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The Mutiny of the Elsinore
Life has lost its savor for Mr. Pathurst. New York, fame, women, and the arts have all become tedious. Searching for excitement, he books passage on a cargo vessel sailing from Baltimore to Seattle on a route that travels around the treacherous Cape Horn. Pathurst encounters more than he ever expected in rough seas, turbulent storms, and a mutinous crew. His epic struggles aboard the sailing ship Elsinore have given him a new love for life, but will he survive to profit from it?
378 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1914
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406 people want to read
About the author
Jack London
7,686 books7,700 followersJohn Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.
London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.
His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".
London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.
His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".
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July 17, 2021
I first read this book as a young man, and loved it. Coming back to it after nearly 40 years, I still do. But it does raise questions about Jack London and what was going on in his head when he wrote it.
Published in 1914, only two years before his death, The Mutiny of the Elsinore isn’t the most famous of London’s books and it’s not seen as his best. But there’s still a lot to enjoy. The book’s plot (without spoilers) is as follows: It is March 1913 and a successful but world-weary young playwright, John Pathurst, seeks refreshment and inspiration by going round the Horn as a passenger on a windjammer from Baltimore to Seattle. He knows the Elsinore may take months over the voyage, but that’s fine. He has paid highly for his passage, and is accompanied by his manservant; he intends to be comfortable. But the rounding of the Horn is drawn-out and dangerous, and the ship is nearly lost. Moreover the regime aboard the Elsinore is harsh, and the crew are a bunch of no-good lowlifes who will eventually mutiny against it. Pathurst’s luxury passage will turn into a nightmare.
The long voyage south-east towards West Africa and then south-west to the tip of Argentina is used to build up character and tension, so that by the time the Elsinore gets stuck in westerlies off the Horn, you know there’s a disaster waiting to happen. It helps that London does a fair job of evoking what life in a windjammer must have been like. He can do this because this book was drawn, at least in part, from life. In March 1911 London and his second wife, Charmian Kitteredge London, took ship in Baltimore on a windjammer, the Dirigo, bound westward on the same route.
The windjammers came into service in the last quarter of the 19th century. They were the last of the age of sail; iron- or steel-hulled, they were designed to carry bulk cargoes that were not time-sensitive and could be carried more cheaply than by steam, by using the prevailing winds. The Dirigo was one of the finest, built in Maine in 1894 to an English design. London and Kitteredge boarded it in Baltimore very much as Pathurst does in the book, and Kitteredge later described the voyage in a memoir of London that she published a few years after his death. The Elsinore is clearly the Dirigo and the novel includes a number of incidents that that are in Kitteredge’s account. Most are trivial (London/Pathurst’s fox terrier, Possum; an attack of hives; the chickens in the hut amidships). One or two are major. For example, in the novel, the captain dies on passage off the Horn. On the Londons’ real voyage he did fall sick there, and died shortly after the ship reached Seattle.
The captain and mate in the book also seem to match those of the Dirigo. The captain, according to Charmian Kitteredge, was: “The fast disappearing type of lean New England aristocrat, who always presented himself on deck immaculately attired... The calm kingliness of his character was in cool contrast to that of the Mate, a hot-hearted, determined, all-around efficient driver of a crew that was composed, with a few exceptions well along in years, of landlubbers and weaklings.” London takes these two officers and exaggerates their characteristics, and those of the crew too. The latter board in Baltimore: “ ... for’ard of the amidship house I encountered a few laggards who had not yet gone into the forecastle. These were the worse for liquor, and a more wretched, miserable, disgusting group of men I had never seen in any slum. Their clothes were rags. Their faces were bloated, bloody, and dirty. I won’t say they were villainous. They were merely filthy and vile. They were vile of appearance, of speech, and action." And later: “I ...wondered where such a mass of human wreckage could have been obtained. There was something wrong with all of them. Their bodies were twisted, their faces distorted, and almost without exception they were under-sized.”
Long before the mutiny of the title, life on the Elsinore becomes a struggle of two worlds – the gracious, comfortable world of the officers and crew in the poop, dining pleasantly every night, the Mate playing classical gramophone records with enthusiasm; and the forecastle, full of degenerate wretches that he controls with an iron fist and great savagery. Bit by bit the Elsinore seems to appear a microcosm of a divided, unfair society. Is this what Jack London was trying to say in this book?
Maybe, but there’s something not quite right here. Pathurst is the narrator, and his sense of superiority expresses itself in a belief that the Captain and the Mate are superior beings, and the crew scum. His class is thus destined to dominate. Moreover a number of the crew meet with nasty ends even before the mutiny. During it, two die quite horribly, torn apart by giant albatrosses: “A great screeching and squawking arose from the winged things of prey as they strove for the living meat. And yet, somehow, I was not very profoundly shocked. These were the men whom I had seen eviscerate [a] shark and toss it overboard, and shout with joy as they watched it devoured alive by its brethren. They had played a violent, cruel game with the things of life, and the things of life now played upon them the same violent, cruel game.”
Oh dear. Men born to rule over their inferiors, and nature red in tooth and claw. It’s the narrator’s voice, but London seems to use it with great enthusiasm (with references to the captain as a Samurai warrior, and occasional references to Nietzche). It’s just a little too genuine, and Pathhurst’s views are not discredited by the way the book ends. Jack London was a socialist all his life, but was there also a whiff of fascism about him?
George Orwell thought so. Writing in 1940 about an earlier London book, The Iron Heel, he commented that London was “temperamentally ...very different from the majority of Marxists. With his love of violence and physical strength, his belief in ‘natural aristocracy’, his animal-worship and exaltation of the primitive, he had in him what one might fairly call a Fascist strain." In The Mutiny of the Elsinore, I think I see this; it’s also evident in his earlier and greater book, The Sea Wolf. However, Orwell didn’t go so far as to say that London actually was a fascist. Rather, he thought these traits made London better able to understand the nature of the ruling class, and that far from espousing fascism, he understood its dangers before it existed (The Iron Heel, published in 1908, describes a fascistic dystopia). It is more likely that London is using Pathurst to warn how the ruling class really think. Still, the earliest Nazis were pretty good at appealing to a certain type of person on the left as well as the right. Reading The Mutiny of the Elsinore, you do wonder whether, had London lived into the Fascist era, he might have been swept up in it all.
That apart, The Mutiny of the Elsinore is quite a book. Some have accused London of being long-winded, but he isn’t here. To be sure, he takes time to ramp up the tension before the mutiny, but that works. The description of the ship as it fights to round the Horn is also excellent, bringing forth a picture of a great steel ship, its sides streaked with rust, burdened by a cargo of thousands of tons of coal, wallowing in the huge seas as the sun comes and goes behind fast-moving, hostile clouds. The crew are also well-drawn. Now and then they do get close to caricature, but most work well. In particular, there is a frail man with a twisted spine who radiates malevolence; he is also very well-read, and it is easy to see where that malevolence comes from as he compares Pathurst’s lot with his own. Several of the crew are clearly “bad lots” and there is a reign of terror in the forecastle, from which the officers mostly dissociate themselves. By the time the ship reaches the Le Maire (or Lemaire) Strait at the southern extremity of Argentina, several of the crew have gone mad, or killed themselves or someone else.
Perhaps London exaggerates somewhat (he’s writing a novel, after all). But life on a windjammer was indeed hard. To compete with steam, they sailed on small margins; the crew were paid little, the food was bad and the ships were sometimes worked with too few men. London is not exaggerating about the difficulty of rounding the Horn, either. Now and then a skipper just gave up, turned round and sailed east around the world instead.
You can still see the Tall Ships, as they are now called; a number have survived as training ships for navies, and every now and then they foregather somewhere and are a tourist attraction. New Yorkers can see two moored at the South Street Seaport. But their time as trading ships was really over by 1939. The Mutiny of the Elsinore is a striking account of how it must have been. Maybe it raises doubts about how London saw his fellow-man. Maybe it doesn’t. In any case, London is not the only person whose attitudes now look suspect because of events that he pre-dated, and would not have condoned. Like The Sea-Wolf, Jack London’s The Mutiny of the Elsinore is a rattling good read and a vibrant picture of an era that has passed.
Published in 1914, only two years before his death, The Mutiny of the Elsinore isn’t the most famous of London’s books and it’s not seen as his best. But there’s still a lot to enjoy. The book’s plot (without spoilers) is as follows: It is March 1913 and a successful but world-weary young playwright, John Pathurst, seeks refreshment and inspiration by going round the Horn as a passenger on a windjammer from Baltimore to Seattle. He knows the Elsinore may take months over the voyage, but that’s fine. He has paid highly for his passage, and is accompanied by his manservant; he intends to be comfortable. But the rounding of the Horn is drawn-out and dangerous, and the ship is nearly lost. Moreover the regime aboard the Elsinore is harsh, and the crew are a bunch of no-good lowlifes who will eventually mutiny against it. Pathurst’s luxury passage will turn into a nightmare.
The long voyage south-east towards West Africa and then south-west to the tip of Argentina is used to build up character and tension, so that by the time the Elsinore gets stuck in westerlies off the Horn, you know there’s a disaster waiting to happen. It helps that London does a fair job of evoking what life in a windjammer must have been like. He can do this because this book was drawn, at least in part, from life. In March 1911 London and his second wife, Charmian Kitteredge London, took ship in Baltimore on a windjammer, the Dirigo, bound westward on the same route.
The windjammers came into service in the last quarter of the 19th century. They were the last of the age of sail; iron- or steel-hulled, they were designed to carry bulk cargoes that were not time-sensitive and could be carried more cheaply than by steam, by using the prevailing winds. The Dirigo was one of the finest, built in Maine in 1894 to an English design. London and Kitteredge boarded it in Baltimore very much as Pathurst does in the book, and Kitteredge later described the voyage in a memoir of London that she published a few years after his death. The Elsinore is clearly the Dirigo and the novel includes a number of incidents that that are in Kitteredge’s account. Most are trivial (London/Pathurst’s fox terrier, Possum; an attack of hives; the chickens in the hut amidships). One or two are major. For example, in the novel, the captain dies on passage off the Horn. On the Londons’ real voyage he did fall sick there, and died shortly after the ship reached Seattle.
The captain and mate in the book also seem to match those of the Dirigo. The captain, according to Charmian Kitteredge, was: “The fast disappearing type of lean New England aristocrat, who always presented himself on deck immaculately attired... The calm kingliness of his character was in cool contrast to that of the Mate, a hot-hearted, determined, all-around efficient driver of a crew that was composed, with a few exceptions well along in years, of landlubbers and weaklings.” London takes these two officers and exaggerates their characteristics, and those of the crew too. The latter board in Baltimore: “ ... for’ard of the amidship house I encountered a few laggards who had not yet gone into the forecastle. These were the worse for liquor, and a more wretched, miserable, disgusting group of men I had never seen in any slum. Their clothes were rags. Their faces were bloated, bloody, and dirty. I won’t say they were villainous. They were merely filthy and vile. They were vile of appearance, of speech, and action." And later: “I ...wondered where such a mass of human wreckage could have been obtained. There was something wrong with all of them. Their bodies were twisted, their faces distorted, and almost without exception they were under-sized.”
Long before the mutiny of the title, life on the Elsinore becomes a struggle of two worlds – the gracious, comfortable world of the officers and crew in the poop, dining pleasantly every night, the Mate playing classical gramophone records with enthusiasm; and the forecastle, full of degenerate wretches that he controls with an iron fist and great savagery. Bit by bit the Elsinore seems to appear a microcosm of a divided, unfair society. Is this what Jack London was trying to say in this book?
Maybe, but there’s something not quite right here. Pathurst is the narrator, and his sense of superiority expresses itself in a belief that the Captain and the Mate are superior beings, and the crew scum. His class is thus destined to dominate. Moreover a number of the crew meet with nasty ends even before the mutiny. During it, two die quite horribly, torn apart by giant albatrosses: “A great screeching and squawking arose from the winged things of prey as they strove for the living meat. And yet, somehow, I was not very profoundly shocked. These were the men whom I had seen eviscerate [a] shark and toss it overboard, and shout with joy as they watched it devoured alive by its brethren. They had played a violent, cruel game with the things of life, and the things of life now played upon them the same violent, cruel game.”
Oh dear. Men born to rule over their inferiors, and nature red in tooth and claw. It’s the narrator’s voice, but London seems to use it with great enthusiasm (with references to the captain as a Samurai warrior, and occasional references to Nietzche). It’s just a little too genuine, and Pathhurst’s views are not discredited by the way the book ends. Jack London was a socialist all his life, but was there also a whiff of fascism about him?
George Orwell thought so. Writing in 1940 about an earlier London book, The Iron Heel, he commented that London was “temperamentally ...very different from the majority of Marxists. With his love of violence and physical strength, his belief in ‘natural aristocracy’, his animal-worship and exaltation of the primitive, he had in him what one might fairly call a Fascist strain." In The Mutiny of the Elsinore, I think I see this; it’s also evident in his earlier and greater book, The Sea Wolf. However, Orwell didn’t go so far as to say that London actually was a fascist. Rather, he thought these traits made London better able to understand the nature of the ruling class, and that far from espousing fascism, he understood its dangers before it existed (The Iron Heel, published in 1908, describes a fascistic dystopia). It is more likely that London is using Pathurst to warn how the ruling class really think. Still, the earliest Nazis were pretty good at appealing to a certain type of person on the left as well as the right. Reading The Mutiny of the Elsinore, you do wonder whether, had London lived into the Fascist era, he might have been swept up in it all.
That apart, The Mutiny of the Elsinore is quite a book. Some have accused London of being long-winded, but he isn’t here. To be sure, he takes time to ramp up the tension before the mutiny, but that works. The description of the ship as it fights to round the Horn is also excellent, bringing forth a picture of a great steel ship, its sides streaked with rust, burdened by a cargo of thousands of tons of coal, wallowing in the huge seas as the sun comes and goes behind fast-moving, hostile clouds. The crew are also well-drawn. Now and then they do get close to caricature, but most work well. In particular, there is a frail man with a twisted spine who radiates malevolence; he is also very well-read, and it is easy to see where that malevolence comes from as he compares Pathurst’s lot with his own. Several of the crew are clearly “bad lots” and there is a reign of terror in the forecastle, from which the officers mostly dissociate themselves. By the time the ship reaches the Le Maire (or Lemaire) Strait at the southern extremity of Argentina, several of the crew have gone mad, or killed themselves or someone else.
