I was very excited to read this novel, as I love historical fiction that also incorporates real events. The Night Ship is a dual time frame book which follows the lives of two children. Back in 1628 we have Mayken, who is embarking on a journey half way around the world in the Batavia. In 1989 we have Gil, who has gone to live with his grandfather on the remote islands where Batavia sank many years before.
This novel was a tale of two halves for me though.
I confess that I really struggled with the first half - I couldn't really see where the book was going and there felt like an awful lot of details but without the storyline really going anywhere. It almost got to the point where I wondered if it was worth carrying on. There is no doubt that it is beautifully written but I was failing to see the point.
The second half was a different story, particularly with the modern story. As I learnt more about Gil and his back story I felt far more invested. There were several moments where the two stories felt more intertwined and this added to a greater feeling of cohesion between the two strands of the story.
Based upon the second half of the book this would have been a 4 star read but it just too long to get going for me.
This novel was a tale of two halves for me though.
I confess that I really struggled with the first half - I couldn't really see where the book was going and there felt like an awful lot of details but without the storyline really going anywhere. It almost got to the point where I wondered if it was worth carrying on. There is no doubt that it is beautifully written but I was failing to see the point.
The second half was a different story, particularly with the modern story. As I learnt more about Gil and his back story I felt far more invested. There were several moments where the two stories felt more intertwined and this added to a greater feeling of cohesion between the two strands of the story.
Based upon the second half of the book this would have been a 4 star read but it just too long to get going for me.