Rating: 
Summary: Thrilling classic of adventure at Sea
Review: Although "Mutiny" may be one of the "classics" usually thoroughly despised by young people I must say that after reading it I have a much more open mind when it comes to other "classics". "Mutiny of the Bounty" is a thrilling historical fiction adventure at sea. One of the most amazing things about the book is that it has the excitement of a fiction book while staying fairly true to its historical roots. It is a harsh demonstration of seagoing life in the late 1700's (the voyage takes place in 1788-1789) and a beautiful description of life on primitive Tahiti. Nordhoff and Hall use imagery on par with the best authors of our times to bring a view of 18th century Tahiti to our minds where we can imagine the peacefull life of the Indians and sailors there. It also does a great job of creating a theme so emotional that it is difficult to put to words. Another reviewer on this site accurately described it as something along the lines of "a story of misuse of power and the necessity of men to support authority figures to keep order even if they abuse their power" (not an exact quote). This is especially relevant to life at sea where without strict discipline a ship and her crew would be in constant peril. The narrator, Rodger Byam (a fictional character based very strongly on a real midshipman on Bounty named Peter Heywood), tells of his life on Tahiti with his adopted family, his wife and daughter, and his trip in irons back to Mother England, where he discovers that he is to be tried for a mutiny which he had no part in. In several amazing plot twists however his case goes from death to freedom when a man thought to be dead surfaces from a tragedy at sea. I give the book five stars as it is not only on of the most well written books I have ever read, with simply dazzling imagery, but also conveys very emotional theme. It is a must read for anyone of any age capable of reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: Uneven Version of the Bounty's Voyage, Mutiny and Trial
Review: Before reviewing Mutiny on the Bounty, let me observe that it contains scenes of extreme violence against sailors in the form of corporal punishment that will nauseate sensitive readers. The violence in this book exceeds what would earn a movie an R rating. Captain Bligh's name will go down in infamy, and this novel deserves more than its share of the credit for making that be the case.H.M.S. Bounty was under assignment to go to Tahiti to secure breadfruit trees. It was hoped that these trees would grow well in the West Indies and could become a cheap source of food for slaves working there on the sugar plantations. Breadfruit trees do not have seeds, so had to be transported and transplanted to perform this experiment. On the way to Tahiti, Captain Bligh turns out to have several weaknesses as a leader. First, he seems to have stolen food from his men in order to increase his personal income. Second, he chose to think the worst of people rather than the best, so he favored the stick over the carrot. Third, he was incautious in his speech and constantly humiliated the men under his command. No one who reads this book would want to have served under Captain Bligh. In fact, many would rename him as Captain Blight. The weakness of the Bligh characterization is that we are given no comparison to what other British naval captains did at the same time. Was Bligh just a little worse, or twice as worse? I still don't know, and I have read a lot about this era. My impression is that what most of us would condemn was pretty typical except for the stealing from the crew's stores. The best part of the book contains a look at Tahitian culture during this time, and the psychological experience of being falsely accused of a capital crime. Fans of trials will also enjoy the way that the court martial is portrayed. You are given even detail to appreciate the nuances of what the issues were that the various accused were dealing with. I found that the book could have used more editing. Much of the novel could have been eliminated with no significant loss to the story. As a result, many modern readers will find that the book is very slow to get started. In a sense, the real appeal of the book begins with the mutiny about a third of the way through the book. In fact, a better structure might have been to have told most of the story of the voyage through flashback interspersed within the trip back to England and the court martial. The sailing descriptions assume a level of knowledge about masts, sails, and wind that are well beyond my awareness of sailing. The novel would have benefited from either explaining more about these points, or eliminating most of them. The book's final weakness is that the authors chose to use a fictional character with a unique role and no experience at sea as the narrator, rather than taking on the voice and perspective of one of the actual sailors. That choice caused the story to have a bit of a "fairy tale" quality that reduced its appeal to me. After you have read and enjoyed this well-known book, think about where your words could wound as much or more than a whipping. Learn to measure those words carefully before you release them. In many cases, you would be better not to say them at all. Appeal to the best in all you meet!
Rating:
Summary: No More Holywood Versions!
Review: I finally got a copy of this book after a lifetime of seeing the story altered and parodied in cinema and television. If you want a great account of the events, that is also interesting reading, look no further. Dont bother to rent the DVD version of the movie, which has just been released. Otherwise you would think that Bligh returns to tahiti to capture Christian personally, which isn't in the book. You would think that Byam got to confront Bligh after being wrongly accused, which isn't in the book. And you would think that people were being keel-hauled from the bounty, which was explicitely stated in the book as being a practice banned years before. If you must watch a movie , watch Mel Gibsons version, but first read the book so you can seperate facts from Holywood "artistic license."
Rating:
Summary: What a Book Should be!
Review: I had remembered hearing of this book many times in passing, but it wasn't until I picked up a musty copy for 25 cents at a garage sale, that I realized how amazing a read this book is. I'm just sorry it took me 33 years to find out! I have since found an old copy of "Men against the sea" the second in the Bounty trilogy, and am almost tempted to stop in the middle of the current book I'm reading just to continue this engrossing adventure. This really is a must read!