Perhaps London exaggerates somewhat (he’s writing a novel, after all). But life on a windjammer was indeed hard. To compete with steam, they sailed on small margins; the crew were paid little, the food was bad and the ships were sometimes worked with too few men. London is not exaggerating about the difficulty of rounding the Horn, either. Now and then a skipper just gave up, turned round and sailed east around the world instead.
You can still see the Tall Ships, as they are now called; a number have survived as training ships for navies, and every now and then they foregather somewhere and are a tourist attraction. New Yorkers can see two moored at the South Street Seaport. But their time as trading ships was really over by 1939. The Mutiny of the Elsinore is a striking account of how it must have been. Maybe it raises doubts about how London saw his fellow-man. Maybe it doesn’t. In any case, London is not the only person whose attitudes now look suspect because of events that he pre-dated, and would not have condoned. Like The Sea-Wolf, Jack London’s The Mutiny of the Elsinore is a rattling good read and a vibrant picture of an era that has passed.
August 5, 2021
This ripping yarn of high-seas action has one of the most irritating narrators in all of literature. It’s not just that he’s racist—though he is—and classist—ibid.—it’s more that he is so complacent and smug about his position in life and on the ship (which is primarily as a useless tourist).
He pops an audible boner every time he injures someone weaker than he, and (which is worse) he follows the injury with a several-paragraph encomium to the might of his ancestors and the rightness of his superior position. It’s quite unendurable, and his enabler girlfriend is just as bad.
The supreme question of the book, then, is whether the really quite lengthy and frequent celebrations of the natural order are parody or not. Is the narrator an admirable fellow that we, the readers, are supposed to cheer for, or is he a savage indictment of the attitudes of the upper classes? The narrator insists seven hundred times (approx.) that his ancestors are bold conquerors realigning the universe to match its Platonic ideal, and hunchbacked loser Mulligan Jacobs suggests once that said ancestors were merely “robbers of the toil of men.” Whom are we supposed to believe?
I’ve probably laid a past trail of mistakenly believing texts are steeped in irony, and yet…even knowing this, I can’t help but suspect that The Mutiny on the Elsinore is not what it appears. London really dials up the ludicrousness whenever the narrator goes off, and the prose collapses into itself. So he waxes eloquent about race, and “perishing” he says again and again, no matter how clunkily. Now he’s on about his repulsive love, and the word “desirable,” or better, “a woman and desirable” starts in like a drumbeat. I cannot begin to describe how tedious these lexical monomanias are. They sound like someone doing an impression by harping on a celebrity’s catchphrase—“you dirty rat!”; “I pity the fool”; “porkchops and applesauce”; etc.—and if it’s not parody, what is it? When particularly smug about the fact that he lives in the fo’c’s’le, the narrator calls the fo’c’s’le “the high place” again and again, as though it were the seat of Odin.
David Duke certainly doesn’t see this as parody, and puts out his own edition of the book (no, I’m not going to link to it) with a self-penned introduction ostensibly delineating London’s secret meaning; the whole thing was a Jewish conspiracy! But…is David Duke really a close reader? Is that what we think about David Duke?
I should point out that although Elsinore’s narrator oozes contempt for all non-Anglo-Saxons, including Dutchmen and Scandinavians (or “stupid Scandinavian sailor-men”), there is frequent praise for the narrator’s “Jewish friend” De Casseres (a real person, a real-life friend of Jack London’s, and incidentally a decent poet).
Said contempt for the “malformed rats” of the “filthy and vile” crew (“the worst type of men”) is surely over-the-top; but all of The Sea Wolf is over-the-top, and no one’s calling that parody. In his disgust at Mulligan Jacobs, the narrator fantasizes about simply murdering him for no reason, but is prevented by a “fear of being infected with his venom.” “I caught a quick vision [the narrator says] of the black and broken teeth I had seen in his mouth sinking into my flesh, polluting me, eating me with their acid, destroying me.”
“I am Hengist and Horsa,” says the narrator. I choose to believe he is supposed to be an ass, and I love this book.
He pops an audible boner every time he injures someone weaker than he, and (which is worse) he follows the injury with a several-paragraph encomium to the might of his ancestors and the rightness of his superior position. It’s quite unendurable, and his enabler girlfriend is just as bad.
The supreme question of the book, then, is whether the really quite lengthy and frequent celebrations of the natural order are parody or not. Is the narrator an admirable fellow that we, the readers, are supposed to cheer for, or is he a savage indictment of the attitudes of the upper classes? The narrator insists seven hundred times (approx.) that his ancestors are bold conquerors realigning the universe to match its Platonic ideal, and hunchbacked loser Mulligan Jacobs suggests once that said ancestors were merely “robbers of the toil of men.” Whom are we supposed to believe?
I’ve probably laid a past trail of mistakenly believing texts are steeped in irony, and yet…even knowing this, I can’t help but suspect that The Mutiny on the Elsinore is not what it appears. London really dials up the ludicrousness whenever the narrator goes off, and the prose collapses into itself. So he waxes eloquent about race, and “perishing” he says again and again, no matter how clunkily. Now he’s on about his repulsive love, and the word “desirable,” or better, “a woman and desirable” starts in like a drumbeat. I cannot begin to describe how tedious these lexical monomanias are. They sound like someone doing an impression by harping on a celebrity’s catchphrase—“you dirty rat!”; “I pity the fool”; “porkchops and applesauce”; etc.—and if it’s not parody, what is it? When particularly smug about the fact that he lives in the fo’c’s’le, the narrator calls the fo’c’s’le “the high place” again and again, as though it were the seat of Odin.
David Duke certainly doesn’t see this as parody, and puts out his own edition of the book (no, I’m not going to link to it) with a self-penned introduction ostensibly delineating London’s secret meaning; the whole thing was a Jewish conspiracy! But…is David Duke really a close reader? Is that what we think about David Duke?
I should point out that although Elsinore’s narrator oozes contempt for all non-Anglo-Saxons, including Dutchmen and Scandinavians (or “stupid Scandinavian sailor-men”), there is frequent praise for the narrator’s “Jewish friend” De Casseres (a real person, a real-life friend of Jack London’s, and incidentally a decent poet).
Said contempt for the “malformed rats” of the “filthy and vile” crew (“the worst type of men”) is surely over-the-top; but all of The Sea Wolf is over-the-top, and no one’s calling that parody. In his disgust at Mulligan Jacobs, the narrator fantasizes about simply murdering him for no reason, but is prevented by a “fear of being infected with his venom.” “I caught a quick vision [the narrator says] of the black and broken teeth I had seen in his mouth sinking into my flesh, polluting me, eating me with their acid, destroying me.”
“I am Hengist and Horsa,” says the narrator. I choose to believe he is supposed to be an ass, and I love this book.
June 14, 2016
This book was ok. There's a lot of just sailing around without much happening. I did have trouble with the narrator's racism though. He frequently talks about the master race, the slave race, and the superiority of "blondes." I realize that maybe those were just the beliefs of the character and not the author, but it was off-putting and got a bit tiresome. I've definitely enjoyed other Jack London books more than this one.
November 12, 2025
This is certainly the most sea-faring story I have read by Jack London. Literally 100% of the book takes place on the ship, and a great amount of description and action is about the sailing of a ship. A lot of the terminology I didn't necessarily understand, but I could get the vibes of what was going on.
