Review of Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner
Falkner presents us with a high adventure of swashbuckling fun with mystery thrown in. John Trenchard, a young orphan, has spent his life growing up under the watchful eye of his Aunt Jane in a small village in Dorset. The local church graveyard is said to be haunted by the ghost of Colonel John Mohune, whose is said to have hidden a great cursed treasure (pirate booty). A spat with his Aunt sends John venturing out into the night to sit at his favorite spot overlooking the sea.
What he finds that night is a secret passage leading under the church that is being used by rum smugglers. Forced to take cover and hid in this passage he becomes trapped. John's fortunate to have been discovered by Elzevir Block, a local villager that has recently lost a son about John's age and he nurses him back to health instead of turning him out to be strung-up for stumbling upon the business venture under the church.
John, not happy with his life under Aunt Jane's care is happy to be under Elzevir's roof and soon falls into running with the gang of smuggler. As things usually go for smugglers, Elzevir and John are forced to flee and lay low. John still has hopes of finding the lost treasure, curse or not, and thinks he has figured out the secret to its location.
Has John discovered the secret, can they stay one-step ahead of the authorities and live happily ever after?
This was one of my Top Ten picks for 2013.
[Notice: Original posting 2014-01-01 at Plethora of Books Blog: http://bookchallenges.weebly.com]
Tags: Adventure, Top Ten by Year, 2013
Falkner presents us with a high adventure of swashbuckling fun with mystery thrown in. John Trenchard, a young orphan, has spent his life growing up under the watchful eye of his Aunt Jane in a small village in Dorset. The local church graveyard is said to be haunted by the ghost of Colonel John Mohune, whose is said to have hidden a great cursed treasure (pirate booty). A spat with his Aunt sends John venturing out into the night to sit at his favorite spot overlooking the sea.
What he finds that night is a secret passage leading under the church that is being used by rum smugglers. Forced to take cover and hid in this passage he becomes trapped. John's fortunate to have been discovered by Elzevir Block, a local villager that has recently lost a son about John's age and he nurses him back to health instead of turning him out to be strung-up for stumbling upon the business venture under the church.
John, not happy with his life under Aunt Jane's care is happy to be under Elzevir's roof and soon falls into running with the gang of smuggler. As things usually go for smugglers, Elzevir and John are forced to flee and lay low. John still has hopes of finding the lost treasure, curse or not, and thinks he has figured out the secret to its location.
Has John discovered the secret, can they stay one-step ahead of the authorities and live happily ever after?
This was one of my Top Ten picks for 2013.
[Notice: Original posting 2014-01-01 at Plethora of Books Blog: http://bookchallenges.weebly.com]
Tags: Adventure, Top Ten by Year, 2013