The Caliban Shore: The Fate of the Grosvenor Castaways
£3.52
African Shipwreck - An account of the fate of the Grosvenor, an East Indiaman that ran aground off the coast of Africa on its way from India to the U.K. Personal histories mixed with investigation. I was not surprised that the survivors of the grounding split into smaller groups, but the fact that the women and injured being abandoned was shocking. I suppose we have spent so long hearing Women and Children first.
stare death in the face - The set up of the story took too long for meBy page 76 I was no nearer to weighing anchor than page oneBy the time the wreck happened it turned into a hell of a taleThe survival instinct kicked in and all sense of comradmanship was abandoned Wrong decision after wrong decision in the end cost many livesThe epilogue and folk law tales of the assimilation of people who may have survived amongst the natives was great
First rate factual adventure. - A tragic tale of shipwreck off the East African coast. Although a very sad account of the fate of men, women and children, the book also gives a detailed account of the various lifestyles of Europeans living and trading in 1780s India. Initially I thought that this was going to be an account of man and meteorology but the book is a good balance of biography, geography, history and maritime facts. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down in the wee hours of the morning.
Bring a film out on it! - The Grosvenor was one of the finest East Indiamen of her day, but she ran aground on the treacherous coast of south-east Africa. An astonishing number of her crew and passengers, including women and children, reached the shore safely, but the castaways found themselves hundreds of miles from the nearest European outpost - and utterly ignorant of their surroundings and the people among whom they found themselves. Drawing upon much new research, Stephen Taylor pieces together this extraordinary saga, sifting the myths that became attached to The Grosvenor from a reality that is no less gripping. Taking the reader to the heart of what is now the Wild Coast of Pondoland, he reveals the misunderstandings that led to tragedy, tells the story of those who escaped, and unravels the mystery of those who stayed. An unforgetable story of its time of how the survivors trekked for over 400 miles across the most hostile of lands suffering the most extreme of privations. After many months they reach safety amongst kind hearted dutch settlers...but alas for many it was not to be! Gripping story, told really well with great detail and a flowing easy to read narrative....great read!
The Caliban Shore - The book is very detailed, in fact I think too detailed. If you just want to read about the actual experience these unfortunate people suffered only read the middle or their abouts of the book. The rest is more akin to a study. While I admire the effort Stephen Taylor has put into writing this book, does all the detailed back ground about each character really enhance the yarn ?