Another large part of the book is explaining the hive of scum and villainy that is the crew of the Elsinore. The captain and mates and bosuns and deckhands are all explained in a lot of detail. Their history, their interactions with the MC and each other, and descriptions of their physical and emotional wretchedness.
The final large part of the book is the MC's relationship with the Captain's daughter. There is a lot of page count dedicated to this relationship as it changes over time.
Overall I enjoyed the antagonist being the natural environment (Cape Horn mainly) and human nature of this crew. The plot was pretty good. I do drop it down because it wasn't Jack London's best, and it was fairly repetitive with the three parts above being mentioned constantly throughout the book.
I am glad I read it, but would recommend other Jack London stories over this one.
Another large part of the book is explaining the hive of scum and villainy that is the crew of the Elsinore. The captain and mates and bosuns and deckhands are all explained in a lot of detail. Their history, their interactions with the MC and each other, and descriptions of their physical and emotional wretchedness.
The final large part of the book is the MC's relationship with the Captain's daughter. There is a lot of page count dedicated to this relationship as it changes over time.
Overall I enjoyed the antagonist being the natural environment (Cape Horn mainly) and human nature of this crew. The plot was pretty good. I do drop it down because it wasn't Jack London's best, and it was fairly repetitive with the three parts above being mentioned constantly throughout the book.
I am glad I read it, but would recommend other Jack London stories over this one.
February 23, 2019
I really liked this book. I read sea stories like this one for the same reasons others read horror stories. The sea makes me shiver and be glad to be on land. I am a landlubber for certain. Jack London takes his time describing every character in this book. I can picture it all in my head from his descriptions. He weaves in another theme in this book that was unexpected for me and I can't say more or I will give too much away. One character in the book is always sighing about how things are not as "they used to be" in sailing as he looks back on his youth from the modern year of 1913! Nothing changes in that regard! As another reviewer said, you do have to wonder what is going on in London's head at the time he writes this book. After reading some biographical details about London, it made me do a lot of thinking. The main character likes to philosophize and I don't agree with a number of things he puts forth but the thinking involved is good to do while enjoying a VERY exciting story.
November 8, 2023
A quick insight into ship side dynamics, at the end of the era of sailing cargo. Gives us an insight into the most recent heritage of seamen.
November 1, 2018
La “Elsinore” (una nave carboniera), l’Oceano, il drammatico doppiaggio di Capo Horn e le difficili condizioni di vita della ciurma che sfoceranno in un ammutinamento fanno da corollario ai personaggi che animano questo racconto, un giovane scrittore annoiato dalla vita, Margaret West la figlia del capitano, lo stesso capitano e il suo “secondo” (un rude uomo di mare che impone la sua disciplina con violenza e brutalità).
Bisogna peró fare una puntualizzazione, chi crede leggendo il titolo di trovarsi di fronte ad una lettura piena di azione e colpi di scena rimarrà spaesato e forse in parte anche deluso, questo libro infatti va al di là del suo titolo (non per nulla solo nell’ultima parte di esso viene narrato dell’ammutinamento) raccontando piuttosto in dettaglio le difficili condizioni di bordo degli “ultimi” che fanno da contraltare a quelle dei privilegiati, di chi nel “Luogo alto” (come spesso viene nominato nel racconto) ha in mano il potere e indagando le dinamiche psicologiche, che possono crearsi in quel minimondo a pelo d’acqua che puó essere una nave.
Una lettura piacevole anche se abbastanza ondivaga (fra momenti di calma quasi filosofica e di azione violenta e repentina), proprio come ondivago è l’Oceano.
Uniche, per me, note negative sono il finale che mi è parso molto raffazzonato ed abbastanza scontato e il linguaggio davvero troppo tecnico quando si parla delle manovre e delle varie parti della nave, tolto ció questa resta comunque una buona lettura per chi, come me, ama le avventure di mare.
Bisogna peró fare una puntualizzazione, chi crede leggendo il titolo di trovarsi di fronte ad una lettura piena di azione e colpi di scena rimarrà spaesato e forse in parte anche deluso, questo libro infatti va al di là del suo titolo (non per nulla solo nell’ultima parte di esso viene narrato dell’ammutinamento) raccontando piuttosto in dettaglio le difficili condizioni di bordo degli “ultimi” che fanno da contraltare a quelle dei privilegiati, di chi nel “Luogo alto” (come spesso viene nominato nel racconto) ha in mano il potere e indagando le dinamiche psicologiche, che possono crearsi in quel minimondo a pelo d’acqua che puó essere una nave.
Una lettura piacevole anche se abbastanza ondivaga (fra momenti di calma quasi filosofica e di azione violenta e repentina), proprio come ondivago è l’Oceano.
Uniche, per me, note negative sono il finale che mi è parso molto raffazzonato ed abbastanza scontato e il linguaggio davvero troppo tecnico quando si parla delle manovre e delle varie parti della nave, tolto ció questa resta comunque una buona lettura per chi, come me, ama le avventure di mare.
March 15, 2023
Jack London a fost scriitor si jurnalist american fiind celebru pentru opere precum "The call of the wild", "White fang", "Smoke Bellew", "War of the classes" etc. Cartile sale au fost foarte apreciate de tineret dar si de catre adulti abordand subiecte ca existenta cruda, salbaticia, lupta pentru supravietuire, aventura pe mare si lupta pentru bine.
In "Revolta de pe Elsinore" ne aflam in 1914 in Baltimore si alaturi de naratorul nostru tanarul Pathurst ne imbarcam pe corabia Elsinore pentru o calatorie in jurul Capului Horn ce va dura caterva luni.
Odata porniti in calatorie il vom cunoaste si pe misteriosul capitan West si frumoasa lui fata Margaret. Restul echipajului este alcatuit din o mana de marinari din cale afara de depravati si neascultatori si cei doi secunzi batrani dar cu experienta.
Pathurst se declara scarbit de viata, distractie, satul de femei si de dragoste insa se va indragosti de Margaret de-a lungul calatoriei. Cum avanseaza spre destinatie, incetul cu incetul tot echipajul o ia razna. Se imbolnavesc, se cearta, se bat, se sinucid, se omoara unul pe altul, totul culminand cu o revolta in toata regula.
Conditiile meteo sunt dificile si este nevoie de o minune sa ajunga la destinatie. Daca vor reusi, ramane sa aflati citind cartea.
Descrierile marii si ale vaporului, pasagerilor, apusurile de soare si viata petrecuta pe mare sunt descrise extraordinar de frumos dar facand o comparatie cu Conrad de exemplu, cel de-al doilea mi se pare mai romantic.
Autorul ne zugraveste cu amanunte viata grea si salbatica de pe mare a marinarilor. Conditiile aspre de a domina nava si valurile, sacrificiul uman si nu numai, cel mental, caci multi marinari ajung s-o ia razna de la izolare si monotonie, toate ne sunt aratate cu autenticitate.
Cititorul simte cel mai mult nesiguranta acestor oameni de a mai ajunge sa puna vreodata piciorul pe uscat plus dorul de casa.
Capitanul West e asemuit cu un samurai care vegheaza curajos asupra celorlalti fiind strategul, creierul echipajului, insa mie mi s-a parut ca secundul Pike este cel care iese cel mai mult in evidenta.
