Official Review: The seed of rosewood by Massimo Rozzoni

Brendan Donaghy · Post by **Brendan Donaghy** » 19 Nov 2020, 06:08

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The seed of rosewood" by Massimo Rozzoni.]

3 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

The Seed of Rosewood, by Massimo Rozzoni, is a novel set in the 18th century. It tells the story of Patrick Douglas, a 15-year-old boy living in a small village on the Scottish coast. In the year 1715, the village is raided by pirates. Patrick is kidnapped and taken aboard the pirates’ vessel as a replacement for a young crew member killed in the raid. Thus begins a long and perilous odyssey for the Scottish teenager. The pirates are headed for Providence Island in the Bahamas in search of booty and notoriety. Will Patrick survive at the hands of his captors? Will he find a way to return to his remote Scottish homeland?

The story is told from Patrick’s point of view. It is a tale with many twists and turns, as Patrick’s prospects rise and fall at various points in his journey. He meets with dozens of interesting characters, some heroic and some villainous. The themes of love, friendship, loyalty, and courage are explored through his encounters with these characters. In the process, the story shines a light on events and people of that period. In particular, there are some well-researched details on piracy and seafaring; the author is strong on the ships and battle tactics deployed by pirate captains and the captains of Royal Navy vessels.

This historical element is the part of the book that I enjoyed most. We are given accounts of the deeds of infamous pirates. Captain Kidd gets a mention, as does Blackbeard. We read details of the atrocities carried out by Spanish conquistadors against indigenous people in the New World and of the revenge wreaked upon the Spanish by Monbars the Exterminator. Other real-life people of that time who appear in the book include the Lord Chancellor, Sir William Cowper, and Admiral of the Fleet Edward Russell, the first Earl of Orford. The author blends fact and fiction in a way that adds to the credibility of the story.

There were other aspects of the book that I wasn’t so keen on. There are many examples in the text of words with gaps between individual letters. For example, at location 1429: ‘The Azores are a group of six islands o f great importan ce…’ There is no reason for the break between letters in either ‘of’ or ‘importance’ in that sentence. I also think that the author’s decision to do without footnotes and, instead, to insert explanatory notes within the text was a mistake. I found these to be intrusive. They interrupt the flow of the narrative and prevent the reader from being wholly immersed in the fiction. Overall, the book could do with another round of editing as it contains quite a few errors and inconsistencies.

I am awarding this book 3 out of 4 stars, deducting one star for the number of errors I found. Adults who enjoy novels filled with swashbuckling action and adventure may enjoy this one. The book is unsuitable for children, as it contains many accounts of rape, murder, and bloody violence, together with a handful of profanities. Readers should also be warned that the N-word is used twice in dialogue sequences, while the narrator uses the term ‘coloured’ (British spelling) on several occasions to describe other characters.
** This book has been further edited, and the errors have been corrected since this review was published**

******
The seed of rosewood
View: on Bookshelves

Rayah Raouf · Post by **Rayah Raouf** » 08 Feb 2021, 06:37

Thank you for the review!
I haven't heard much about pirate books, so this seems quite interesting. It is unfortunate about the editing errors and the explanatory notes are within the text. The story sounds different from what I usually read, I will be sure to add this to my TBR.

Brendan Donaghy · Post by **Brendan Donaghy** » 08 Feb 2021, 09:23

RayRuff wrote: ↑08 Feb 2021, 06:37 Thank you for the review!
I haven't heard much about pirate books, so this seems quite interesting. It is unfortunate about the editing errors and the explanatory notes are within the text. The story sounds different from what I usually read, I will be sure to add this to my TBR.

Thanks for your comments!

Gbemisola Akinremi · Post by **Gbemisola Akinremi** » 08 Feb 2021, 12:16

I'm not familiar with pirate stories but this sounds like something I may find interesting. If there's anything that would want me to read this book, it is because I'm keen to follow the Patrick character in the book. This is a wonderful review, thank you.

Joy Phill · Post by **Joy Phill** » 08 Feb 2021, 17:09

I would expect that a book about pirates would include profanities. I'll pass on this though. Thanks for an informative review.

Pluma · Post by **Pluma** » 08 Feb 2021, 22:37

This sounds like an exciting read; I’ve always been interested in this particular period in history, especially the seafaring element, and I like how the author included historical detail in the story, so I might give this book a go. Thanks for the informative review!

Hazel Arnaiz · Post by **Hazel Arnaiz** » 11 Feb 2021, 04:14

I like your comment about using footnotes instead of inserting the references in the text and how they affect the reading experience. Thanks for the insights.