The Last Voyage of the Scotian (The Bains) - Softcover
Meg and John Bains are stunned when they find themselves signed on as crew aboard an old, leaky, under-manned sailing ship bound from Quebec to Jamaica with a load of timber.
They've seen hard times and know hard work--Canada in the early 1870s is suffering a major Depression, and Meg and John have just finished a long, cold winter working in a lumber camp. But this ship is worse than anything they've seen: her captain is a tyrant, deeply in debt, and he drives the ship to reckless extremes. Meg and John's only consolation comes from their shipmates, who teach them the seamanship skills they need to survive.
From Jamaica they cross to Liverpool with a load of sugar-cane and survive a near-mutiny. On the return trip to Halifax, the leaking derelict is outfitted to carry 350 poor migrants to the New World. It uncertain whether any of them--the Bains included--will complete the horrific passage alive.
Set against a background of gritty, hard-driving sailors and square-rigged ships, The Last Voyage of the Scotian is the story of two young people determined to survive in a harsh world. The book is illustrated with photos showing the glories and hardships of the great age of sail.
This is the second book in the Bains series of historical novels, well-researched, action-filled narratives following the travels of one family across Canada--from Newfoundland to Alberta-- in search of a better life during the hard times of the 1870s.
They've seen hard times and know hard work--Canada in the early 1870s is suffering a major Depression, and Meg and John have just finished a long, cold winter working in a lumber camp. But this ship is worse than anything they've seen: her captain is a tyrant, deeply in debt, and he drives the ship to reckless extremes. Meg and John's only consolation comes from their shipmates, who teach them the seamanship skills they need to survive.
From Jamaica they cross to Liverpool with a load of sugar-cane and survive a near-mutiny. On the return trip to Halifax, the leaking derelict is outfitted to carry 350 poor migrants to the New World. It uncertain whether any of them--the Bains included--will complete the horrific passage alive.
Set against a background of gritty, hard-driving sailors and square-rigged ships, The Last Voyage of the Scotian is the story of two young people determined to survive in a harsh world. The book is illustrated with photos showing the glories and hardships of the great age of sail.
This is the second book in the Bains series of historical novels, well-researched, action-filled narratives following the travels of one family across Canada--from Newfoundland to Alberta-- in search of a better life during the hard times of the 1870s.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author:
BILL FREEMAN is an award-winning historian, novelist, and screenwriter. Among his previous publications are Far from Home: Canadians in the First World War, which he co-authored with Richard Nielsen; A Magical Place: Toronto Island and Its People, winner of a Certificate of Commendation from Heritage Toronto in 2000; Casa Loma: Toronto's Fairy-Tale Castle and Its Owner Sir Henry Pellatt, which received the Heritage Toronto Award of Merit in 1999; Their Town: The Mafia, the Media and the Party Machine, a study of political power in Hamilton co-authored with Marsha Hewitt; and 1005: Political Life in a Union Local. Bill Freeman is also a popular children's author who has won the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award for "a body of work" and a Canada Council Award for Juvenile Literature.
Review:
"Freeman has succeeded in balancing a suspenseful plot with a sensitive play of characters." (Books in Canada)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherLorimer
- Publication date1998
- ISBN 10 1550286447
- ISBN 13 9781550286441
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages222
- Rating
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