Este o carte pe care v-o recomand, mai ales celor pasionati de mare si aventuri placandu-mi inclusiv finalul, ceea ce nu cred ca se va aplica si cititorilor masculini pentru ca e poate prea romantic. Iata si cateva citate minunate pe care le-am cules care sunt prezentate prin prisma viziunii adesea cinice a naratorului:
"Admir omul linistit si stapan pe sine, desi mie linistea asta in momente de tensiune mi se pare aproape nefireasca si inumana."
"Dupa cate invatasem eu, femeile haituiau barbatul dupa aceeasi lege oarba care face ca floarea-soarelui sa se intoarca dupa soare sau carceii de vie sa se prinda de orice se arata mai trainic."
"Pentru un filosof, femeia reprezinta totdeauna o puternica atractie, aproape bolnavicioasa, femeia care cauta dragoste, femeia obsedanta si acaparatoare, delicata si feroce, blanda si veninoasa, mai orgolioasa decat lucifer si totodata lipsita de mandrie."
"Si uite asa ajungem noi la vesnicul mister al femeii. S-ar putea sa nu-ti fie prea usor cu ea, dar e sigur insa ca fara ea nu te poti descurca deloc."
"Nu, nu exista nicio scapare din calea femeilor. Asa cum se intoarce salbaticul inotdeauna la vagauna intunecata unde salasluiesc negresit diavolii, iar zeii s-ar putea sa fie si ei acolo, asa ma intorc si eu spre icoana femeii."
"... uitandu-ma la ea si vazand-o ca se simtea in elementul ei in mijlocul furtunii, prin minte mi-a trecut un gand: e femeie, e ispititoare."
In "Revolta de pe Elsinore" ne aflam in 1914 in Baltimore si alaturi de naratorul nostru tanarul Pathurst ne imbarcam pe corabia Elsinore pentru o calatorie in jurul Capului Horn ce va dura caterva luni.
Odata porniti in calatorie il vom cunoaste si pe misteriosul capitan West si frumoasa lui fata Margaret. Restul echipajului este alcatuit din o mana de marinari din cale afara de depravati si neascultatori si cei doi secunzi batrani dar cu experienta.
Pathurst se declara scarbit de viata, distractie, satul de femei si de dragoste insa se va indragosti de Margaret de-a lungul calatoriei. Cum avanseaza spre destinatie, incetul cu incetul tot echipajul o ia razna. Se imbolnavesc, se cearta, se bat, se sinucid, se omoara unul pe altul, totul culminand cu o revolta in toata regula.
Conditiile meteo sunt dificile si este nevoie de o minune sa ajunga la destinatie. Daca vor reusi, ramane sa aflati citind cartea.
Descrierile marii si ale vaporului, pasagerilor, apusurile de soare si viata petrecuta pe mare sunt descrise extraordinar de frumos dar facand o comparatie cu Conrad de exemplu, cel de-al doilea mi se pare mai romantic.
Autorul ne zugraveste cu amanunte viata grea si salbatica de pe mare a marinarilor. Conditiile aspre de a domina nava si valurile, sacrificiul uman si nu numai, cel mental, caci multi marinari ajung s-o ia razna de la izolare si monotonie, toate ne sunt aratate cu autenticitate.
Cititorul simte cel mai mult nesiguranta acestor oameni de a mai ajunge sa puna vreodata piciorul pe uscat plus dorul de casa.
Capitanul West e asemuit cu un samurai care vegheaza curajos asupra celorlalti fiind strategul, creierul echipajului, insa mie mi s-a parut ca secundul Pike este cel care iese cel mai mult in evidenta.
Este o carte pe care v-o recomand, mai ales celor pasionati de mare si aventuri placandu-mi inclusiv finalul, ceea ce nu cred ca se va aplica si cititorilor masculini pentru ca e poate prea romantic. Iata si cateva citate minunate pe care le-am cules care sunt prezentate prin prisma viziunii adesea cinice a naratorului:
"Admir omul linistit si stapan pe sine, desi mie linistea asta in momente de tensiune mi se pare aproape nefireasca si inumana."
"Dupa cate invatasem eu, femeile haituiau barbatul dupa aceeasi lege oarba care face ca floarea-soarelui sa se intoarca dupa soare sau carceii de vie sa se prinda de orice se arata mai trainic."
"Pentru un filosof, femeia reprezinta totdeauna o puternica atractie, aproape bolnavicioasa, femeia care cauta dragoste, femeia obsedanta si acaparatoare, delicata si feroce, blanda si veninoasa, mai orgolioasa decat lucifer si totodata lipsita de mandrie."
"Si uite asa ajungem noi la vesnicul mister al femeii. S-ar putea sa nu-ti fie prea usor cu ea, dar e sigur insa ca fara ea nu te poti descurca deloc."
"Nu, nu exista nicio scapare din calea femeilor. Asa cum se intoarce salbaticul inotdeauna la vagauna intunecata unde salasluiesc negresit diavolii, iar zeii s-ar putea sa fie si ei acolo, asa ma intorc si eu spre icoana femeii."
"... uitandu-ma la ea si vazand-o ca se simtea in elementul ei in mijlocul furtunii, prin minte mi-a trecut un gand: e femeie, e ispititoare."
October 13, 2017
"Ce qui est sûr, pourtant, c'est que, quand votre heure viendra, vous finirez comme moi, dans la nuit. Et votre nuit sera aussi noire que la mienne !"
September 15, 2019
Some of Jack London's books are better than others, but they are never bad, and he is often at his best on the water, though his stories of the Far North are also quite good. I loved The Sea Wolf and Tales of the Fish Patrol, and again in this book we find him on the ocean, this time at the end of the age of sail in an iron-hulled sailing ship tasked with hauling a load of coal from Baltimore to Seattle around the tip of South America the year before the opening of the Panama Canal. The captain and mates are old time sailing hands, and the crew are a bunch of cuthroats and misfits, presumably because better sailors have by this time all moved to more desirable berths on steam powered ships. The ship has a classic struggle rounding the Horn and finally makes it through after six weeks of devastating storms and currents, much the worse for wear, setting the stage for the inevitable mutiny of the title.
It makes for high adventure and a page turning story that fills the reader with anticipation. London is a master of the spare modern writing style that is well suited to his plot driven stories and that sits nicely in the middle between the elaborate descriptive style of most nineteenth century novels and the modernism of writers such as Hemingway who make even London seem ornate.
It makes for high adventure and a page turning story that fills the reader with anticipation. London is a master of the spare modern writing style that is well suited to his plot driven stories and that sits nicely in the middle between the elaborate descriptive style of most nineteenth century novels and the modernism of writers such as Hemingway who make even London seem ornate.
October 18, 2011
The Mutiny of the Elsinore is about a wealthy man by the name of Mr. Pathurst that decides to join in a journey around the Cape Horn. While Pathurst knows nothing about sailing he is quickly forced to develop his own pair of sea legs due to the fact that a mass-mutiny leaves him in charge of a crew full of drunks and thieves.
Jack London really failed on this one. The Mutiny of the Elsinore is easily one of the most disappointing books I’ve read in a while. The entire first part of the book is spent introducing you to a fascinating bunch of characters. However, as the story progresses London’s character set up quickly falls apart. Two of the main characters, Pike and Mellaire, are never mentioned again; even though the majority of the first part of the story is about them. The story also contains a lot of loose-ends and unexplained questions. Overall the story had real potential to be a quality story but it instead lets down miserably. It seems as if London lost focus after he wrote the first half of the book. In the end, I would not recommend this book to anyone, The Sea Wolf would be the first book mentioned when speaking of Jack London.
