Convictions

204. Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

I’ve seen the old film of this a couple of times on television, so was intrigued to find the original tale on Librivox. I hadn’t realised the book was by Kipling; I had only read his The Jungle Book and Just So Stories as a child, so this is a little different, and perhaps even more of its time and place because of its refusal to shy away from the reality of death and danger as a part of daily life.

It is also very much of a bygone era in the lack of communication between the fishing fleet and the land for the months at sea that allow the story to take place (even though the news of the crew member picked up mid-Ocean has travelled around the fleet with no trouble), and we should hope, in the easy use of language which would be entirely unacceptable nowadays, even if Kipling doesn’t seem to mean it derogatorily.

It’s a long time since I last saw the film, but Harvey seems far less of a snotty-nosed pompous brat in this very well-read audio-book than he did in my recollection of the film, but the depictions of life on board a fishing boat are even more realistic and engrossing.

I rather wish all of us could have the opportunity to go to sea, however briefly at some point. I’m certainly glad I did, and reading this has made me miss the sea (however I would access it) again.

Tags: audiobooks, books, Captains Courageous, film, Librivox, Rudyard Kipling, sea