The Custom of the Sea

By Neil Hanson

Book Overview

The inspiration for the Broadway musical Swept Away: "An exciting, historically accurate depiction of a disastrous 19th-century sea journey." --Publishers Weekly

In the late 1800s, the Essex coast of England was known for producing the toughest, most skilled seamen. Tom Dudley was one of them. Though a well-known and respected figure among the local yacht-racing community, he had little experience of deep-sea sailing. Still, Tom agreed to sail more than ten thousand miles to deliver a yacht to its new owner in Sydney, Australia.

Almost immediately, the twenty-year-old Mignonette starts taking on water--a harbinger for events to come. Tom stops for repairs at Southampton, where his crew abandons him. After recruiting three new men--including a teenage boy who lies about his age--Tom sets off, filled with optimism and dreams of new opportunities in a new land. But then a savage storm sinks the Mignonette, leaving Tom and his crew in a thirteen-foot-long dinghy a thousand miles from land. In a shark-filled sea, with no water and little food, the men face a horrific fate--and must sacrifice their very humanity to survive . . .

Four men set out on the Mignonette, but only three will make it back alive.

"The nightmarish events of the shipwreck are reported with real power." --The New York Times Book Review

"Makes astonishing reading . . . extraordinary." --The Times Literary Supplement

"A gripping tale of four sailors adrift at sea . . . Gruesome and completely fascinating." --Kirkus Reviews

"A terrific story . . . a riveting read." --The Spectator

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1504096894
• ISBN13: 9781504096898
• Release Date: November 2024
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
• Length: 404 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

I loved it

I loved the book and read it from cover to cover in just 2 days. I thought the depiction of the characters were great and the real dilema challenging. The end was a bit long as it never seemed to end. But, all in all, a great book that I would highly recommend.

A Chilling Story of Survival

This is a troubling story about a group of men that have to deceide what their morals are really made of. Four men start out from England on an expidition to deliver a yacht to its new owner in Australia. Though the trip is dangerous all the men aboard have their reasons to take the chance. Whether it is for the money or a chance at a new life these men set out on a journey that will bring them to the edge of death when the ship goes down in a storm. The men cast off in a life boat with very little food and drinking water. As their physical condition deteriorates they are faced with a major decision...to follow the custom of the sea to save themselves or to follow their morality and most surely die. The last portion of the book deals with the legal problems associated with their decision and their lives after the sinking. This book is a great story that will evoke many emotions in the reader. The book is easy to read, and the story will grip you so you can't put it down. I highly recomend it.

READ THIS BOOK!

I was so amazed by this story, there's an incredible amount of history here tucked among this richly told tale- that reads so much like fiction, you can't believe it really happened. The horrors that Captain Tom Dudley and his crew had to endure to stay alive after their shipwreck had me turning the pages well into the night. When I finished the book, I immediately gave it to a friend, the legal drama is also fascinating. This book has something for everyone and shouldn't be missed!

A Chilling Odyssey

An amazing true tale from the high seas, compelling both historically and as a narrative. The book was mesmerized me from the start, and I was held captive til its finale!

Lifelong Impression

A book like this comes around rarely. It reads like a gothic novel but has all the research and facts of a court presentation. it is a true story, but its truth may be instinctively denied by the reader, so terrible is its basis. Despite an absorbing and well-written plot, the reader may at times be tempted to stp reading - if not in revulsion, at lesat in prayerful contemplation - but the urge to turn another page will prove too irresistible. In brief, The Custom of the Sea is a masterpiece of literature, historic jurisprudence, and English maritime history. Above all it is stark testament to Man's will to survive. It is a sailor's book, but the ethical and legal points it raises will be debated with equal passion by lawyers, priests, housewives, CEOs and others who may not know a bowline from a bow line. However large one's personal library may be, there are only a few books therein that have the power to leave a lifelong impression upon the reader. I predict this will be one such book.