Man in the Yellow Raft

by C.S. Forester

This collection of stories is a nostalgic and compelling picture of men serving with the U S Navy during World War II. With disarming insight into the laughter and pain, Spartan discomfort, monotony, lack of privacy, and never-ending threats that make war what it is, Forester steers a tight course for the truth, action, and entertainment. You will be a witness to courage and discipline amid great danger and the ever-present threat of death. This is a great collection, showing once more the Forester talent for telling a fine story and telling it well.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, War

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Cecil Scott Forester was the pen name of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith, an English novelist who rose to fame with tales of adventure and military crusades. His most notable works were the 11-book Horatio Hornblower series, about naval warfare during the Napoleonic era, and The African Queen (1935; filmed in 1951 by John Huston). His novels A Ship of the Line and Flying Colours were jointly awarded the 1938 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.

Reviews

[Phrodrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little back ground: the book Man in the Yellow Raft (Kindle Edition) by C.S. Forester was first published posthumously in the late 1960’s. The individual stories were written from the early 1940’s to the early 1960’s. Most of us know CS F via his Hornblower series all about the British Navy under sail. Perhaps tongue in cheek there is an American Sailor of that name in this one. Going back to Forester and WW II part of his job was to raise American enthusiasm for WW II. He was an Englishman and such a goal was at minimum patriotic, but there was some feeling in the US that only the Japanese had attacked the US, so maybe there was plenty enthusiasm for the Pacific war. All of Yellow Raft is set in the Pacific Theatre. Ultimately Forester was very Pro America, and all of this is clear in these stories.
These stories center around the crew of a WWII Destroyer The USS Boon. They all take place in wartime. However, to lump them together as no more than flag waving, “fight the good fight” is to miss what is the consistent themes within the stories. Mostly they are about leadership. Leading by default, by example and by the weight of experience. A younger character has to learn, sometimes the hard way that making decisions has real world results. One can only be young for so long and adulthood may not come because you invited it in.

This is not a 21st century book. It has little to attract women or people of color. All that is granted. What it does offer is fine story telling with ideas with ideals. Taking up this book may seem retrograde in terms of contemporary requirements to say certain things and include certain people. That kind of thinking in selecting books is itself exclusionary and needlessly limiting.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

*UPDATED, ADDS REVIEW TO RATING*

In my opinion, this contains the best of Forester's WW 2 stories, although the collection ' The Nightmare ' is a close second. He's writing about Americans at war, mostly of the men of the destroyer USS Boon, serving in the Pacific. Having lived in the US for decades, Forester had a good feel for the (then) American point of view, and paints convincing and interesting characters. He's also less heavy handed with the propaganda here than in some of the other stories ( he was working for the British Information Ministry during the war, so morale boosting was inevitable). I especially liked "Counterpunch" about the U.S. Navy's effort to regroup and strike back after the initial Japanese victories; " Dr. Blanke's First Command," about a nerdy doctor who is forced to take charge of a lifeboat, and the eponymous title story about a young sailor coming to grips with wartime realities. All of the stories are memorable tales and reflect Forester's careful research into naval warfare and seamanship, that characterized the Hornblower novels. Although some of the figures of speech and attitudes will appear dated, they are absolutely authentic to the period and in my opinion add to the realism. Forester never has a light touch with humour but he takes a crack at it in "Cornucopia".
A superior collection of war at sea stories, which I reccomend.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually, I'd give this 5 1/2 if I could. I never expected to like it so much. What a great author to make someone really enjoy something so far out of her usual. Seemed I was living the stories instead of just reading them.

[Steven Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forester, C.S. The Man in the Yellow Raft. Lake Oswego: eNet Press Inc. 2012 (Kindle Edition). (First published 1942)

The Man in the Yellow Raft is a series of short stories C.S. Forester wrote in the early days of World War II. These stories primarily center on the U.S Navy destroyer, the USS Boon. Taken in sum, the book likely was an excellent source of information for civilians who were trying to understand what it was like to be in the U.S. Navy as the war unfolded.
The book begins with the Boon returning from the war to San Francisco in order to have radar and depth charge racks installed and other measures to make it more effective in combat. The needs of the war trumped personnel considerations. Virtually all crew time was spent on this fitting out with virtually no time for liberty and enjoyment. There was a war to be fought and won.
It is not necessary to discuss every chapter and story. However, all are very good and there is usually an unexpected twist or two in each. Overall impressions left with the reader were that the war at sea was tough and unforgiving. Men of all persuasions and skills manned U.S. Navy ships. Their teamwork and fortitude were necessities. Capable leaders were required. Many unsung heroes, some who are introduced in the book, were unknown to the public before Forester introduced them. As a former U.S. Navy destroyer sailor, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[Stuart Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories about the U.S. Navy during WWII, mostly in the Pacific theatre. Many feature the destroyer USS Boon, but also other ships of less notoriety; refueling tankers, submarine tenders, merchant marine transports and the like. In the same way the characters are all lower ranked officers and simple seamen, men from the lower decks who don't have any say in the planning of the war but are essential in seeing those plans carried out. One of the best examples is the entire Battle of Midway from beginning to end as seen from the point of view of a seamen whose sole responsibility is a single steam pressure valve located in a small room in the bowels of a destroyer. Alone in a little metal room he maintains his duty while the fate of the world is decided over his head. The entire book is an homage to the unheralded men who made victory in the Pacific possible. First rate storytelling by a master of seagoing tales.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best sea novels I've ever read. Its marred only by being oddly disjointed and out of order in terms of the stories (the last story, for example, precedes before the first one in chronological order). Forester does a masterful job telling the tale of the destroyer Boon in the Pacific occean during WW2, with a short jaunt over to the supply ship Cornucopia to show how the Boon is kept active when at sea.

Its often gripping, filled with personal stories, humor, tension, details of sea life, and more. I recommend this highly to any fan of Hornblower, WW2 stories, Sea Stories, and history.

[Alex Tray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often times, war novels focus on the gritty action, but war is also monotony and administrative. This short novel tells the latter aspect on the destroyer USS Boon during World War 2. It's fulfilling without going too far with the boring aspects of war. It was also enjoyable to read while on the bus. I was able to finish it in about one or two sittings.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as it is a rather accurate depiction of life at sea.
Being partial to Navy stories, I look for realism and accuracy in the story being told and this one fits the bill.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another collection of WWII shorts, this time centered on American forces instead of British.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four stars would be more appropriate, had the longest story in this collection been removed, or better replaced by another work. The short stories in this book are nice. What I found in them were new perspectives of the war in the pacific, naval strategies I've never come across before, or realities most might be completely unaware of.

I can't even remember the story I disliked so much, but it was long and tedious, and ended without much of a fight.

Too bad Forester didn't connect a narrative amongst each of these, as I originally thought he was going to do (especially after starting the second story). The first story ended with a pilot floating in a yellow raft, the second one began with a pilot needing to meet up with the Boon. Why weren't they strung together? That would've made for a unique collection in my opinion.

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I have loved nearly every Forester novel I have ever read, with the Hornblower series being the best. This is a collection of short stories written about American sailors in the Pacific during WW2. I find it interesting that it was published during the war. I love it when I can read an older book and it feels like it was just published. I have put all of Forester's novels on my reading list. There are quite a few of them.

[Titi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really felt it boring and not so interesting. Perhaps because it was not my genre of choice but I wanted to give it a chance. There was only informations and details, really not much of a story. Perhaps The Boy Stood on the Burning Deck seemed to have a story, as well as Dr. Blanke's First Command and 6th December but I loathed reading this book.

[Mike Orta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories based upon the experiences of the USS Boon during WWII. As always, compelling writing while informing the uninformed reader.

[Mark Rudd · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very poor read by his standards. I must admit I am not a short story fan, and I thought I was going to get something meatier than anecdotes about the American war effort.

[Michael Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real

.A number of stories about fighting in ships and the wonderful series of catastrophes avoided
You will be impressed by the men and their jobs

[Glenn Colucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting stories. Well written. Very enjoyable read!

[Ted Stimson · Rating 2 out of 5]

not very good

I love CS Forrester books and have read many. I didn’t enjoy this one. It’s a strange sort of thrown together collection of short stories. Odd.

[Andy Gore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful collection of exquisitely crafted short stories. The USS Cornucopia has a fabulous ending in particular.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I walked into a used book store, for the first time in a year, hoping as I always do for a life changing book. I found this book in five minutes. It choose me because I thought the title decribed me and my current life; after reading it I know its contents decribe what I strive to be and the people I long to work alongside. If only I could find them in reality.

Take that as you will. Just know you should read it because C.S Forester might be my new favorite author. Time will tell after I make it through the rest of his work.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by C.S. Forester. I went to the library with the intention of starting the Hornblower series over again, but I stumbled across this and thought I'd give it a try. It was a quick read, a compilation of eight short stories about the US Navy during WWII, each one of them excellent and telling the stories (or tales perhaps) of a few of the unsung heroes of the war.