Jack London really failed on this one. The Mutiny of the Elsinore is easily one of the most disappointing books I’ve read in a while. The entire first part of the book is spent introducing you to a fascinating bunch of characters. However, as the story progresses London’s character set up quickly falls apart. Two of the main characters, Pike and Mellaire, are never mentioned again; even though the majority of the first part of the story is about them. The story also contains a lot of loose-ends and unexplained questions. Overall the story had real potential to be a quality story but it instead lets down miserably. It seems as if London lost focus after he wrote the first half of the book. In the end, I would not recommend this book to anyone, The Sea Wolf would be the first book mentioned when speaking of Jack London.
February 11, 2012
Speaking as a fan of Jack London, this 1914 novel is problematic on many levels. To say it has aged poorly in the past 100 years would be an understatement. London, despite his progressive leanings, unwittingly reflects the prejudices of his age. It would be nice to believe that London was aiming for ironic satire and social commentary, but instead he hammers away, in all earnestness, on themes of social Darwinism, racial stereotypes, and the sort of ham-fisted "chivalry" which comes off as insufferably chauvinistic in 2012.
Apart from these fundamental flaws, the plot presents problems as well. The slow burn between Mr. Pike and Mr. Mellaire is built up with great care only to be abandoned abruptly; London doesn't even do us the service of revealing the mystery of the two mates' disappearance. Nor is the mystery of how the mutinous crew fed themselves ever elucidated. And, worst of all, there is no real denouement to speak of, as Pathurst (the narrator) instead conjectures briefly as to the likely future.
This is not the London work to start with, and even long-time fans may walk away disillusioned. Jack London was capable of so much more.
Apart from these fundamental flaws, the plot presents problems as well. The slow burn between Mr. Pike and Mr. Mellaire is built up with great care only to be abandoned abruptly; London doesn't even do us the service of revealing the mystery of the two mates' disappearance. Nor is the mystery of how the mutinous crew fed themselves ever elucidated. And, worst of all, there is no real denouement to speak of, as Pathurst (the narrator) instead conjectures briefly as to the likely future.
This is not the London work to start with, and even long-time fans may walk away disillusioned. Jack London was capable of so much more.
January 22, 2013
Departing from Baltimore on the sailing ship Elsinore was destined for Seattle. Mr. Pathurst, accompanied by his man servant boarded for this trip that would travel around the Cape of Good Hope. A cavalcade of misfit and unbalanced crew members are introduced along with a hermit captain and his attractive daughter. The expected turmoil and conflict is unleashed on board as the seas fight to send the Elsinore to the bottom. As can be expected, romance also plays a prominent role in this yarn of adventure on the high seas. This story is for people that have a good command of nautical jargon and maritime comprehension. I can’t truthfully say that this is an example of Jack London at his best but not even the best can always hit a home run.
June 6, 2020
Jack London este scriitorul care ma surprinde mereu ..... un scriitor clasic care abordeaza diferite teme ..... de la povestea lui Colt Alb, la povestea cu detasarea de corp (nici in ruptul capului nu as fi crezut ca un clasic va aborda o asemenea tema ...), la o aventură in largul oceanului care se termina cu o poveste de dragoste.
Revolta de pe Elsinore este o carte de aventuri in largul oceanului, pe o corabie cu panze. London descrie apusuri minunate, pe care din pacate nu am reusit sa mi le imaginez perfect, dar surprinde si cu precizie caracterele oamenilor de pe corabie.
Din pacate cartea m-a cam pierdut la datele tehnice despre corabie dar si despre navigatie .... in schimb este o carte surprinzatoare.
Revolta de pe Elsinore este o carte de aventuri in largul oceanului, pe o corabie cu panze. London descrie apusuri minunate, pe care din pacate nu am reusit sa mi le imaginez perfect, dar surprinde si cu precizie caracterele oamenilor de pe corabie.
Din pacate cartea m-a cam pierdut la datele tehnice despre corabie dar si despre navigatie .... in schimb este o carte surprinzatoare.
February 17, 2015
Excellent
The descriptive powers of Mr. London, the romance, the power of men and the sea, the weaknesses of men, the many philosophies and most of all, the effect that a woman can have on them. In short, a wonderful read!
The descriptive powers of Mr. London, the romance, the power of men and the sea, the weaknesses of men, the many philosophies and most of all, the effect that a woman can have on them. In short, a wonderful read!
December 2, 2023
Jack London is my favorite!!!! Took me a while to get into this one, but when I did I couldn't put it down. I had no idea how it was gonna end and I'll say I was not disappointed. Another great read by London.
April 11, 2022
The Mutiny of the Elsinore is a pretty good story but there was one thing that bothered me through the entire novel and that was the racist thoughts of the main character. This was too bad because the story itself was great. There was plenty of action and suspense. I know nothing about ships or the sea but London really seems to have done his research regarding the sea.
A minor character of the story was a dog named Possum. I would have left the dog behind, but the dog plays a major part in the cause of the mutiny on the Elsinore. The mutiny itself takes place late in the novel. After it takes place, London keeps repeating "mutiny on the high seas in the year nineteen-thirteen..." for some reason, almost as though mutiny is not expected in this day and age.
I didn't relate well with the main character in this story (John Pathurst). Pathurst was a rich man who didn't have to work for a living. He boards the Elsinore (an old clipper freight ship) for a six month voyage to catch up on his reading and to escape the rat race so to speak. Here is an example of some of the disturbing thoughts of the main character: "... I look at the four of us ... all fair-skinned, blue-eyed ... mastering and commanding, like our fathers before us ... we shall have trod on the faces of all peoples, disciplined them to obedience, taught them government, and ... compelled them by the weight of our own right arms to build for us." and Pathurst describing his equal Mr Pike: "...I belonged aft in the high place...I was acutely desirous that he should not be hurt or killed. The rest did not matter. They were not of my world... I imagine... felt much the same toward their slave-cargoes in the fetid 'tween decks." and: "I knew augustness and pride as I gazed that my eyes were blue, like his; that my skin was blond, like his; that my place was aft with him, and with the Samurai, in the high place." and: "...she too, of the perishing and lordly races of blonds, her place the same high place, her ... command and mastery over the stupid lowly of her kind and over the ruck and spawn of the dark-pigmented breeds." Clearly these statements are racist. London wrote this novel before WWII. This kind of thinking was probably prevalent in the US because even in the US, there was eugenic cleansing going on from the late 19th century well into the mid 20th century. I'm sure Jack London wasn't the only person who thought this way.
Nietzsche is mentioned in this novel. London mentions Nietzsche many times in his novels. I haven't researched this man but clearly London espoused Nietzsche's philosophy whatever it was.
A minor character of the story was a dog named Possum. I would have left the dog behind, but the dog plays a major part in the cause of the mutiny on the Elsinore. The mutiny itself takes place late in the novel. After it takes place, London keeps repeating "mutiny on the high seas in the year nineteen-thirteen..." for some reason, almost as though mutiny is not expected in this day and age.
