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Afloat and Ashore #2
Miles Wallingford: Sequel to Afloat and Ashore
Classic novel. According to "James Fenimore Cooper (1789 – 1851) was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo. Among his most famous works is the Romantic novel The Last of the Mohicans, which many consider to be his masterpiece."
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 17, 2013
6 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
James Fenimore Cooper
4,650 books1,115 followersJames Fenimore Cooper was a popular and prolific American writer. He is best known for his historical novel The Last of the Mohicans, one of the Leatherstocking Tales stories, and he also wrote political fiction, maritime fiction, travelogues, and essays on the American politics of the time. His daughter Susan Fenimore Cooper was also a writer.
Series:
* The Leatherstocking Tales
* The Littlepage Manuscripts
* Afloat and Ashore
* Homeward Bound
Series:
* The Leatherstocking Tales
* The Littlepage Manuscripts
* Afloat and Ashore
* Homeward Bound
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 23, 2020
The sequel to Afloat and Ashore, this continuation is not as strong as the first volume and feels much more dated, especially in the commentary on slavery that is spread throughout.
October 18, 2017
This book is presented as the sequel to Afloat and Ashore: A Sea Tale, although in reality it is the same book divided in two. As prolific a writer as James Fenimore Cooper is, you will have to suspend belief to buy the storyline in this volume.
If you read Afloat and Ashore, this volume picks up where Miles is thrashing in the water with Lucy's apparent lover. Grace is going downhill fast, and this bit of drama isn't doing her any good at all. What the hell was wrong with her anyway? Clearly, she had some other kind of medical issue that the ignorance of the day were unable to diagnose. Let's blame it on Rupert. I have never seen or heard of that kind of a reaction to a broken heart. Grace seemed like either a macabre drama queen or-she had something else wrong. We'll never know.
As for the theory of divine providence, while they were cruising down the river screwing up Grace's ostensible rehab vacation, they just happened to stop at a quaint little cottage along the banks. You will have to suspend belief to buy who the occupant of the property was. A ridiculously forthcoming occupant, considering two strangers came barreling into her house unannounced and uninvited. It all worked out though. It sure did.
To make an argument that this volume was perhaps longer than it needed to be, Cooper covers the subject of death much differently than in the last. Of course, we view the decline of a family member much differently, but since none of us are immune from it, it should remain private. Unfortunately for the reader, this bit of tragedy was not. We all go through it, and it was distressing to read about the pain, page after page in melodramatic style. It was a relief to get past that part of the book.
Eventually, Miles wants to get away from Clawbonny, and clear his head, and find some semblance of continuity, for his life continued. Down by the docks, he was getting his ship ready to sail, and stopped in at a diner for lunch. You will have to suspend belief that Miles was in New York and having lunch when Rupert, Lucy's beau and another guy took a booth next to him and had an animated conversation-mostly about his sister and him. what are the odds?
Eventually, he gets back to sea. Again the confounding nautical terms made chunks of this book hard to follow. I knew what was happening, but had no idea what they were doing in response. Sail over here, spanker there, mizzen this, jib that...But the story, as ludicrous as it was, didn't have holes in it, and I give Jimmy props for that. Cooper has a pleasing writing style, although his interjections of societal ills and my ignorance of nautical terminology became a bit tiresome. As for the nautical bit, I'm not inclined to take a course in 19th century sailing just to read a book, although if I were to be a sailing man myself, might be well worth the time. Ahh, but if I were...
Miles never finished his education, and Marble, although a very adept seaman, had little, if any formal education. As a result, we are ostensibly dealing with men who may not have been the sleekest vessels on the sea, their apparent dispensation with common sense a telling factor. What kind of career choice is that which had a very good chance of failure-even death, and in Miles' case, the chance of financial ruin? Had he not screwed things up enough already? And as for Marble, it's just pure luck that nobody had shut his mouth for him years before.
