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A review by aphonusbalonus
Hurrah for the Life of a Sailor!: Life on the Lower-deck of the Victorian Navy by John Winton
4.0
*ARC exchanged for an honest review via NetGalley*
Okay, I will admit I had to binge-read this book because I didn't realize the archive date was the DAY I started reading it, but I really genuinely liked it.
This was an insightful, fascinating book to read. I’ve always wanted to learn more about naval history, and I can say this book fulfilled every desire for that. It was well thought out and researched with a clear comprehension of the era and the politics at the time.
I especially liked the heavy number of direct quotes from primary sources (some of the primary sources being the sea shanties the sailors would sing— amazing!) I also really like the authorial voice throughout this novel. It is strong, compelling, but not condescending— which is something I often encounter in historical nonfiction that, oftentimes, can make it difficult to read and digest.
However, given that this is a re-print of novel published in the 1940s, and myself being a historian, I cannot help but question the sources used in the novel, as age can tamper with facts, and more can be discovered about the subject as we grow steadily further away from the era discussed. But this is a rather small detail in the grand scheme of the novel and the information provided (largely derived from primary sources— which do not change over time) seems to be well-informed.
Okay, I will admit I had to binge-read this book because I didn't realize the archive date was the DAY I started reading it, but I really genuinely liked it.
This was an insightful, fascinating book to read. I’ve always wanted to learn more about naval history, and I can say this book fulfilled every desire for that. It was well thought out and researched with a clear comprehension of the era and the politics at the time.
I especially liked the heavy number of direct quotes from primary sources (some of the primary sources being the sea shanties the sailors would sing— amazing!) I also really like the authorial voice throughout this novel. It is strong, compelling, but not condescending— which is something I often encounter in historical nonfiction that, oftentimes, can make it difficult to read and digest.
However, given that this is a re-print of novel published in the 1940s, and myself being a historian, I cannot help but question the sources used in the novel, as age can tamper with facts, and more can be discovered about the subject as we grow steadily further away from the era discussed. But this is a rather small detail in the grand scheme of the novel and the information provided (largely derived from primary sources— which do not change over time) seems to be well-informed.