I didn't relate well with the main character in this story (John Pathurst). Pathurst was a rich man who didn't have to work for a living. He boards the Elsinore (an old clipper freight ship) for a six month voyage to catch up on his reading and to escape the rat race so to speak. Here is an example of some of the disturbing thoughts of the main character: "... I look at the four of us ... all fair-skinned, blue-eyed ... mastering and commanding, like our fathers before us ... we shall have trod on the faces of all peoples, disciplined them to obedience, taught them government, and ... compelled them by the weight of our own right arms to build for us." and Pathurst describing his equal Mr Pike: "...I belonged aft in the high place...I was acutely desirous that he should not be hurt or killed. The rest did not matter. They were not of my world... I imagine... felt much the same toward their slave-cargoes in the fetid 'tween decks." and: "I knew augustness and pride as I gazed that my eyes were blue, like his; that my skin was blond, like his; that my place was aft with him, and with the Samurai, in the high place." and: "...she too, of the perishing and lordly races of blonds, her place the same high place, her ... command and mastery over the stupid lowly of her kind and over the ruck and spawn of the dark-pigmented breeds." Clearly these statements are racist. London wrote this novel before WWII. This kind of thinking was probably prevalent in the US because even in the US, there was eugenic cleansing going on from the late 19th century well into the mid 20th century. I'm sure Jack London wasn't the only person who thought this way.
Nietzsche is mentioned in this novel. London mentions Nietzsche many times in his novels. I haven't researched this man but clearly London espoused Nietzsche's philosophy whatever it was.
August 15, 2022
Despite the title, this is less about a mutiny than it is about Jack London's wonderful brand of machismo.
I did this on Audible, and it put paid to my theories about the effect of the narrator on the quality of the book. The narrator was fairly awful - it was one of the available books on the Audible Plus catalog - but the book remained great. As much as the narrator tried to flatten the moments of action, dampen the tension, London's wonderful story shone through.
I'm not sure if I've read a first person story from Jack London yet, but it's great. Very much an unreliable narrator, Mr. Pathurst is the type of main character to gradually come to realisations that the reader will have come to long before.
Mr. Pathurst's character arc was one of the best parts of the book. He starts off being dispirited, hating everyone aboard the ship Elsinore, staying up long hours and reading the veritable library of books he brought along on the journey, writing long paragraphs on how much he despises womenfolk, and just being most disagreeable in general. Towards the end of the book, however, he is transformed into a fully male, taking physical action, books abandoned, enthusiastically espousing the evident virtues of womenfolk.
Jack London's strong brand of masculinity is on display here; a big part of the reason I enjoy his stories so much. There's some criticism to be aimed at his theories of race superiority - but I'd argue that you can view it as more about the id, the male ego, the masculine domination of other men as a leader, than it is about actual racism. Admit that I could be wrong here though.
London clearly believes that a life of some sort of physical action is necessary for strong masculinity, an argument that I can see the point of and potentially agree with.
There's a lot of detail about the running of a sailing ship at sea, so if you're not really interested in that stuff, it might be a bit much. It's not Moby Dick levels, but it's there.
Would I re-read: potentially, but I'd skip the naff audiobook.
I did this on Audible, and it put paid to my theories about the effect of the narrator on the quality of the book. The narrator was fairly awful - it was one of the available books on the Audible Plus catalog - but the book remained great. As much as the narrator tried to flatten the moments of action, dampen the tension, London's wonderful story shone through.
I'm not sure if I've read a first person story from Jack London yet, but it's great. Very much an unreliable narrator, Mr. Pathurst is the type of main character to gradually come to realisations that the reader will have come to long before.
Mr. Pathurst's character arc was one of the best parts of the book. He starts off being dispirited, hating everyone aboard the ship Elsinore, staying up long hours and reading the veritable library of books he brought along on the journey, writing long paragraphs on how much he despises womenfolk, and just being most disagreeable in general. Towards the end of the book, however, he is transformed into a fully male, taking physical action, books abandoned, enthusiastically espousing the evident virtues of womenfolk.
Jack London's strong brand of masculinity is on display here; a big part of the reason I enjoy his stories so much. There's some criticism to be aimed at his theories of race superiority - but I'd argue that you can view it as more about the id, the male ego, the masculine domination of other men as a leader, than it is about actual racism. Admit that I could be wrong here though.
London clearly believes that a life of some sort of physical action is necessary for strong masculinity, an argument that I can see the point of and potentially agree with.
There's a lot of detail about the running of a sailing ship at sea, so if you're not really interested in that stuff, it might be a bit much. It's not Moby Dick levels, but it's there.
Would I re-read: potentially, but I'd skip the naff audiobook.
January 28, 2019
Being of its time – my own copy was published pre-1919 by, of all people, Mills & Boon – vocabulary is an as non-PC as Joseph Conrad's Narcissus. For all its reliance on racial stereotypes however the tale is as humane as one would expect from the Jack London of Call of the Wild. Multi-layered characters are dissected, analysed, put back together and looked at again. Unlike his South Sea tales, where much was recounted via the downtrodden seamen themselves, this is told from the point of view of an effete passenger. His sympathies occasionally at odds with his position there are whiffs of the the other Jack London here, of John Barleycorn, The Sea Wolf, and of his San Francisco stenographers throwing their machines from upper floor windows onto the bosses' men in the streets below. But back to the Elsinore, a salty rip-roaring yarn of a motley crew – imbeciles and ne'er do wells, 'lunatics and cripples' – sailing before the mast and around the Horn. Let's call the language old-fashioned; and full of sailing terminology, along with incident and seaborne conjecture. This is not a book that lends itself to easy precis: deaths are many, vengeance sought, a gun fight, and – through the passenger John Pathurst's viewpoint – we are told more than enough of the hardships ordinary seamen endured. Although this telling did lead to a strange dissonance throughout, the narrator extolling his innate superiority while the author's sympathies lied with the beaten-down seamen. Nevertheless philosophies are considered, so too subtleties of, and slight emphases of difference within characters teased out, making this a far more psychologically complex novel than a simple mutiny. As well as, given its original publisher, a love story.
September 3, 2025
London is very descriptive. I thought the sections dealing with sunrises and sunsets were very well done. His descriptions of the storms were in that same vein.
Some of his side characters seemed a little flat. The captain and his daughter for instance.
Some more main (and interesting) characters like the first and second mates just disappeared at one point. Honestly if the author provides a good back story for someone I kind of expect them to have a satisfying conclusion to their arc.
The ending with the MC and the captain’s daughter getting married seemed forced. As a part of the main character’s journey from “confirmed bachelor” to where he was all in for marriage was kind of trite.
Some of the sections seemed to drag a bit and I felt like I just wanted the story to move on. The actual titular mutiny doesn’t take place until the last 25% or so and it seemed like a lot of set up for what we get.
Despite my complaints I was entertained. While I probably won’t re-read this one, I might seek out some others by London.
Also: I listened to this as an audiobook done by Librevox. The reader was ok.
Some of his side characters seemed a little flat. The captain and his daughter for instance.
Some more main (and interesting) characters like the first and second mates just disappeared at one point. Honestly if the author provides a good back story for someone I kind of expect them to have a satisfying conclusion to their arc.
The ending with the MC and the captain’s daughter getting married seemed forced. As a part of the main character’s journey from “confirmed bachelor” to where he was all in for marriage was kind of trite.
Some of the sections seemed to drag a bit and I felt like I just wanted the story to move on. The actual titular mutiny doesn’t take place until the last 25% or so and it seemed like a lot of set up for what we get.
Despite my complaints I was entertained. While I probably won’t re-read this one, I might seek out some others by London.
