4 STARS

ITS OKAY TO MOVE ON. That is the moral of the story. You can yearn something so much that when you get back you realize that isn’t what you need anymore.

Thank you NETGALLEY for this book in exchange for a honest review.


I have very mixed feelings about the book. I feel like I understand the message. The book is very well researched. Using correct terminology and timelines. It’s not too fast pasted nor too slow.

What I loved about this book is that it explored different ways of found family. You can have a family by love, by survival, and by understanding. We watched Eamon get ripped away from his wife and kids. We then watched him find a family on a British ship he was forced to work on. We then watched him find family on the Víola. I think it showed very different dynamics that were importantly to distinguish.

This book was just ok to me. The reviews were great and i had high hopes but it took a while to finish.

Shanghaied by Jon Howe

Reminiscent of a book written by C.S. Forester that my father loaned me to read over half a century ago, this was an interesting book that brought back the memory of my father and his love of reading and his diverse genres enjoyed.

What I liked:
* That I was immediately immersed in the story and invested in the story
* The historical and nautical facts that were sprinkled throughout
* Traveling with Eamon on the ships and the seeing the world through his perspective
* The way the past was presented in all of its gritty at times rather dark detail
* The love Eamon had for his family, his desire to return to them, and what he did to maintain his focus throughout the time he was away from them
* Thinking about what it must have been like to be on a ship with sails and no motor to help or any other modern conveniences and communication devices
* That it felt real and still pertinent to life today
* The way communities on ships and on shore were presented
* That there was no sugarcoating or romanticizing of what it must have been like
* Knowing that *I* will never have to deal with being shanghaied but wondering if perhaps some still may be

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* The way control was maintained on most ships – through threats, harsh discipline, and fear
* Thinking about how much the world and society have changed in some ways but how it has not changed much at all in others.
* Thinking about how difficult it must have been for Eamon when he returned home and wonderful what his future held in store for him

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Koehler Books for the ARC – this is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

* spoiler alert ** This is a story about a man who was basically kidnapped and taken aboard a British ship. First person narration is not my favorite. It has a rather sad ending once he eventually gets back home. I enjoyed the globe drawings at the beginning of every chapter, giving a different perspective of the earth, based on where the ship was at that time. The glossary was very appreciated and a nice touch.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Shanghaied by Jon Howe is a gripping historical novel set in the early 19th century, centered around Eamon McGrath, a young man from New England who is forcibly taken from his hometown and thrust into the life of a sailor aboard the merchant ship Atalanta. The story begins with Eamon and two other men being drugged and kidnapped to replace the ship’s crew members who were lost to the British Navy, a brutal reality of the era. Through his harrowing journey across the globe—from the Solomon Islands to Hong Kong—Eamon faces brutal challenges, including beatings, storms, and shipwrecks, which test his resilience and ability to adapt. Initially consumed by bitterness and despair, Eamon gradually finds camaraderie among his fellow sailors and begins to appreciate the awe-inspiring beauty of the sea, leading to a profound transformation in his character. Jon Howe's meticulous attention to historical and nautical detail brings the early 1800s seafaring world to life, immersing readers in the stark realities of maritime life while exploring themes of identity, belonging, and perseverance. Shanghaied is not only a thrilling adventure but also a poignant exploration of the human spirit, offering a vivid portrayal of Eamon's journey from captivity to self-discovery and the eternal quest for home.

Thank you to NetGalley and #Koehler Books for this great ARC. Although, I love the time period, I'm not a big reader of books set on ships but I was so intrigued, I had to request it. What a story - I was hooked from the very beginning. I didn't know that men could be kidnapped and forced to work on ships without enough crew. Howe really captured the pain and hardship these men (and the anguish felt by their families) went through.

Loved this book so much. Jon Howe really knew how to put together these amazing characters and storyline. Super interesting this book. I rated this book 4 stars.

After a visit to a tavern following a day’s work in his print shop, Eamon McGrath awakens to a nightmare. He is no longer in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He is on a ship with no memory of how he got here. He must get back to his wife and children, but that is impossible. The ship is no longer at anchor; she’s far out to sea. He has been shanghaied!

Eamon is not the only one to be kidnapped. Sam Holbrook becomes a close friend, as well as the ship’s doctor since he tended to the animals back on his farm. Coop is the youngest at sixteen and easily adjusts to his new life. Jack is older and more accepting of his fate than the others. After all, this is not his first time being forced. The last man taken never awakens, so he will not endure any of the agony and pain that Eamon does. Shipboard life has its dangers and then there’s the first mate, a brutal taskmaster who quickly becomes an enemy. To survive, Eamon must adapt and accept his fate, for theirs is a journey that will take them round the Horn to Hong Kong.

Shanghaied is a gripping, emotional voyage that vividly recreates shipboard life and the dangers seamen faced in the second decade of the 19th century. It is a story of change, because no one escapes the life-altering reality of being kidnapped. Those left behind without a clue as to what happens to their loved ones must also come to terms with their new situations.

