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The Night Ship

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About this listen

A BBC Two Between the Covers book club pick 1629.

Embarking on a journey in search of her father, a young girl called Mayken boards the Batavia, the most impressive sea vessel of the age. During the long voyage, this curious and resourceful child must find her place in the ship's busy world, and she soon uncovers shadowy secrets above and below deck. As tensions spiral, the fate of the ship and all on board becomes increasingly uncertain.

1989. Gil, a boy mourning the death of his mother, is placed in the care of his irritable and reclusive grandfather. Their home is a shack on a tiny fishing island off the Australian coast, notable only for its reefs and wrecked boats. This is no place for a teenager struggling with a dark past and Gil's actions soon get him noticed by the wrong people.

The Night Ship is an enthralling tale of human cruelty, fate and friendship, and of two children, hundreds of years apart, whose fates are inextricably bound together.

©2022 Jess Kidd (P)2022 Canongate Books Friendship Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Fiction Scary

Critic reviews

Weaves a spell around the reader, transporting them across centuries, between a doomed ship and a dying island. The result is a true work of magic, and one that will haunt me for years (V.E. SCHWAB, internationally bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue)
Jess Kidd's stories are so magical, she should be a genre all to herself (JOANNA CANNON)
A masterclass in storytelling (KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE)
All stars
Most relevant
I felt the book was a little bit rambly. The idea of the story was great and it’s based on a real shipwreck, just think the story could’ve been more engaging.

Could have been better

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I’ve enjoyed all of Jess Kidd’s previous books & this story did not disappoint. It is poignant & historically very interesting.

Another wonderful story by Jess Kidd

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An historic drama that I just didn’t gel with. I kept waiting for something to happen but sadly a disappointing read to me.

Historic

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I was excited to see there would be a new Jess Kid novel but this one didn’t work for me I’m afraid. Firstly I’ve never enjoyed reading in the present tense and secondly an adults novel from young children’s perspectives was not for me. Some of the dialogue is kids talk and I found it boring. I really don’t want to criticise because I absolutely loved the three Jess Kid novels so far and pre ordered this one but I’ve got half way and can’t carry on. I have no doubt many people will love it but it feels like a story for primary school age but with some themes not suitable for them. Confusing

Sadly not for me

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This is a really entertaining, fictional account of the sailing and subsequent shipwreck of the Batavia, a very real flagship of the Dutch East India Company, as seen through the eyes of a young, female passenger, travelling to her Father who she has never met. In parallel, and in nicely counterpoised chapters, is the story of Gill, himself grieving over the loss of his Mother, and the relationships he develops with the inhabitants of a small fishing island, that seems to have strong links to the shipwreck of the Batavia.

A wonderfully crafted story well read in two distinctive narrative styles reflecting the characters of our young protagonists.

Bringing 17th Century History to Life

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