Also: I listened to this as an audiobook done by Librevox. The reader was ok.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2024
Having read The Sea Wolf which my father had recommended to me when a young man I embarked on the Elsinore. At the onset I want to declare enjoyed it. If you are a sailing person, you will enjoy the nautical descriptions. However I barely can remember where the portside is and so much of it was lost on me. There is a general view of Jack London as the left wing radical adventurer and having read this book I can see there is another side to him. As in The Sea Wolf there is the contrast of liberal cossetted man to the more elemental and often violent man. This dynamic is portrayed in the main character in Mutiny of The Elsinore and I am left with what Jack London valued and what he thought it was to be a man. That's a good enquiry. The description of the Elsinore going around The Horn was a real insight into those sailing day and I thoroughly enjoyed that. I do have the biography of Jack London tucked away in my loft somewhere and having read The Mutiny on The Elsinore do intend to read it
April 8, 2023
I picked up an audio copy of “The Mutiny of the Elsinore” to listen to in my car. I will admit that my routine genres are history and biography, but I thought that literature is part of our culture, so I chose this Jack London novel and am glad I did. I will not give away too many details, but let us say it is an exciting tale of the sea involving the detached, but in control, Captain West, his daughter, Margaret, the first mate, Mr. Pike, the second mate, Mr. Mellaire, and passenger, Mr. Pathurst. It is a saga of a 1913 voyage of a coal carrier from Baltimore with a passage of Cape Horn, remember, pre-Panama Canal, romance, a blood vengeance and, I cannot hide it, a mutiny.
Told through the narrative of Mr. Pathurst, London’s writing style in “The Mutiny of the Elsinore” is the type I would expect from him and his era, observant, descriptive and matter of fact. I recommend for an entertaining read.
Told through the narrative of Mr. Pathurst, London’s writing style in “The Mutiny of the Elsinore” is the type I would expect from him and his era, observant, descriptive and matter of fact. I recommend for an entertaining read.
July 20, 2024
A good, interesting book about maritime adventures of one lost, bored man filled with unsepakable wimps, weaklings, cowards and in general - villains of all sorts, cooped in with half a dozen decent men.
The choice of the main character to go on a 5-month voyage instead of trying something like a 1 week travel to see if he likes it is interesting at the very least. It was equally engaging to see when would the mutiny begin (waited for it with abated breath), as it was to see what comes out of having Margaret on board.
Phylosophical development of the main character throughout the voyage is stunning and absolutely logical, this is where Jack London shines. Still, there were no deserving strong characters in the book - another staple of Jack London's novels, and the whole affair, ghastly as it was, had some untold but very important plot line endings which, if disclosed, would add to the atmosphere.
The choice of the main character to go on a 5-month voyage instead of trying something like a 1 week travel to see if he likes it is interesting at the very least. It was equally engaging to see when would the mutiny begin (waited for it with abated breath), as it was to see what comes out of having Margaret on board.
Phylosophical development of the main character throughout the voyage is stunning and absolutely logical, this is where Jack London shines. Still, there were no deserving strong characters in the book - another staple of Jack London's novels, and the whole affair, ghastly as it was, had some untold but very important plot line endings which, if disclosed, would add to the atmosphere.
June 1, 2025
"...he once sailed with a skipper who shaved every Sunday morning and never touched a razor, nor any cutting-edge, to his face. What he used, according to Mr. Pike, was a lighted candle and a damp towel. - Another candidate for Nietzsche's immortals who are hard!" There are some interesting passages in this novel, yes. Two facts drag it into the cesspool I'm afraid. One, the narrator's dimwitted racism, though to be found elsewhere in London's work, is so over the top and seemingly apart of the overall theme, that it cannot be avoided. Second, the ending is so utterly idiotic that I hope it was finished when London was drunk and riding on the back of a horse delivering it to a publisher to avoid starvation.
January 17, 2018
I liked beeing shocked to be drawn to an antique world were men thought that wealth, white legacy and family names gave certain rights to rule over "lesser" men and women. I realized that for them, given the education that they recieved, the moment in history, this was an absolute truth. A truth that is beeing challanged by changes in the way human interact with eachother.... I hope.
I normally like Jack London´s books with its crude descriptions of the wild (Sea, cold, nature, or endurance). This book I liked the narration, but for me it lacked the personal empathy with its characters and depth of the story.
I normally like Jack London´s books with its crude descriptions of the wild (Sea, cold, nature, or endurance). This book I liked the narration, but for me it lacked the personal empathy with its characters and depth of the story.
August 29, 2018
Mr. Pathurst is bored with life. He books passage on a sailing ship to round the Horn during the winter going from Baltimore to Seattle. The crew is not impressive, even frightening. The Captain is remote, seemingly not in charge of the ship, yet is. Captain West's daughter changes Mr. Pathurst's life.
The crew is unbelievable. The voyage itself seems improbable. Although the scenes fit, some make the men on the ship appear wantonly mean. In many ways, it is a mean story.
What is memorable in this book is the voyage itself. The descriptions of the sea, the weather, the storms and rounding the Horn on a sailing vessel are superb.
The crew is unbelievable. The voyage itself seems improbable. Although the scenes fit, some make the men on the ship appear wantonly mean. In many ways, it is a mean story.
What is memorable in this book is the voyage itself. The descriptions of the sea, the weather, the storms and rounding the Horn on a sailing vessel are superb.
November 23, 2019
This isn't your average mutiny story or windjammer adventure tale. Not with Jack London doing the writing. Instead, this story's components include romance, storms, stupendous sunsets, a large inexperienced crew, two hard-driving mates, a secretive skipper with an attractive daughter and one wealthy young male passenger and his dog, all aboard a four-masted coal ship sailing from Baltimore around Cape Horn to San Francisco. What could go wrong?
London is an engaging writer and this novel has many enjoyable parts. There are other parts that drag or that don't seem to connect with the story.
London is an engaging writer and this novel has many enjoyable parts. There are other parts that drag or that don't seem to connect with the story.
April 27, 2019
A Strange Mutiny Indeed!
A Shanghaid crew of drunken landlubbers are trouble from day one. A second mate with a troubled past and a first mate that adored his victim. These are the ingredients that foment into violent mutiny. A surprising romance develops that runs counter to the other events of this story.
But what happened to the mates is still a mystery that shouldn’t have been omitted. It was a key theme to the narrative.
A Shanghaid crew of drunken landlubbers are trouble from day one. A second mate with a troubled past and a first mate that adored his victim. These are the ingredients that foment into violent mutiny. A surprising romance develops that runs counter to the other events of this story.
But what happened to the mates is still a mystery that shouldn’t have been omitted. It was a key theme to the narrative.
November 9, 2025
Pales by comparison to the Call of the Wild and White Fang.
If it were published today an editor would rip out about half of the text as it adds nothing to the story, just slows it down and makes some parts very laborious.
Many of the colourful characters are over the top and realism suffers greatly
I would not read this book ever again.
If it were published today an editor would rip out about half of the text as it adds nothing to the story, just slows it down and makes some parts very laborious.
Many of the colourful characters are over the top and realism suffers greatly
I would not read this book ever again.
April 11, 2018
Wow. I did not remotely understand how very racist Jack London was until I read this book. I think the concept of mutiny was interesting and the approach made sense, but the protag was so very pompous about his so-called right to rule. I am very tempted to revise this as a satire.
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