Captains Courageous

By Rudyard Kipling

Captains Courageous is a novel, by Rudyard Kipling, that follows the adventures of fifteen-year-old Harvey Cheyne Jr., the spoiled son of a railroad tycoon, after he is saved from drowning by a fishing boat in the north Atlantic.

Harvey Cheyne is the son of a wealthy railroad magnate and his wife, who are over-indulgent parents in San Diego, California. Washed overboard from a transatlantic steamship and rescued by fishermen off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, the young Harvey Cheyne can neither persuade them to take him quickly to port, nor convince them of his wealth. Disko Troop, captain of the We're Here, offers him a job as part of the crew until they return to port. With no other choice, Harvey accepts.

Through a series of trials and adventures, the youth learns to adjust to his rough new life and, with the help of his friend, the captain's son Dan Troop, he makes progress. Eventually, the schooner returns to port and Harvey wires his parents. They rush cross-country by their private rail car, given priority over commercial traffic, to Boston, Massachusetts. From there they go to the fishing town of Gloucester to find that their son has matured to become an industrious, serious and considerate young man.

Harvey's mother rewards the seaman who initially rescued her son. Harvey's father rewards Captain Troop by hiring his son Dan to work on his prestigious tea clipper fleet. He is delighted at his son's new maturity and their relationship improves, and Harvey decides to begin his career with his father's shipping lines.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookRix
• Release date: Oct 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9783736804258

Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling was born in India in 1865. After intermittently moving between India and England during his early life, he settled in the latter in 1889, published his novel The Light That Failed in 1891 and married Caroline (Carrie) Balestier the following year. They returned to her home in Brattleboro, Vermont, where Kipling wrote both The Jungle Book and its sequel, as well as Captains Courageous. He continued to write prolifically and was the first Englishman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907 but his later years were darkened by the death of his son John at the Battle of Loos in 1915. He died in 1936.

Reviews for Captains Courageous

[hemlokgang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful coming of age story which takes place on a fishing schooner off the Grand Banks. Harvey matures from a spoiled, indolent rich boy to a hardworking young man. Great story!

[themythicalcodfish · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite books by the author, and a good adventure story. More than that, it's an insightful look into the fishing culture of New England in the latter part of the 19th century, the technological conflict between the fishermen and the steam liners, and the importance of education alongside hard work. Highly recommended.

[dorenemlorenz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting timeless tale. Really enjoyed as Kipling and I have the same difficulty with perfect grammar.

[sandydog1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A 20th century version of The Prince and the Pauper meets Moby Dick. Enjoyable, heart-warmer about coming of age, growing up, and getting callouses.

[judithproctor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book showing the Newfoundland cod fishery in its heyday. The dangerous lives of the fishermen and the sheer abundance of the cod in those times. I also found fascinating the rail journey made by the boy's parents when they come to meet him - it's a wonderful sense of speed and organisation, of messages sent ahead, trains rerouted, all in a time before modern computers and emails.

[soylentgreen23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A nice, short, sea story that carries a valuable message.

[kdsarge_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book. I can't review it objectively because I love it so. When I think of a book that took me away, swept me off to places I have never seen--this was the first. Possibly the best. Can't recommend it highly enough.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great coming of age book. Wonderful and exciting story of the sea and the men who make their living on it.

[kslade-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Can't quite remember when I read this one, but I thought it was very good. Transformation of a spoiled rich kid into a good, hard-working person under the guidance of a simple fisherman.