueling an epic adventure full of danger and excitement. It’s amazing at a every turn, and there are a lot of turns in this enthralling nautical novel! You won’t want to put it down - I promise you.

[Julie Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read many seafaring stories because I love them and history, and they are background to my own research.
Lloyd's book is one of the exceptional stories that readers come across infrequently. The biographical subject is one of his ancestors, Ely Morgan, who rose from a common sailor before the mast to captain great sailing ships at the end of the 1800s as steam was taking over.
The attention to detail, throughline of his lost brother, crises, and the social scene (both high and low) in London were all accurate and compelling. I couldn't put the book down for several nights, so captivated was I.
Highly, highly recommended for history buffs, biography buffs, and naval buffs.

[Nicole reading_with_nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elisha Ely Morgan a young farm boy who does not have an easy life, his home life is ruled by his father who does not have the best of tempers to live by. Ely has two older brothers, both of whom have left the home and pursued a life on the sea in the merchant marines.

One day a letter is received advising the Morgan family that Abraham one of the Morgan boys was lost at sea and is presumed to be dead. The news is devastating and causes young Ely to realize the time has also come for him to leave home, not to just search for his brother but to escape living with his father.

Ely took all the money he had and spent it all on becoming a sailor on a ship traveling from New York to London. The life of a sailor is not easy but Ely takes to it quickly learning how to survive life at sea. All the while following cryptic messages on wether his brother is alive or not.

Ely is determined to not just find his brother but to succeed in his career. He eagerly makes his way to climbing the ranks and becoming captain. Throughout his journey he experiences many life adventures such as finding romance, facing a mutiny, meeting the Queen and becoming friends with Charles Dickens.

If you are a historical fiction fan and love stories based on the high seas then this book is for you.
This was Robin Lloyds first book to be published and was released in paperback back in October 2018. Robin’s writing and research for the book is wonderful, you can feel the passion he put into this book as you embark on the journey with him.

I am honored that I was able to be a part of this book tour. You can purchase a copy on amazon.com. The opinion of this book is my own, I was gifted a copy of the book for my honest opinion.

[Dan Barr]

** Note: This review is based on an uncorrected proof **

I hate to review a book that I haven't finished, but I do think it is worthwhile to explain why I abandoned it so I will try express why I couldn't finish without being too judgmental.

First off, I found the book to be the opposite of engaging (divorcing?). I found, to the extent that I read, that the characters were bogged down with tedious explanations and events. I didn't get a good sense of character, setting, or plot. I know it was in there somewhere, but there was so much, what a friend of a friend called "stage direction," that the book was more evocative of a play-by-play than a story.

The next thing that stunted my reading experience was the passage of time. It was slow when it needed to be fast, and fast when it needed to be slow. Too much time was taken up during periods of little growth or action, while moments that should have been focused on, say, details of the main character's first trans-Atlantic voyage, were completely skipped. I was unsure what I was supposed to find significant because the parts I would have found interesting were not there. Now, this is something another reader may not have an issue with, but personally I could not get past it.

The final piece of this book that prevented me from finishing it was the incredibly grey writing. I mean like eating porridge in a fog bank while listening to Philip Glass grey. In this particular case I'd like to highlight a particular sentence: "The other men all laughed at this homosexual reference...." I'm sorry but sailors do not "laugh at this homosexual reference." They may "roar with laughter at the expense of the mocked men," or "chuckle as the two insulted men waked passed," or any number of other colorful phrases. I'd describe "laughed at this homosexual reference" as dry as the Moon, except that they've discovered water ice there so even the Moon isn't dry enough to be compared to that language. Brighten it up! This is a sea tale! I want color, I want bawdy language, I want to feel like I am on a ship full of uncivilized men! Grey language does not do justice to the subject matter.

I've brought this up in other reviews and I hate to harp on one topic but seriously, editing people, editing. This book strikes me as being nearly unchanged from the initial manuscript. The thing is, manuscripts are never ready for publishing, that's why editors are so important. They are meant to take the manuscript and make it a book. So I am not going to only take Robin Lloyd to task on this, but his editor as well (who is, sadly, not credited in the book so I can't do it by name). Or, if there was no editor, then I will blame Sheridan House for not doing their level best to put the best product they can on the market.

Anyway, since I didn't finish it I can't give it a star rating, for all I know it could end up absolutely amazing, unfortunately I just couldn't slog through the beginning to find out.

