Review of Shanghai'd
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Timsy Wendy O
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Review of Shanghai'd
[Following is a volunteer review of "Shanghai'd" by Curtis Stephen Burdick.]
"Shanghai'd: The Adventures Begin" presents a whirlwind journey, one that swept me away with tales of gold and perilous seas. Curtis Stephen Burdick crafts a narrative about Joshua Cabot, a man seemingly destined for a life of academia until fate, or perhaps a particularly potent drink, lands him shanghaied and bound for the Far East. It’s a tale of transformation, one that begs the question: Can a man truly escape his origins when thrust into a world of such brutal, historical, and deadly events? I immediately knew I was in for more than just an adventure but a complex character study of what lies at the heart of a man, what truly makes him get out of bed and what things would end up tearing it all down, piece by piece.
The character of Joshua Cabot offers a rich source of discussion for any book club. It made me think about how his Harvard education, initially a source of pride and potential, becomes almost irrelevant, I think, in the face of the raw, practical demands of survival on a sailing ship. It's remarkable how the challenges of being shanghaied strip away his former identity and force him to embrace a new reality. It had me thinking, what other aspects of his early life would or would not come in handy.
I think it’s interesting to see how each new event forced him to pick up new skills to help him on his journey. I’m also not really certain that all of this was even all too much, the book also doesn't delve into the role of trauma and it feels rather too forced to put it in, the loss of a future, and maybe the trauma of his past. However I wonder if this is even all for naught. What does he actually gain with each part of his new life? Was it something worth the cost? The book is certainly meant to have a large overarching tone of survival. Maybe what is meant to be conveyed is that as long as one keeps moving and adapting and learning to connect with people, in what seems at first to be a dire situation can actually be survived.
What stood out the most for me was the novel's immersive historical setting. I particularly appreciated the detailed descriptions of both Gold Rush-era California and 19th-century maritime life. Burdick clearly did his research, and it paid off in making me feel transported to those times. I was fascinated by the way people spoke, what they ate, what they wore, and how they went about their daily lives. For me, this level of historical accuracy added depth and authenticity to the story.
That all said, there were times when the novel felt like a history lesson rather than a page-turning adventure. The lengthy descriptions of trade routes, ship construction, and assaying processes, while informative, often interrupted the flow of the narrative and caused me to lose momentum. What if this lost momentum had instead been used for the characters. What if they hadn't been just tools to set up a scene but fully fledged friends with their own wants and needs? What effect would that then have on what was to happen to Joshua? It felt as though all the research done for the book had to be dumped in, all at once. As such, I’m giving "Shanghai'd: The Adventures Begin" a solid 4/5 stars. The narrative’s core had a great story with incredible opportunity, though it fell short of excellence due to a tendency to prioritize historical exposition over tight storytelling.
******
Shanghai'd
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
"Shanghai'd: The Adventures Begin" presents a whirlwind journey, one that swept me away with tales of gold and perilous seas. Curtis Stephen Burdick crafts a narrative about Joshua Cabot, a man seemingly destined for a life of academia until fate, or perhaps a particularly potent drink, lands him shanghaied and bound for the Far East. It’s a tale of transformation, one that begs the question: Can a man truly escape his origins when thrust into a world of such brutal, historical, and deadly events? I immediately knew I was in for more than just an adventure but a complex character study of what lies at the heart of a man, what truly makes him get out of bed and what things would end up tearing it all down, piece by piece.
The character of Joshua Cabot offers a rich source of discussion for any book club. It made me think about how his Harvard education, initially a source of pride and potential, becomes almost irrelevant, I think, in the face of the raw, practical demands of survival on a sailing ship. It's remarkable how the challenges of being shanghaied strip away his former identity and force him to embrace a new reality. It had me thinking, what other aspects of his early life would or would not come in handy.
I think it’s interesting to see how each new event forced him to pick up new skills to help him on his journey. I’m also not really certain that all of this was even all too much, the book also doesn't delve into the role of trauma and it feels rather too forced to put it in, the loss of a future, and maybe the trauma of his past. However I wonder if this is even all for naught. What does he actually gain with each part of his new life? Was it something worth the cost? The book is certainly meant to have a large overarching tone of survival. Maybe what is meant to be conveyed is that as long as one keeps moving and adapting and learning to connect with people, in what seems at first to be a dire situation can actually be survived.
What stood out the most for me was the novel's immersive historical setting. I particularly appreciated the detailed descriptions of both Gold Rush-era California and 19th-century maritime life. Burdick clearly did his research, and it paid off in making me feel transported to those times. I was fascinated by the way people spoke, what they ate, what they wore, and how they went about their daily lives. For me, this level of historical accuracy added depth and authenticity to the story.
That all said, there were times when the novel felt like a history lesson rather than a page-turning adventure. The lengthy descriptions of trade routes, ship construction, and assaying processes, while informative, often interrupted the flow of the narrative and caused me to lose momentum. What if this lost momentum had instead been used for the characters. What if they hadn't been just tools to set up a scene but fully fledged friends with their own wants and needs? What effect would that then have on what was to happen to Joshua? It felt as though all the research done for the book had to be dumped in, all at once. As such, I’m giving "Shanghai'd: The Adventures Begin" a solid 4/5 stars. The narrative’s core had a great story with incredible opportunity, though it fell short of excellence due to a tendency to prioritize historical exposition over tight storytelling.
******
Shanghai'd
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
