The Voyage of the Catalpa: A Perilous Journey and Six Irish Rebels' Escape to Freedom
Truth may routinely be stranger than fiction, but seldom is it as suspenseful as this story of the 1876 rescue of six Irish rebels from Britain's infamous prison colony in Fremantle, Australia, by the American whaling ship Catalpa. Despite its title, the book covers far more than just the rescue ship's voyage, bringing to life the web of political interests and conflicts among Ireland, England and the U.S. toward the end of the 19th century. In his fast-moving narrative, journalist Stevens (The Mayflower Murderer and Other Forgotten Firsts in American History) tells how the six Irish members of the British Armed Forces were recruited and then arrested for treachery because of their allegiance to the rebellious Fenian movement for Irish independence. He describes the ordeal of the Irishmen in prison, as well as the plotting of the clandestine rescue mission, which launched from New Bedford, Mass., and took a year to complete in the face of hostile British forces. The writing is solid if workmanlike. Stevens doesn't shrink from getting into the heads of his subjects, and takes some liberties in reconstructing their thoughts and actions in minute, novelistic detail. The freewheeling approach may trouble some readers, especially as Stevens doesn't cite sources (he's based much of the book on the firsthand account of Catalpa captain George Anthony). Ultimately, however, the action-packed international intrigue and Stevens's keen sense of pacing carry the book; readers who can put aside their skepticism will be riveted.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.