Title: The Stargazer of Nantucket
Author: Julie Gerstenblatt
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Massachusetts, 1851
Winifred Starbuck wants only one to join her parents on their final merchant voyage—from Nantucket Island to bustling San Francisco, then across the glittering Pacific to the distant ports of China. Yet renowned trade captains Nell and Peter Starbuck have forbidden their daughter from coming aboard on the adventure of a lifetime. So Winnie does what any strong-willed eighteen-year-old would, she stows away.
Once the ship sets sail, Winnie is plunged into turbulent waters, treachery, and the thrill of life on the high seas. As she drifts farther from shore, and closer to fabled Canton port, she uncovers a long-buried secret—one that reveals the truth behind her parents’ desperate fear. And as she continues to chart her own course, she’ll have to plumb the depths of her courage to take on a world far bigger—and more dangerous—than she ever imagined.
This wasn’t a bad read, but I found it a bit unrealistic. I just can’t imagine Winnie’s parents not only being okay with her mixing in with the crew on the ship, but actively supporting her working shifts and doing everything the crew does. No, sorry, not buying it. That’s probably why I didn’t like this more, because that was so far-fetched, the rest of it didn’t really matter.
Julie Gerstenblatt lives in Rhode Island. The Stargazer of Nantucket is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 