"Ondaatje is one of the most innovative and liberating writers of our time" - The Guardian. A book about a young boy's adventurous and educational life aboard a ship bound for England in the early 20th century. PS: Ondaatje is the man who wrote "The English Patient" and he moved to Canada at a young age from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). He won a Booker Prize for The English Patient.

Off I go to Richmond, BC, part of the NSS Virtual Bookcrossing Convention gift exchange. Thanks to Poodlesister for organizing this.

Thank you for the book and all the other goodies. I like the author. I think I should enjoy the book. Much appreciated.

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Tagged to dabercro.

A satisfying read. Ondaatje writes beautifully and I can see the characters and put myself in the ship. I love the boy's sense of wonder and adventure.

This wishlist tag is finally starting its journey to the next reader. Enjoy!

The book was waiting for me when I returned home from vacation. Thanks for the tag.

An eleven-year-old boy is on 21 day journey alone on a ship sailing to England. At mealtimes he is seated a the lowly Cat's Table with a fascinating group of adults and two other boys. The three boys are drawn into the stories of those around them and into adventures aboard the ship.

Added to the Duets bookbox.

Received in the Books Duets Bookbox.

I will release this back into the box.

Released in the Books Duets Bookbox.

Please enjoy!

I'm claiming this well-traveled hardcover from the DUETS bookbox (bookbox journal here). (I've read Ondaatje's novels The English Patient and Anil's Ghost; both were beautifully written and yet left me feeling at a distance.)

Later: This novel felt quite personal and somewhat autobiographical, though the author's notes at the end explain that only bits and pieces of the voyage were actually based on his own experiences. The friends he makes at the "Cat's Table", the mystery of the chained prisoner who's taken for late-night walks on deck, the explorations of the ship's intricate passageways and engine room - it's all evocative and intriguing, though many of the mysteries aren't resolved until late in the book. At that point our narrator receives some unexpected information that changes perspective on several events from the voyage - including the fate of the prisoner... [I was bemused to find from the author's end-notes that the incident regarding a stray dog that actually killed a sleeping passenger was inspired by an actual event - though it still felt strangely out of place in the story proper, more of a distraction than anything else. Maybe Ondaatje felt it was too good a scene to leave out?]

I left this book, bagged against the elements, hanging from an apple tree near a vine-covered arbor on the Arboretum grounds; hope someone enjoys it! (And yes, those are ripe apples on the ground near the tree; 'tis apple season in New England...)

[See other recent releases in MA here.]

** Released for the 2023 You're Such an Animal challenge. **

** Released for the 2023 Keep Them Moving challenge. **