I was never one for books set in the distant past, but this book was fantastic! Students would love this book for the adventure, mystery, and discoveries within the ages of this book.

I am one who enjoys reading books about books. Books with lists of recommended books, books about forgotten classics, with suggestions of rich and meaty literature. And in my twenty years of reading books, blogs, and internet articles about books, I had never once come across the book Moonfleet by J. Meade Falkner. So I was quite shocked when I selected this from NetGalley and discovered it had been written in 1898. Where have I been?!?

I looked at reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and noticed a recurring theme of adults who had read and loved this story as a child. Many compared it to Treasure Island. Having read Treasure Island, I have to say that Moonfleet is a slightly less rugged tale of smuggling and high adventure--so a great introduction to the adventure genre for younger audiences. It's less violent and not quite as lengthy. The prose, however, is just as marvelous. Reading a chapter of Moonfleet, one feels as though they have just savored a meal at a fine restaurant. For this reason, I highly recommend this as a family read aloud. The adventure will hold a child's attention and the auditory sampling of a well-written book will be worth the investment in time.

Falkner weaves a masterful tale of an orphan boy, raised by an aunt who held an abundance of rules and a meagre supply of adventure. His boyhood is filled with tales of ghostly apparitions, and smugglers who have buried treasure. Readers will encounter underground crypts, crusty characters (with a surprisingly gentle side), prisoners at sea, a romantic interest, and lessons learned through crime and punishment. All in all, it was a thoroughly delightful read and one well worth reprinting for a new generation to enjoy!

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Moonfleet from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

Classic coming of age story

Moonfleet is a classic coming of age story that spans John Trenchard’s life from childhood through adulthood. John is being raised by a cold and critical aunt, while he loves to wander at night dreaming of treasure and contraband runners. When he sneaks out one night to explore a cave-in and passageway under the local graveyard that he has discovered, he doesn’t know that it will change his life forever. Not only does his aunt kick him out of her house for being out at night, but he’s taken in by Elzevir Block, a kind innkeeper who mourns his murdered boy. John find himself loved as a son by this warm-hearted man, but also pulled into a world rife with smuggling and its consequences. When a hateful magistrate schemes to force Elzevir out of his inn, it begins a cascade of events that has Elzevir and John running for their lives. Little does John know that even as they flee, he holds the key to Blackbeard’s treasure and wealth beyond his imagining. Circumstances will align for him to solve the code and discover where Blackbeard hid a fabulous diamond. Will the evil of the treasure follow them and ruin all their hopes?

Moonfleet is a tale that will capture the imagination of children who enjoy stories such as Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, and Swiss Family Robinson. It’s a harsh tale with a lot of darkness, but a lot of life lessons, and in the end, there is hope for a good life. It’s written in more formal English, given that it is an older story. That said, the vocabulary is not horrendously difficult, but some words will have young readers checking their dictionary. Here is a short passage that demonstrates the style of writing at its more convoluted (it’s not always as this complex):

“Oh, fool me not!” I cried out, chafing at his excuses. “I am not wandering now. ‘Twas Elzevir that saved me in the surf last night. ‘Twas he that landed with me.”

There was a look of sad amaze that came on Ratsey’s face when I said that; a look that woke in me an awful surmise. “What!” cried he. “Was that Master Elzevir that dragged thee through the surf?”

A classic tale of pirates, greed, and consequences in a harsher time. Recommended for those that love historical novels, tales of pirate treasure, and coming of age stories.

I received this book as a digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the publisher through NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Moonfleet reminded me of my days as a young reader when I discovered Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charles Dickens. The language is rich and often complex, with beautiful imagery and dialog that weaves in and out of the narrative. The subject - smugglers, ghosts, and a plucky orphan who holds his own against all odds - is one that will appeal to upper middle to high school readers. Recommended.

Moonfleet is a classic and a book that enthralled me as a child. It's lovely to see that it hasn't been forgotten and is being re-released for another generation to enjoy. A really special book.

