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The Sea Journals of Annie & Amy Henning
142 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 12, 2022
This book is definitely more of a 3.5 stars...to be fair, I am not entirely sure how to rate it at all. Reading and rating non-fiction is something completely new to me and I have not yet figured my system out, especially because this book has so many factors that go into my rating.
Within this book are some of the most gorgeous black and white illustrations, that captivated me as I read and paired perfectly with the text.
This book is broken into five chapters; three of those giving historical context by the author, and the other two, which make up the bulk of this book, are the journal recounts of Annie and Amy's voyages to Australia.
The way in which the author wrote the chapters providing historical context was captivating and informative, and I read through these chapters with a lot more motivation and interest than the journals themselves, because of the faster pacing. Don't get me wrong, the journals are an amazing insight into life aboard a pioneer ship from England to Australia, but being daily recounts of the events, a lot of the time the information was repetitive. I am so used to reading fiction, hence the lack of pacing threw me off in the book, and although that is not at all fault of the book, still it affected my enjoyment of reading.
I was truly provided insight into the lives of these two women, and loved learning of what they did to occupy themselves on their journeys.
The book also included footnotes leading to historical notes at the back of the book, many of which were quite interesting, such as the fine of a bottle of champagne being imposed upon anyone who mentioned bed-bugs on board pioneering ships, as the crew's got tired of hearing the complaints.
The writing style of both the author and of Annie and Amy through their journals was gorgeous, and I couldn't help but underline, highlight and take notes in the margin to mark the beautiful passages.
I have written a few of my favorites below:
[Page 9] They all embarked on a bout of sightseeing that would equal the exertions of today’s most intrepid tourists.
[Page 45] I have never missed it yet and do not want to lose my character.
[Page 76] ..., the lights being extinguished just as our game was reduced to pawns.
[Page 79] ... so I am glad we brought habits.
[Page 86] He fancies he knows everything and on the contrary never can tell you *one* thing that you want to know.
[Page 93] ..., as some of the pages will testify.
[Page 122] ..., but as it began with our first hour on the water it must end with the last.
Words & Phrases I Liked:
- stipulated
- pleasantest
- imbibe
- ‘was the lion of the evening’
- ‘sunny disposition’
- negatived
- ourangoutang (Amy’s spelling of orangutan)
Within this book are some of the most gorgeous black and white illustrations, that captivated me as I read and paired perfectly with the text.
This book is broken into five chapters; three of those giving historical context by the author, and the other two, which make up the bulk of this book, are the journal recounts of Annie and Amy's voyages to Australia.
The way in which the author wrote the chapters providing historical context was captivating and informative, and I read through these chapters with a lot more motivation and interest than the journals themselves, because of the faster pacing. Don't get me wrong, the journals are an amazing insight into life aboard a pioneer ship from England to Australia, but being daily recounts of the events, a lot of the time the information was repetitive. I am so used to reading fiction, hence the lack of pacing threw me off in the book, and although that is not at all fault of the book, still it affected my enjoyment of reading.
I was truly provided insight into the lives of these two women, and loved learning of what they did to occupy themselves on their journeys.
The book also included footnotes leading to historical notes at the back of the book, many of which were quite interesting, such as the fine of a bottle of champagne being imposed upon anyone who mentioned bed-bugs on board pioneering ships, as the crew's got tired of hearing the complaints.
The writing style of both the author and of Annie and Amy through their journals was gorgeous, and I couldn't help but underline, highlight and take notes in the margin to mark the beautiful passages.
I have written a few of my favorites below:
[Page 9] They all embarked on a bout of sightseeing that would equal the exertions of today’s most intrepid tourists.
[Page 45] I have never missed it yet and do not want to lose my character.
[Page 76] ..., the lights being extinguished just as our game was reduced to pawns.
[Page 79] ... so I am glad we brought habits.
[Page 86] He fancies he knows everything and on the contrary never can tell you *one* thing that you want to know.
[Page 93] ..., as some of the pages will testify.
[Page 122] ..., but as it began with our first hour on the water it must end with the last.
Words & Phrases I Liked:
- stipulated
- pleasantest
- imbibe
- ‘was the lion of the evening’
- ‘sunny disposition’
- negatived
- ourangoutang (Amy’s spelling of orangutan)
January 1, 2024
As the other reviewer noted, I'm not sure how to rate this either, partly because two of the chapters are extended journals by the writers noted in the title who set sail for Sydney Australia from Liverpool England in 1853 and 1854 respectively.
The author, the great granddaughter of Amy Henning, included family history and some information about the family members after the voyages. This is where I found myself wishing the writing was stronger. The beginning was a bit haphazard in terms of understanding clearly the ages of the children we were to hear about in the rest of the book, and more clarity on the purposes of the voyages would have been helpful. The later chapters left me wondering why we didn't hear more about how the lives of the primary individuals mentioned turned out. By the time the author wrote this, she would have known what they each ended up doing and how their lives fared--or perhaps not. But what that was, or why she wouldn't have known, would have been useful to understand after getting to know Annie and Amy, and others they recount, through their journals.
Amy's journal seemed much less interesting than Annie's, the latter's being fresh and including some memorable events from the voyage. Amy's seemed to be patterned after Annie's (which she would have read before her own journey), but be more repetitive throughout, somewhat inconsistent, and at points seemingly overly dramatic, perhaps for the sake of spicing up the journal.
Without providing spoilers regarding Annie's journal, it is amazing what occurs that is seemingly taken in stride--a sad commentary on how life was at that time, not because of the lack of rection, but because the occurrences were not rare as they would be 100 years in the future. I found that interesting, as well as the daily life on a ship, taking more than two months, and beset along the way by harrowing weather conditions and what seem like regular injuries.
This did spark an interest in hearing directly from other intrepid women travelers of the 19th and early 20th centuries. I have a couple on my book shelf that I'll turn to soon.
The author, the great granddaughter of Amy Henning, included family history and some information about the family members after the voyages. This is where I found myself wishing the writing was stronger. The beginning was a bit haphazard in terms of understanding clearly the ages of the children we were to hear about in the rest of the book, and more clarity on the purposes of the voyages would have been helpful. The later chapters left me wondering why we didn't hear more about how the lives of the primary individuals mentioned turned out. By the time the author wrote this, she would have known what they each ended up doing and how their lives fared--or perhaps not. But what that was, or why she wouldn't have known, would have been useful to understand after getting to know Annie and Amy, and others they recount, through their journals.
Amy's journal seemed much less interesting than Annie's, the latter's being fresh and including some memorable events from the voyage. Amy's seemed to be patterned after Annie's (which she would have read before her own journey), but be more repetitive throughout, somewhat inconsistent, and at points seemingly overly dramatic, perhaps for the sake of spicing up the journal.
Without providing spoilers regarding Annie's journal, it is amazing what occurs that is seemingly taken in stride--a sad commentary on how life was at that time, not because of the lack of rection, but because the occurrences were not rare as they would be 100 years in the future. I found that interesting, as well as the daily life on a ship, taking more than two months, and beset along the way by harrowing weather conditions and what seem like regular injuries.
This did spark an interest in hearing directly from other intrepid women travelers of the 19th and early 20th centuries. I have a couple on my book shelf that I'll turn to soon.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews