Pitcairn's Island

by James Norman Hall, Charles Bernard Nordhoff, Nordhoff & Hall,

Book Overview

MEN AGAINST THE SEA is the epic story of the 19 loyal men who, with Captain Bligh at the helm, were set adrift in a 23-foot open launch. Their 3,600-mile voyage remains one of the greatest feats of courage and adventure in the annals of the sea. PITCAIRN's ISLAND unfolds a tale of drunkeness, betrayal, murder, and vengeance as it chronicles the fate of Christian, the mutineers, and a handful of Tahitians, who together take refuge on the loneliest...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316611697
• ISBN13: 9780316611695
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 333 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

A Fictional, But Good Story

Pitcairn's Island is a fictionalized account of the events that took place after the mutiny of the H.M.S. Bounty. I first read this story when I was 13 years old and like other posters I had a hard time putting it down. I read the entire book over one night and I reread it the next day. Fifteen years later I still remember how this book was the beginning of my interest in the South Pacific and Polynesian history. Alhtough this story is a fictionalized account of the events that took place, I argue that the authors did an excellent job of surmizing what might have happened. This book would make a much more interesting movie than Mutiny on the Bounty and I still hope one day I can watch it on the big screen.

The best of the Bounty trilogy, and the most thought-provoking

This is the third of the Bounty trilogy. The first book chronicles the mutiny itself, as well as following the fate of the non-mutineers who were left in Tahiti when the ringleaders left. It is a good book - often filmed, so most know the general story. The second book, Men Against the Sea, follows the fate of Captain Bligh and those that chose not to participate in the mutiny who were put off the ship into a boat to make their way as best they could. They eventually reached a Dutch colony and Bligh made his report on the mutiny. This book, Pitcairn's Island, is the story of the mutineers who tried to find an island on which to live out their lives without fear of discovery. The island must be small and remote enough not to have been charted by the admiralty, but big enough to sustain the lives of 27 people indefinitely. Fletcher Christian, leader of the mutineers, picks Pitcairn's Island, known to him from a previous cruise, but officially "undiscovered" because no one could attempt a landing on it. With the group of mutineers are a number of Polynesian men and women. Once forced to live in close quarters, the inevitable culture conflict starts, especially because the British chauvenism in thinking the Polynesians to be inherently inferior savages. This sets up an ethnically-divided society, and ultimately leads to civil war between the British seamen and their Polynesian counterparts. Rape, murder, drunkeness, and treachery leads to a fascinating account of interracial conflict that ultimately concludes with redemption for the survivors and an optimistic note that all will be well now that the bigotted first generation has died out. As others have mentioned, this is a "fictionalised" account of the stories of the mutineers. It is based on fact, where available. Certainly, this allows the authors to chose which of the many versions on the subject to believe (or to cut-and-paste together likely events where the facts are seemingly contradictory). Overall, it is the most interesting story, and the one that follows the most conventional arc. I think the other two books should be read first, saving the best for last.

Excellent reading!!

Best story I've ever read in my life. very interesting. Couldn't put it down. Great novel for people of all ages. Everyone should read this book. Good history book of Pitcairn Island.

Survivor meets Lord of the Flies

This is a magnificent book and the best of the Bounty Trilogy. I've read it many times over the years and find myself wholly captivated by it each time. "Pitcairn's Island" follows the story of Bounty mutineer Fletcher Christian and eight of his men who are hunting for a sanctuary in which to hide from the long arm of the Royal Navy. They bring their Tahitian wives and several Tahitian men along with them. Finding Pitcairn's Island uninhabited, they settle there in 1790, less than a year after the mutiny. The men range from about age 21 to 38, Christian himself was only about 24 yrs old although the movies always seem to depict him as being older.The Pitcairn story operates on multiple levels--- the attempt by criminals to make a Utopian society, the conflict between the English and the Tahitians, the conflict between the men and the women, conflict between the educated officers, Christian and Young, and the low-born seamen. The tiny colony struggles with alcoholism, race warfare, slavery, rape, insanity and even religious rebirth. The story seems impossible to believe and yet all of it is true. The mutiny story has made for several rousing motion pictures but they always end with the mutineers arrival at Pitcairn and never deal with what happened afterwards, which is the most fascinating part of the story.Will some filmmaker PLEASE bring this story to the screen?

Escape, Folly, and Redemption

Before reviewing this book, let me note that it contains explicit scenes of violence that would cause this book to exceed an R rating if it were a motion picture. These scenes are very effective in enhancing the emotional power of the story, but certainly exceed what had to be portrayed. Pitcairn's Island is by far the best of the three novels in The Bounty Trilogy. While the first two books seem like somewhat disconnected pieces of the whole story of the events leading up to and following the mutiny on H.M.S. Bounty, Pitcairn's Island stands alone as a worthy story. In its rich development of what happened to nine of the mutineers and those Polynesians who joined them, this book ranks as one of the great adventure and morality tales of all time.The story picks up with the H.M.S. Bounty under sail in poorly charted seas, commanded by Fletcher Christian and looking for Pitcairn's Island. On the ship are 27 adults (9 British mutineers, 12 Polynesian women, and 6 Polynesian men). Everyone is a little edgy because Pitcairn's Island is not where the charts show it to be. After much stress, Pitcairn's Island is finally sighted. Then, it becomes apparent that the Bounty cannot be kept safely there in the long run because of the poor mooring conditions. If they commit to Pitcairn's Island, there will be no leaving it. Should they stay or go? The novel follows up on what happens in the 19 years following that fateful decision. The key themes revolve around the minimum requirements of a just society, differences between the two cultures of British and Polynesians, the varying perceptions and expectations of men and women, and the impact of immorality on the health of a society. Anyone who has enjoyed Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, or The Lord of the Flies will find this novel vastly appealing. Here, part of the fascination is that real-life events are being described. The decision to turn this into a novel is a good one. The accounts of what occurred vary, and cannot be totally reconciled. So no one can really know what happened, other than it was dramatic. Towards the end of the book, the narration becomes that of one character, and the use of that character's language, perspective, background is powerful in making the novel seem more realistic and compelling. This is a story where the less you know when you begin, the more you will enjoy the story. Out of respect for your potential reading pleasure, I will delve no more into the book. After you finish reading the book, I suggest that you take each of the characters and imagine how you could have improved matters for all by speaking and behaving differently then that character did. Then, think about your own family, and apply the same thought process. See what you would like to change about your own speech and behavior in your family, as a result.Think through the consequences of your potential actions very carefully when many others will be affected!