[Linda Zagon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robin Lloyd has written a "Sea Tale" that is intense, intriguing, captivating, and full of suspense, mystery and adventure. The Genres for this story are a combination of Historical Fiction and Fiction, that are woven through both the author's research and imagination. The author bases the main character Captain Morgan, actually Elisha Ely Morgan a relative in his family.

 Elisha is a young boy and is with his brother around the War of 1812. While the two boys are investigating their property, they witness the British blow up American ships. They escape. Elisha's father is a mean tempered man who bullies and beats him. Elisha leaves home after a letter arrives that two of his brothers who left  home have met with tragedy. One brother is dead, and the other is either missing or dead. Elisha makes his mind up to find his missing brother. This mystery, adventure and chase takes much of his life.

Elisha sails off  the rough seas and finds himself working hard as a sailor. He works hard, and gets a higher rank. He finds himself on large sailing ships going between America and England. As the years pass, the reader sees the dangerous path that Elisha has taken. There are hurricanes, and storms at sea, mutiny, war, pirates, drugs and slave trade.

I would recommend this book for those readers that enjoy the chase, adventure, mystery and danger.

[Erich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely one of the better novels I have read this year!

Rough Passage to London follows the career of Ely Morgan, a young boy from Lyme, CT who started off as a cabin boy at the age of 15 on a packet ship, and eventually became a very successful captain. In his 30 year career, he crossed the Atlantic more than 100 times.

The book is part biography, part historical fiction. While many of the events depicted in the narrative are taken from historical accounts and personal letters, others are pure fiction and the blend of the two serves as a gusty wind to carry the story forth.

The narrative in and of itself is impressive. The author's style is fluid and descriptive, without being overbearing. Some events, such as the ship sailing into a hurricane, are very tense and you can feel the waves crashing down on deck, hear the screams of terror from the ship's passengers. One gets a deep appreciation for life at see during the 1800's. I also deeply enjoyed the depictions of New York City and London during this time period.

I have to say though, that after reading the author's notes at the end of the novel, I got a completely different impression of the main character than the notes portray. I found him to be cautious and reserved, and at times, a bit dim-witted. The author's notes indicate that the Morgan was a lively host, well-loved by his friends, and the veritable life of the party. I'm not sure how to reconcile those differences.

I also feel like the main fictional plot came to an unsatisfying and unresolved conclusion. Without giving away anything, I would have ended that plot at an earlier obvious point in the narrative.

The author is also very technical in his descriptions of the workings of sailing at the time, especially when the narrative deals with the sails and various parts of the ships. You either need to keep Wikipedia up for consultation, or hope that at some point, the author will provide a glossary. This is not a bad thing, because it adds to the authenticity of the book, but I would have liked to see a bit more description for the average reader who isn't versed 19th century nautical knowledge.

Despite these minor criticisms, I definitely recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, or the naval/nautical genre.

[Asho · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this story. On the one hand, it's a good concept for an historical fiction novel; it is the semi-fictionalized story of Captain E.E. Morgan, a real historical figure from the 1800s. Morgan was apparently well-acquainted with many authors and artists of the era and that, combined with the potential for various seafaring adventures and the history of English/American conflicts during the period, made an interesting base for a novel. The author did a nice job of taking the known elements of Morgan's life and interweaving them with a fictional (but mostly plausible) tale of mystery and intrigue.
Unfortunately, this was for the most part a mediocre reading experience. I felt like the beginning of the book was slow, while the end was all a bit to deus ex machina for my taste. There was a good chunk in the middle that was well-paced and exciting, but for too much of this book I was picking it up just to get through it and not because I was excited about seeing what would happen next. I feel like the book also waivered between being unnecessarily descriptive in some areas but not descriptive enough in others (I think someone with a better working knowledge of nautical terminology would have enjoyed this more than I did. I sometimes felt like I needed a dictionary to be able to properly imagine what was happening on the ship.) I also kept finding myself knocked out of the story by the transitions from chapter to chapter and scene to scene. They often felt jarring and awkward. The biggest problem was that the author did more telling than showing, often using flashbacks to tell exciting parts of the story that probably would have been better served being told in present tense.
My rating of this book bumped up slightly at the end when I read the author's note and saw how much research he did for the project. He did an impressive amount of work, and that did show. I also think this book would probably be a hit with someone who has a special interest in maritime history, so although I'm not the ideal reader for this book I can see its potential appeal for a certain type of reader.

