The Wreck of the Zanzibar

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I enjoyed reading this short book about the life of Laura, a girl living on a desolate island in the early 20th century. The hardship on the island deepens when a storm rips off roofs, smashes houses and drowns the few cows on which the islanders are dependent for their milk. Hope disappears. Even Laura's parents are estranged from each other because of Billy's departure. Another lovely read from the fantastic Michael Morpurgo. I didn't enjoy this book as much as some of his others (Kensuke's Kingdom, Billy the Kid), but it was a nice young person's fiction to whiz through in-between some larger reads. Lots of people may think that this book is too depressing for children so young but I felt reading it as a child I was able to relate to elements of the book, as they weren't to different from experience I was dealing with at the time. This book can be quiet dark and depressing at time but like in life if you continue to persevere and try your hardest things will get better. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License and the GFDL; additional terms may apply. See Terms of Use for details.

The Wreck of the Zanzibar by Michael Morpurgo book review The Wreck of the Zanzibar by Michael Morpurgo book review

First published in the U.K. in 1997, this novella, billed as a sequel to Morpurgo's War Horse, reads more like a tender epilogue. Albert, who joined the British Army during WWI at age 14 intent on Continue reading » Laura Perryman's family has always lived on Bryher. She lives with her twin brother, Billy, and her mother and father, and her Granny May. They have four milking cows, which is enough to keep the entire population of the island supplied with milk. Of course, almost evey family keeps a fishing boat. The sea feeds the people of Bryher. But can you imagine how it must feel to grow up in such a tiny community, working so hard and having so little? Billy, fourteen years old and bored with the unending milking routine, is feeling the strain. My only criticism of the book is that there is a little too much misery and sadness in the book which continues nearly till the end and can sometimes make the reading very depressing. However, the author keeps the characters very real and as a reader, I felt very involved in their lives. I would give it an 8/10 and would recommend it to those who enjoy realistic stories. The book has some other interesting parts relating to Laura - the great aunt of Micheal who has recently passed away and in her will, has left him a diary. I love diary related stories, such a great way of capturing a person in a most intense way, it's easy to write down one's feelings and be completely honest about all the emotions being poured out and etched on to the paper. A pitch-perfect delivery brightens this familiar-seeming tale about stories that come true. Visiting his relatives at their farm in Wales every summer, Michael looks forward to Gramps's storytelling, Continue reading »The truth is that once we weren't children anymore, we never did believe Grandpa's story, not really\x97as much as we might have wanted to.... We still loved listening to it, though. Christmas nights Continue reading » Like the acclaimed Number the Stars , this well-plotted novel features a young Gentile hero battling the Germans in their war against the Jews. As it opens, Jo is guarding the sheep when his dog Continue reading »

The Wreck of the Zanzibar - Michael Morpurgo - Google Books The Wreck of the Zanzibar - Michael Morpurgo - Google Books

Morpugo is such an atmospheric and prolific author, it feels mean to not enjoy his books, which is, perhaps, part of the problem I had with this. I always think I'll love the work, and then sometimes I simply don't. Perhaps with this it's because there really isn't much to tell in this story, and perhaps in itself, that is a good change to have. There's a lot to think about, for younger readers, and a lot of putting oneself in the central character's place - imagining a kind of desolation it's hard to conjure up in an increasingly globalised world. I thought the opening was lovely and the chapters are brief with the first person narrative flitting between Michael and Laura. Elements of the story reminded me of Why the Whales Came which I thought to be far better.Life on the island isn't easy, and this is repeatedly made clear throughout the book. The people of the island are constantly threatened by the forces of nature, wind and sea. Despite the title, this is no historical novel, and the eponymous 18th-century war does not enter into the fervid plot. The war here is of the type waged primarily in fiction: an all-out battle at a Continue reading »