Another coincidence ...
It's really eerie how often I seem to encounter coincidences in my daily life and the connection this time has to do with hunting whales ! (Also eerie is this bleak picture of a National Geographic ship cutting its way through ice in the Antarctic Circle.)
The ship is the Explorer and, yes, the crew is hunting whales but it is not a sight-seeing cruise or a killing expedition. This is a serious scientific study of the health of the ecosystem and how it is affecting the whales and other animals in the area. The findings are not good. If you are interested in learning more it is on the CBS series the "Climate Diaries".
... and here's the coincidence.
I have currently read a book entitled "The Rathbones" by Janice Clark. Her fanciful legend is set in New England and chronicles the experiences of 15 year old Mercy, the last surviving member of the Rathbones ... a family that grew wealthy dealing in the sperm whaling business starting in 1761. Mercy's seafaring father has not been seen for many years and she and her uncle Mordecai go in search ... for him and for the killer whales. They are convinced that if they find one they will find the other.
I have currently read a book entitled "The Rathbones" by Janice Clark. Her fanciful legend is set in New England and chronicles the experiences of 15 year old Mercy, the last surviving member of the Rathbones ... a family that grew wealthy dealing in the sperm whaling business starting in 1761. Mercy's seafaring father has not been seen for many years and she and her uncle Mordecai go in search ... for him and for the killer whales. They are convinced that if they find one they will find the other.
The author Janice Clark has an imagination that seems boundless. She grew up in the whaling town of Mystic, Connecticut and the words that she puts to paper are filled with the mystique of that area as it must have been over 300 years ago We meet Moses, the legendary patriarch of the Rathbone empire and husband to 17 wives whose only duty is to produce the sons that keep the whaling ships staffed ... and that is just the beginning. Mercy's quest uncovers 100 years of secrets, betrayals and half truths, but happily all the intriguing mysteries are solved in the end.
An amazing first novel.
posted by Ginnie at 5:00 PM
7 Comments:
Nice synchronicity.
Sounds like an interesting read. Life's coincidences are often fascinating.
Sounds interesting. I will have to try it.
Thanks, Ginnie!
It sounds interesting. I will look for it!
My father's family was from a community which processed whales in the 1900s in Newfoundland. Thankfully, those days are long gone.
I will check it out. That type of book is in my wheelhouse. One of the most profound books I ever read was The Last Whales by Lloyd Abbey. It haunts me today.
I will look for that one. Have you read The Devil Amongst the Lawyers by Sharyn McCrumb? just finished it today.
Often first novels can be surprising and I also recently finished one called The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Pheadra Patrick. It was very entertaining and a fast read too...good qualities for me when reading a book.
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