-- Cindy Vallar, Editor of Pirates and Privateers
Review found here: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Howe.html

Shanghaied by John Howe is about a printer who loves his wife Rebecca and his children in the one night he decides to go have a pint he gets kidnapped and shanghaied on the ship bound for Hong Kong. When he realizes this he is so deep in despair when the first mate comes to beat him into submission Eman attacks him and gives him a fairly good fight but almost loses his life in the process. When he comes to grips with this situation he resigned himself to the fact he is stuck on the ship but it’s certain he will return home. His duty on the ship is as a gang hand but also the ships purser so when they arrive in Hong Kong he is privy to the details of the captain selling the ship and is even treated to a find meal sleeps in a nice bed and was given a Cortisen he has even offered a job as the purser by the ships New owner and when he refuses his given an ultimatum that either he will work for him and have a pleasant trip or he will refuse and may not make it out on the water at all. Will Eman ever make it back home? This book was so good and although at first I thought they schemed over a lot of the happenings on the ship as I kept reading I realized it was due to time and by the end didn’t feel as if I missed out on anything this is a really great book but I absolutely loved and thoroughly enjoyed. If you love historical fiction with great detail to historical accuracy then you definitely need to read this book because not only is everything accurate on the ship when they’re in Japan the story seems just as authentic and just as entertaining. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Shanghaied by Jon Howe is a historical novel following Eamon, an American man who is kidnapped and forced to serve on the ship the Atalanta as it travels around the world. Eamon has no desire to stay on the ship but as it gets further and further from his home and his family, he has to find new ways to survive and use his skills as a printer to remain useful.

I liked the attention to detail when it came to life on a ship. The different positions and jobs plus the names for the parts and pieces of the ship show knowledge on the part of the author, adding a layer of authenticity to the work. The emotional moments through the letters between Eamon and his wife added depth to their relationship and the ticking clock the two face (if Eamon doesn’t come back, his wife could be pressured into marriage or giving up their printing business in order to continue providing for their children).

I was only somewhat aware of the practice of kidnapping men to serve as sailors, so this work gave me some places to start to continue my own research on the topic. Several points are made to discuss how this example of early capitalism impacted everyone, from Chinese women forced into prostitution to men like Eamon to mentions of the enslavement of African people and the Opium War

Content warning for depictions of period typical racism, particularly in relation to Chinese people, Tahitian women, and Black men as well as mentions of physical assault of a Chinese woman.

I would recommend this to readers looking for historical works centering around kidnapped men working on cargo ships.

Oh my goodness, this was a fantastic story. I've read about people getting pressed into service but hadn't thought that much about how that would feel. Excellent story.

The lives of three Marblehead, Massachusetts men turned on a dime when they stopped at a pub one night. Drugged and shanghaied, they awakened in the hold of a merchant ship at sea. Eamon McGrath was a printer, Sam Holbrook, a farmer, and Coop, an apprentice cooper. When merchant ships in the early 1800s lost crew to the British Navy, replacements were often kidnapped. For the trio, each day would be a fight to get their bearings. Seafaring language was new to Eamon, Sam and Coop. They must master new daily challenges. Orders must be followed. Brute force was used, if necessary, to keep the crew in line as the trade ship sailed to Hong Kong.

Eamon was grief stricken. His outcry earned him a severe beating. "His body pain is welcome compared to the agony his heart cannot escape." His experience as a printer would help Captain Rolinson with basic bookkeeping and manifest entries.

"A farmer's experience is bizarre at sea," however, Sam helped Cook with the livestock, even earning the moniker of "Doc" when curing the ills of the wayfarers.

Coop hoped to eventually inherit his father's trade. Now, his love of adventure kicked in. He had already climbed to the top of the rigging.

"A captain without a command is a lost soul, and there are many ways to lose one's ship. Beyond storms and reefs, mutineers and pirates, there is the business of running a ship...Of all the variables he deals with...other than weather, his crew's mood bears the most on the ship's profitability." The Atalanta had been sold to a Hong Kong company and was en route to East Asia. "Where the crew's weaknesses reveal themselves is near the equator...in the heat and calm of the doldrums...The crew is forever up and down the rigging chasing the least patch of wind."

Upon the rigging, "something profound within him shifts...the moment he beholds the beauty before him, his grip on the betrayal he suffers loosens...he hates that Atalanta carries him farther from home. Away from love. Away from hope. He is new to hatred so fierce...but...Atop the mast, what rushes in is beauty...He no longer knows where he belongs...with each breath, air feels new...So, it is not the brutality on deck that breaks Eamon, breaks him open and compels him onward. It is beauty that breaks him."

As a land lubber, this reader was fascinated by the world of merchant vessels and seafaring in the early 1800s. Storms, shipwrecks and reefs, as experienced and addressed by the Atalanta's crew, were meticulously described. The in-depth glossary provided additional clarification for this read of nautical historical fiction. Highly recommended.

Thank you Koehler Books and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's 3.5 stars for me - this was such an interesting debut. I'm always intrigued by anything relating to sea-farers or piracy so this hit the spot. It wasn't perfect, but I feel like I learned a lot and that the plot was steadily paced throughout.

Thank you for letting me read this ARC.

What an incredible debut novel! Shanghaied is exactly about that title. This book by Jon Howe is an incredible look into how it was when a man went to a pub in Massachusetts in the early 1800's, expected to come home and poof! was kidnapped, wakes up on a strange sea faring vessel and is pressed unwittingly into serving that captain and ship. Harrowing! His family doesn't know what happened to him until they hear the gossip in town and or received that letter from somewhere in the world that took months to travel to its recipient!! I loved this book, and I am (being a land lubber) ever grateful for the glossary in the back of the book. I certainly learned new terminology. This is a terrific book, a great story that sent my emotions all over the place, and eloquently written. Bravo to Mr. Howe!

Shanghaied starts with Eamon McGrath in a dire situation, forced onto a ship away from his family. What follows is adventure, peril, and majestic seafaring. I became immersed in the world of early 19th century seafaring, and enjoyed the character arch of Eamon overcoming his bitterness to find acceptance and resilience at sea. Some of the language didn't ring true to the period, but fans of Master and Commander or other seafaring stories should find this a fun read.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Lots of action and adventure on the high seas. Good read.

3.75☆

A good action-packed novel regarding one man's efforts to get back home. The story was full of action and the story held your interest. Overall, a good read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.