Confession time – this was a re-read. Moonfleet was my absolute favourite book when I was nine years old and remained a favourite up until I was required to study it in an English class when I was 13. Even after that, I still remembered it fondly so the opportunity to read it as an adult was a special thrill. This is one of those quintessential boy’s own adventure stories.



John, the young protagonist, chafes at his restricted and dull life under the care of his strict and Calvinistic aunt. His natural curiosity leads him into and out of danger, and finally into the company of smugglers. His aunt abdicates responsibility for him after he (in her view) is wayward one time too many and he finds himself taken in by the stoic and rather frightening Elzevier Block, who runs the local pub – the Muhune Arms. Elzevier himself is part of the local smuggling ring and years before lost his teenaged son – 15 yr old David was shot by one of the excisemen in a particularly spiteful attack.



Here’s a wee bit of background. During 18th C, there was a lot of political unrest about who should be sitting on the throne and who should be running parliament. The Hanovers had come to power and many people didn’t want Britain ruled by a German cousin. In parliament there was jostling for position between the Whigs and the Tories. And then add a religious overlay because despite several centuries passing since Henry VIII had established the Church of England, the Catholics and the Protestants were still at odds. There were lots of expensive wars happening in Europe too. Parliament hit upon the brilliant strategy to tax every day imports like tea, coffee, sugar, spirits etc to help fund these wars. The general populace couldn’t hope to pay such heavy duties on items which had for some time supplemented a rather frugal diet, and the poor and working classes were going hungry. It would be sophistry not to add at this point that many more wealthy and privileged folk were also not willing to pay ridiculous taxes on the goods they wanted. And thus smuggling became a very lucrative enterprise. Parliament was not happy to see all those lovely taxes failing to come in because people were getting their goods on the black market, supplied by smugglers. Efforts were made to stop this giving rise to the Excise – what we call today Customs – and the coast guard, who back then had little to do with aiding ships foundering in the treacherous waters off the south coast of Britain and everything to do with spotting, reporting and intercepting smugglers.



If it sounds like I’m sympathetic to the smugglers, it’s because I am. They weren’t heroes. They weren’t Robin Hoods of the sea. And in many instances – especially during the 17th C – they ensured silence about their operations through force and coercion, even violence, rather than the later bribery that was to prove more effective. And yet I am still on the side of the smugglers. They probably created as many problems as they solved, but for a while there they also levelled the playing field for the less affluent.





Anyway, back to Moonfleet. I’m a Dorset born lass so I know the area well. The town’s basic structure and the surrounding countryside has changed comparatively little over the last couple of centuries and the book evokes the area perfectly. Well worth a visit if you’re in the vicinity. The story itself is pretty straight forward. It is, as I said, an adventure story in the classic mould. I found that rather like visiting your primary school when you’ve grown up, it was smaller than I remembered. And yet it was aslo like visiting family you haven’t seen for years. It was good to be back with Ratsy and the parson. The former far less reliable and more mercurial than I remembered, the latter less pitiable. Elzevier too seemed far less forbidding than he had to me as a child – his on-going grief for his son and the comfort he finds in caring for John, plus his ultimate self sacrifice for him born of those very motivations, was something I understood better as an adult and appreciated in a different way. I remember as a child marvelling at his heroism and feeling it was something few could aspire too without understanding the love that motivated it. In that respect it was more moving to read it as an adult. I suppose if I had a twinge of disappointment it was in John himself. As a child, I thought him the perfect protagonist and saw his recklessness as adventurous and necessary. As an adult I found him quite irritating. I suppose my sympathies transferred to Elzevier and Grace and that the process was natural since I hadn’t read the book in 25 yrs!



And despite all that, this is still a favourite. I didn’t realise until I reread it how much it influenced my own writing, both in terms of putting a story together and exploring themes such as love and sacrifice. And in terms of the importance of setting, atmosphere and tension too – especially the spooky bits! It really is a classic. Highly recommended for both inquisitive children who like adventure and ghost stories, and adults as well.