[Reet Champion]

Ely Morgan is on a quest. He has just lost two brothers to the sea and there is chance one of them may still be alive. After receiving a cryptic letter Ely Morgan leaves behind his family including a cruel father to discover what has happened to Abraham. In the course of his adventure, Ely will be faced with plenty more cruelty and hardship while learning the ropes of a ship.

I never thought I’d say this but there was just too much history, not to mention description in Rough Passage to London. Don’t get me wrong – I love ships (and the nautical terms!) and I love history but this was just too much. After wading through all that I really didn’t care one way or the other if Ely found Abraham. Speaking of Ely – how often does his mind have to wander back to his father? I mean, in reality if we were in his place we would probably think on that a lot too but in the novel? Again too much. I think I knew the father better than I did Ely.

I should note that I did not finish this book. After coming to an extremely nasty incident 70-some-odd pages into the book I decided to give up. It wasn’t worth it, sadly.

DISCLAIMER: In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” we would like to note that we received an electronic copy of “Rough Passage to London” from NetGalley.com provided by the publishers, Rowman & Littlefield, in exchange for our honest review.

[Karen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has it all. Adventure on the high seas, river pirates, slave ships, kidnappings, storms, mutinies and even a little bit of romance. The most delightful thing about this book is the fact that the main character, Ely Morgan, actually existed and is the author's ancestor. The story came from the author's mind but Ely Morgan did exist and was a sea captain on the Black X Line.

Initially, before I began reading the book, I feared it would take me a long time to finish because it was over 300 pages of rather small print, tightly spaced. No fear, I couldn't put it down so I raced my way to the end of the book rather quicker than I thought I would.

I was quickly caught up in Ely Morgan's life which we enter when he is only eight years old but the book moves very quickly to his running away from home at sixteen to serve as a cabinboy on his first ship. His older brother Abraham has disappeared at sea and Ely hopes to learn what has happened to his brother. This search will carry us through the book until the end. We follow his rapid career advancements until he is captain of his own ship. He has made some close friends and had some closer calls with danger but you will have to read about this for yourself in this very well-written book.

I won this book in a FirstReads giveaway.

[Holly Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a historical fiction maritime adventure this book is for you. It follows the life of Ely Morgan, who worked his way up the ladder to be captain of packet ships in the 19th century. Ely spent years prowling the seas looking for his brother who was supposedly lost at sea. The book is well-researched and an interesting aside is that Morgan is an ancestor of the author.

River pirates, kidnapping, power struggles and a bit of romance spice up the plot. I learned much maritime detail (forecastles, packet ships, shrouds, etc.) I only gave this book 3 stars because of the monotonous continual references to finding the brother, which didn't seem to enhance the plot and the need for editing. In the book's defense, I read an uncorrected proof, so much of that may be improved by publication time.

Copy graciously provided by Publicist Maya Kouassi at FebruaryPartners.com for my unbiased review.

Read for HFU Masters as an example of Historical Adventure Novels.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, I should say that I won this ARC in a Goodreads Giveaway. Secondly, I'll say that I'm really glad I did!
Actually, when I began the book I was immediately worried that I may be 'in over my head' in ship terminology...foremasts & main masts, buntlines & clewlines, shrouds, stunsails & skysails & jib booms! After getting thru that initial concern, I found a great story. Before Robin Lloyd wrote this book, he was doing some family history research...& this is a 'by-product' of that! I think Lloyd provides a great window into those early-mid 1800's, especially that having to do with sea-faring & that time period in London & NYC. I really learned a great deal from this book, about the shipping business & that time period...& just on that alone, I should really offer a 4.5 in rating!! Good job, Robin Lloyd!!!

[Kennedy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book lots of description and historical accuracy make this book amazing

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two novels in one.

For a further review: http://susannag.booklikes.com/post/21... .

[Magnus Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love buying and reading these types of books.
Boats, yachts, historical events and books about the sea are generally excellent. If there are sequels in your series, I would love to read them.

The beauties of owning the books of important authors cannot be discussed. I'm looking forward to your new books.

For friends who want to read this book, I leave the importance of reading a book here. I wish good luck to the sellers and customers...