You will have to suspend belief that after the Dawn was wrecked, and Marble and Neb feared lost, that they just happened to...What are the odds?
Cooper can write, no doubt about it, so I give the book three stars for that. The storyline however, cost two stars. Five star writing minus two stars for the storyline and-I won't say they lived happily ever after, but as well as can be expected would probably be more accurate, which in Miles' case, not that bad. It nearly lost another star for the racism thing-and I know, that's how it was in the early 1800's, but we as a society are so far away from that now, that it is a tough read to have it so matter-of-factly laid out the Cooper did. That said, if you like Cooper's writing style, you'll like the book.
If you read Afloat and Ashore, this volume picks up where Miles is thrashing in the water with Lucy's apparent lover. Grace is going downhill fast, and this bit of drama isn't doing her any good at all. What the hell was wrong with her anyway? Clearly, she had some other kind of medical issue that the ignorance of the day were unable to diagnose. Let's blame it on Rupert. I have never seen or heard of that kind of a reaction to a broken heart. Grace seemed like either a macabre drama queen or-she had something else wrong. We'll never know.
As for the theory of divine providence, while they were cruising down the river screwing up Grace's ostensible rehab vacation, they just happened to stop at a quaint little cottage along the banks. You will have to suspend belief to buy who the occupant of the property was. A ridiculously forthcoming occupant, considering two strangers came barreling into her house unannounced and uninvited. It all worked out though. It sure did.
To make an argument that this volume was perhaps longer than it needed to be, Cooper covers the subject of death much differently than in the last. Of course, we view the decline of a family member much differently, but since none of us are immune from it, it should remain private. Unfortunately for the reader, this bit of tragedy was not. We all go through it, and it was distressing to read about the pain, page after page in melodramatic style. It was a relief to get past that part of the book.
Eventually, Miles wants to get away from Clawbonny, and clear his head, and find some semblance of continuity, for his life continued. Down by the docks, he was getting his ship ready to sail, and stopped in at a diner for lunch. You will have to suspend belief that Miles was in New York and having lunch when Rupert, Lucy's beau and another guy took a booth next to him and had an animated conversation-mostly about his sister and him. what are the odds?
Eventually, he gets back to sea. Again the confounding nautical terms made chunks of this book hard to follow. I knew what was happening, but had no idea what they were doing in response. Sail over here, spanker there, mizzen this, jib that...But the story, as ludicrous as it was, didn't have holes in it, and I give Jimmy props for that. Cooper has a pleasing writing style, although his interjections of societal ills and my ignorance of nautical terminology became a bit tiresome. As for the nautical bit, I'm not inclined to take a course in 19th century sailing just to read a book, although if I were to be a sailing man myself, might be well worth the time. Ahh, but if I were...
Miles never finished his education, and Marble, although a very adept seaman, had little, if any formal education. As a result, we are ostensibly dealing with men who may not have been the sleekest vessels on the sea, their apparent dispensation with common sense a telling factor. What kind of career choice is that which had a very good chance of failure-even death, and in Miles' case, the chance of financial ruin? Had he not screwed things up enough already? And as for Marble, it's just pure luck that nobody had shut his mouth for him years before.
You will have to suspend belief that after the Dawn was wrecked, and Marble and Neb feared lost, that they just happened to...What are the odds?
Cooper can write, no doubt about it, so I give the book three stars for that. The storyline however, cost two stars. Five star writing minus two stars for the storyline and-I won't say they lived happily ever after, but as well as can be expected would probably be more accurate, which in Miles' case, not that bad. It nearly lost another star for the racism thing-and I know, that's how it was in the early 1800's, but we as a society are so far away from that now, that it is a tough read to have it so matter-of-factly laid out the Cooper did. That said, if you like Cooper's writing style, you'll like the book.
November 29, 2017
My review will be up on my blog soon: www.thebritishstoryteller.wordpress.com
February 21, 2009
really part 2 of afloat and ashore, just bound separately.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews