Is it a Cookbook? Is it a Fictional Novel? Actually, it’s both. The only thing longwinded about this book is its title. The Author, Linda Lamp, takes us on one man's sailing adventures through his personal journals written during the Golden Age of Piracy.
The foreword eases us seamlessly into the journals themselves. The narrator is a descendent of the young man who ventures from the safety of England to sail into the Caribbean in search of employment, adventure and riches. The perspective is fresh – our main character is not a Captain or ordinary sailor, he is not the typical “hero” one would expect – he is the ship’s cook. With a nod and a wink acknowledging that the ship’s galley is more 21st century in form and provisioning than an 18th century galley could ever be, we are nonetheless happily swept into the past through new eyes.
We find the cook sailing for the first time, trying to negotiate the ship as well as learning to navigate the rules inspired by the ingrained superstitions of sailors from around the globe. He is terrified by the stories of sea monsters and fascinated by the stories told by his shipmates of their homelands. He is charmed and annoyed by the “powder monkeys” – children who served the cannoneers during battle. Storms and battles need to be dealt with, for as the ship’s cook he is also charged with the responsibilities of ship’s physician.
A well researched novel, historically accurate and fast paced. An amusing book which ties regional recipes with the islands from which they came coupled with stories, legends and recipes gathered from his shipmates during the long nights at sea.
The recipes are varied and many will bring back memories of your grandmother’s cooking – whether she was from England, France, Ireland, the Caribbean, Scotland, Italy or Poland (among others), Mrs. Lamp has compiled an impressive array of culinary delights. The recipes are authentic, the instructions as easy to follow as if she were there in the kitchen with you.
The surprise, however, are the journal entries themselves. Believable is the word that comes to mind, she captures the wonder of someone seeing the pink sands and foliage of Bermuda for the first time as well as the realities of life aboard ship. This is a book that many have found difficult to put down once they’ve begun reading.
We are left hanging at the end of this book as the narrator once again takes over. There is to be a second book, which promises to answer a very compelling question. No, we won’t spoil it here, you’ll have to read it yourself!
Mrs. Lamp promises two to three more books in this compelling series, she says that our cook's story needs to be told fully. She promises, too, a product line in the near future based on Books II and III.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
First-time author, Linda Lamp, has embarked on the journey of entertaining readers of all ages with the first in a series that promises to enthrall all who enter into this tantalizing sailing adventure. Linda's passions in life include cooking, catering, traveling in the Caribbean and Central America, stained glass artistry, and volunteering. She and her husband are involved with the ASPCA, in which 20% of net proceeds from sales of her first book will be donated to the ASPCA Ambassadors program to benefit homeless and abused animals.
Linda resides in Florida with her husband, Doug, and their big, black disaster of a dog, Phoebe.
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