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[courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since I was a child, one of the first book genres that was ever introduced to me was historical fiction. My grandmother was a major history buff and always passed down to me books about growing up in the 1800s, the 1600s, during war and famine and what it was like to travel in a covered wagon. It was amazing to me. Mind blowing, really. This is what people before me had gone through? I think my love for non fiction started there as well. Now that I'm older I also feel it impacted the way I view the world and the people in it. It increased my empathy and willingness to learn the truth about those who are different from me. Which eventually you learn, we really aren't all that different after all. So when I was asked to join this blog tour, I was ecstatic. This genre is my favorite. And what a great, adventurous read this book was! Slave ships, some kidnappings, river pirates, storms, even a bit of romance. The most interesting part about this book is how the main character, Ely Morgan, really existed and is one of the author's ancestors. I love how the author was intrigued enough to write a story about his family history.

I was instantly caught up in Ely Morgan's life. In the beginning of the book, we see him as a young boy, only eight years old  but then the story moves forward rather quickly to him running away from home at sixteen to begin a new life as a cabin boy on his own ship. When his older brother Abraham has disappeared somehow out at sea, Ely sets out with high hopes of learning what has happened to his brother. This book was the kind of prose that read to me almost like a screenplay. I could easily see this book being a movie. The author showed great knowledge of the time period and living a life on the sea. Just how daring it can be. There is some really exciting and dramatic passages in this book; think a Liane Moriarty novel but with ships and pirates! This definitely brought me back to memories of childhood reading historical fiction in my grandma's backyard. And that to me, that easiness of transportation back in time, is when a book shines its best.

This book is now available in paperback, and I highly suggest picking up a copy! Thank you so much to @suzyapprovedbooktours and @getredpr on Instagram for including me in this tour! Such sweet ladies, please check them out and you will never miss a great book to add to your TBR again!

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was well written and it was interesting to read something outside of my usual books. It kept my attention, found it intriguing, and to be an informative sea tale. I felt it was a history book coming to life in a fictional page-turner.

The level of research and richness of the history glows in this book. I went into this book having a certain perception of the genre of historical fiction and what it encompasses and I found this book to add a new layer to the genre. There is the integrity and level of research that impressed and engaged me as a reader. Though I found some of the book to lack emotion and dry, there is a richness to the information presented and creation of a sea tale. It was a learning experience that I much appreciated.

Synopsis:

“Robin Lloyd’s debut novel opens in Lyme, Connecticut, in the early nineteenth century. Elisha Ely Morgan is a young farm boy who has witnessed firsthand the terror of the War of 1812. Troubled by a tumultuous home life ruled by the fists of their tempestuous father, Ely’s two older brothers have both left their pastoral boyhoods to seek manhood through sailing. One afternoon, the Morgan family receives a letter with the news that one brother is lost at sea; the other is believed to be dead. Scrimping as much savings as a farm boy can muster, Ely spends nearly every penny he has to become a sailor on a square-rigged ship, on a route from New York to London—a route he hopes will lead to his vanished brother, Abraham.

Learning the brutal trade of a sailor, Ely takes quickly to sea-life, but his focus lies with finding Abraham. Following a series of cryptic clues regarding his brother’s fate, Ely becomes entrenched in a mystery deeper than he can imagine. As he feels himself drawing closer to an answer, Ely climbs the ranks to become a captain, experiences romance, faces a mutiny, meets Queen Victoria, and befriends historical legends such as Charles Dickens in his raucous quest.”



Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours and Get Red PR for the opportunity of a gifted copy to read such an adventure.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author, Robin Lloyd, found out he was a direct descendant of Ely Morgan who was a sailor in the early to mid 1800’s. Through Lloyd’s research he found a few family letters around which he could build a fictional story. Morgan was growing up during and after the War of 1812 with a father who had a very bad temper and two brothers who left the family home to work on the high seas. After their family receives news that one brother died and the other was missing at sea, Morgan decides it is time for him to leave as well, to escape his father and to try to find his brother. He becomes a sailor on a ship sailing the New York to London routes in hopes of finding clues about his lost brother. Through the years, he becomes an excellent sailor and eventually becomes Captain Morgan! He goes through many rough times, has many “rough passages”, but he does eventually find some answers.

I usually love historical fiction so I was excited to read about a subject that was fairly new to me – maritime history. I must say that I did not connect with it like I do many other historical fiction novels. The author did an amazing job researching his subject and portraying the era as realistically as possible. And as much as there were some intriguing interactions with famous people like Charles Dickens and even Queen Victoria, the story just dragged on for me a bit so I was probably not the target audience for this book.