Rating:
Summary: Captain Bligh stinks!
Review: I recently decided to try reading some classic books. Mutiny on the Bounty was the first one I tried. Although some of the navigational and shipping vocabulary was unfamiliar to me, the plot of the book and the triumph of good and truth made this story one of the best I've ever read. Better still, it is based on actual events! I think you'll agree with me that Captain Bligh makes a most agregious villian-his parts were almost difficult to read. Still, Roger Byam's heartfelt account made this a fascinating read. Give it a try!
Rating:
Summary: Captain Bligh stinks!
Review: I recently decided to try reading some classic books. Mutiny on the Bounty was the first one I tried. Although some of the navigational and shipping vocabulary was unfamiliar to me, the plot of the book and the triumph of good and truth made this story one of the best I've ever read. Better still, it is based on actual events! I think you'll agree with me that Captain Bligh makes a most agregious villian-his parts were almost difficult to read. Still, Roger Byam's heartfelt account made this a fascinating read. Give it a try!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Coincidence
Review: I was forced to choose a "classic" book to read over the summer. Reluctant, I chose Mutiny on a whim. It is a classic that most people have not expirienced. As older book go, it has a slow start, but eventually becomes a great story of a boy on his first commision on a ship with an abusive captain. The survival aspect of the book and the strength of these men's convictions makes this a wonderful story. The trial seems so unfair and upsetting. Teachers force some book on students because they had literary merit, but beyond literary merit, Mutiny on the Bounty is an engaging story. This book is really a winner in the row of forgotten old book. Read this one.
Rating:
Summary: Classic that anyone can enjoy
Review: Mutiny on the Bounty is a stunning work of historical fiction that is a pleasure to read.
The novel chronicles the events of the HMS Bounty as seen through the eyes of Roger Byam, a midshipman on the infamous Bounty. Through his eyes, the reader sees the terrible events unfold aboard the ship--the cruelty of Capt. Bligh that ultimately leads Fletcher Christian and much of the crew to mutiny against the captain. With Bligh left at sea, the crew returns to the South Pacific, seeking to make a new life for themselves and hoping to avoid capture and court martial by the British authorities. The conclusion of the novel is heart-wrenching and simply superb (and will be left as a surprise). This novel relies a good deal on historical fact, though the authors clearly fill in the gaps with literary license. The characters are superbly developed and the story is riveting throughout. There is much nautical vocabulary, but this shouldn't distract readers as it can be glossed over without losing any significant content. I am not a historian and can make no statements about the veracity of the portrayals in this book. I do know that readers will find this novel difficult to put down. It is simply a classic story.
Rating:
Summary: Classic that anyone can enjoy
Review: Mutiny on the Bounty is a stunning work of historical fiction that is a pleasure to read. The novel chronicles the events of the HMS Bounty as seen through the eyes of Roger Byam, a midshipman on the infamous Bounty. Through his eyes, the reader sees the terrible events unfold aboard the ship--the cruelty of Capt. Bligh that ultimately leads Fletcher Christian and much of the crew to mutiny against the captain. With Bligh left at sea, the crew returns to the South Pacific, seeking to make a new life for themselves and hoping to avoid capture and court martial by the British authorities. The conclusion of the novel is heart-wrenching and simply superb (and will be left as a surprise). This novel relies a good deal on historical fact, though the authors clearly fill in the gaps with literary license. The characters are superbly developed and the story is riveting throughout. There is much nautical vocabulary, but this shouldn't distract readers as it can be glossed over without losing any significant content. I am not a historian and can make no statements about the veracity of the portrayals in this book. I do know that readers will find this novel difficult to put down. It is simply a classic story.
Rating:
Summary: A splendid masterpiece of men who went to sea.
Review: MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY is one of the greatest novels of the sea, of the 18th century sailing ships and the men who sailed them. But it is far more than a sea story or an adventure story. It is a splendid examination of the abuse of power and of the necessity for society to maintain support for authority, no matter how greatly that authority may at times by misused. Different people tend to view the novel from faulty subjective viewpoints. Some see Capt. Bligh as a gross tyrant who got exactly what he deserved. But at no time does the narrator of the story attempt to justify the mutiny. Others see Fletcher Christian as a romantic hero, but the narrator makes it abundantly clear that his actions in seizing the ship and endangering the entire crew were misguided, to say the least. Always there is a sound balance and a mature evaluation of the actions of all characters, including the officers of the naval court who try those accused of the mutiny. The novel also presents a beautiful balance of scenes, from the harsh punishments on board the Bounty to the idyllic interlude of life in Tahiti to the appalling existence of prisoners chained hand and foot for months at a time, and from the depths of despair at a sentence of death by hanging to the dazzling strangeness of sudden freedom. Whether it is description of scene or action or feeling, the authors capture the essence of every element of the story with perfect clarity and depth. In short, this is an exceedingly well plotted and well written work of literature, which can be enjoyed by a wide range of readers, not just those who love adventure yarns.
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