If you like stories from the high seas or historical maritime stories then you will probably like this one as I do have more of an appreciation for the dangerous sailing life of that time! Rough Passage to London was originally published in 2013 and was just released in trade paperback last month.

Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours, @getredpr and Lyons Press for the opportunity to read and review Rough Passage to London!

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ely Morgan sees the brutality of war at a young age, and when his brother goes missing, he decides he will do whatever it takes to solve the mystery of his disappearance.

I really enjoyed this novel. The history was spot on, although sometimes it could be described as textbook. Still, I think Lloyd did an amazing job with the setting of the story, and the historical references just added to that.
The writing style took a while for me to get used to. I enjoyed how we were taken on a journey for the duration of Morgan's life, but sometimes the extra details of being on a ship got to be too much for me personally, but I did love the scenery and how some details I originally thought would be insignificant came back to be just the thing needed to solve the mystery in the end. There are multiple journeys taken to Europe and back to the Americas throughout this story, and something is continuously happening on all of them.
Rough Passage to London gripped me early on, and I felt myself needing to know what was going to happen next, and how it was going to play out in the end. If you like historical novels or novels set at sea, this is definitely a good book for you.
*I received this book for free, but all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own*

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the author at a BEA event several years ago. It is a fictionalized tale of his great-great-great grandfather's adventures as a packet ship captain in the mid-1800's. I found this to be an absorbing adventure. The descriptions of the sailing ships, the rigging, and the life aboard were mesmerizing. You could almost hear the water slipping past the ship in calm waters and the waves raging during multiple storms, the smells of the galley & the stench of the alleyways along the docks in London. The discussions and debates about the banning of the slave trade, emancipation of the slaves in the UK territories & the British estimation of the Americans' bad manners and coarseness I found to be unexpectedly topical. I will be recommending this one to some of my book club friends.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking the real story of one of his ancestors, Robin Lloyd weaves an interesting tale of the days of sail in America in the 1800's. Elisha Ely Morgan ran away to sea in his teens and learned the sailor's trade the hard way, starting as a greenhorn and working his way up through the ranks. In the novel the author throws in a tale of Morgan searching for one of his brothers whose fate remained unknown to his family. Other themes include the horrors of the slave trade and the still somewhat prickly relationship between England and America. The drama of the perils of sea travel are offset by the warm persona of Captain Morgan and make this an entertaining yarn, probably like the ones he was known to have told to his acquaintances.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rough Passage to London: A Sea Captain's Tale by Robin Lloyd is the first book I have read by this author. I am glad I had a chance to read this book. It is a book about one of the author’s relatives Elisha Ely Morgan. This book has it all suspense, danger, adventure and mystery. I do believe at times there was a little too much history given, even saying that it still held my attention. It is a combination of real history and the author’s imagination that makes it a great story. The vivid descriptions given in the book actually make you feel you are right there in the midst of things. You will need an encyclopedia if you are not familiar with seafarer’s terms. Other than that I would definitely recommend this book to historical fiction readers.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very readable historical tale of a sea captain's life, fictionalized but based on real events and written by a descendant of the captain's. There are a lot of descriptive elements, and it is easy to picture the sights and smells of life at sea. The female characters were a bit shallow, but this is otherwise a worthy effort as a first novel. Recommended for fans of historical fiction and/or oceanic adventures.

[Traci Logue · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most favorite seafaring tales ever. Highly recommend.

[Darel Krieger · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like to read about seafaring adventure, then this is a book I would recommend. Well written and covers quite a bit of time. In saying this I did find the book a bit lengthy and slow at times.

[Lisa Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Thoroughly enjoyed this story and the exciting rough passages as they were described by the author. Thoroughly enjoyable read!

[Mirrani · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character in this book is an ancestor of the author and when I read the introduction about how it was a work of fiction, based on actual people, I was worried that too many liberties would be taken with life in the times of the 19th century. However, as soon as I started reading I became caught up in an amazing story and found that the fiction was a perfect blend with the past and the book itself was an addictive mystery that I simply had to unravel.

I was intrigued by the feelings I got as a reader when I was introduced to characters and situations within the book, how you would meet a character and then be told about their history as an after story. "He found out later that..." was a common way of giving you an entire character backstory all at once. Initially, I found that to be somewhat jarring, then I realized that this is how one meets others on long voyages. You pass each other, introduce yourselves and over time you come to know them. You realize much more later than you do at the beginning. As a reader, of course, we don't have this luxury, so this type of descriptive writing ended up settling within my mind as a way of traveling through the story and became almost as natural as getting on and off a ship on various voyages around the world.

As a sailing book, this story has everything, from young men running off to find their fortune and adventure on the sea, to their realizing there is more to sailing than what they had dreamed. It contains the experience gained from years at sea as a captain, to battles with pirates and storms on the sea. By turning the pages a reader can feel as if they have actually experienced sailing back in the day of the packet ship, feeling every wave on the sea or ray of sun on a clear day. You can practically smell the salt in the air and feel the wind in your hair as you read along.

The only issue that I had with the book was the somewhat childish behavior of Ely Morgan, who remained naive well beyond a time I thought he should have. There are multiple points in the book where he jumps into a situation without thought to what could really be happening and is completely oblivious to what we all know is going to be trouble. This works when he is fresh on the sea, but I couldn't believe that he would continue with this issue after several years dealing with seamen. This said, Rough Passage to London is going to join an elite set of books that I take off the shelf every few years to read again. I can't get enough of this adventure.

Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it.

[Jim Gallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not read much fiction but this one caught my attention: a sea captain’s tale written by his direct descendant who happened to be a journalist, it might be good. It is!

As an eight year old Elisha Ely Morgan say a Redcoat raiding party burn American boats in Connecticut during the War of 1812. He and his brother ran away to sea, where he had a successful 30 year career as a crewman, captain and shipping line executive. During this time Elisha is driven by a quest to find his missing brother and a shipmate for whose fate he feels a special responsibility. When I review novels I am always afraid of giving too much away so let us keep it at that.

As a novel this is very well written. It has a bit of sea tale, a bit of mystery, a lot of history and a story that grabs your interest and never lets go. There is enough of the hardship of the sea without disgusting brutality. There is enough of a quest to keep you reading without straining credibility to the breaking point. It is a novel built around a core of historical fact. Author Robin Lloyd has done an excellent job in starting with basic facts and filling in enough details to make a great story. “Rough Passage to London” had a personal attraction to me because one of my great-great-grandfathers was also a seaman. I now feel that I have a better understanding of what his life was like. Even without this tie it is a good read.

I did receive a free copy of this book for review.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you like your nautical stories to be full of buntlines, ratlines, jibs, mizzenmasts and so on, then this is the book for you.

Robert Lloyd's novel is about his ancestor, Captain Ely Morgan's, 30 year career with the Black X shipping line. The story is a historical fiction piece rather than a biography. Ely is searching for his brother Abraham, also a sailor, who has been presumably lost at sea.

The story is complete with a mystery, betrayal, pirates, hurricanes out at sea and overall sea life on a sailing vessel.

The author has definitely done his research, clearly describing the steps taken when setting a ship out to sail. However as much as I do love reading about sailing ships, I was beginning to find these descriptions a bit monotonous. I felt the author could have eased up on the sailing portions of the book and added more 'story'. He did however, manage to tie all the plots together and added a twist at the end.

As a character, Captain Morgan was well developed. The author successfully portrayed a man who sometimes doubted himself and at times displayed a steely resolve and determination. Sadly he is the only character that can lay claim to that fame.

A high seas adventure but needed to be a bit more literary.

[Malcolm Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For lovers historical fiction, Robin Lloyd's 27-year saga imagining the seafaring life of his colorful ancestor Ely Morgan is a solid read and enjoyable pastime.

Featuring sleazy slave traders, ruthless blackguards, a double dealing prostitute, and a host of historical figures from Charles Dickens to Queen Victoria, the story takes the reader from the War of 1812 to the early years of abolitionism, with special attention to the evolving relationship between the young United States and Great Britain during this period.

Lloyd's considerable talent for description allows the reader to see the character's expressions and gestures in a way that is thoroughly cinematic and which draws the reader deeper into the drama. His gift for narrative moves the story briskly from one year to the next, allowing the reader to observe the growth and advancement of the main character from boyhood through his early years as a sailor and onto his promotion to captain and eventually to shipowner.

All of this is wed to a rousing yarn laced with mystery and intrigue, making for an enjoyable novel that is well worth the reader's time.