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The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
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The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Cover for the novel
Author
Avi
Cover artist
Janet Walsh
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre
Historical fiction
Publisher
Orchard Books
Publication date
1990
Media type
Novel
Pages
226.
ISBN
0-531-05893-X
OCLC
21149467
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is a historical novel by the American author Avi published in 1990. The book is geared towards children at a reading level of grades 6–8.[1]
It takes place during the crossing of a ship from England to America in 1832. The book chronicles the evolution of the title character as she is pushed outside her naive existence and learns about life aboard a ship. The novel was well received and won several awards, including being named as a Newbery Honor book.
Contents
[hide]
1 Plot synopsis
2 Main characters
3 Reception
3.1 Awards
4 Film
5 References
Plot synopsis[edit]
The story starts in the early summer of 1832, as thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle prepares to take a big voyage from Liverpool, England to her family's new home in Providence, Rhode Island. Her upper class upbringing and her education gives her a very sheltered and narrow view of life. Charlotte finds herself the only passenger and the only female on the ship, the Seahawk. Repeatedly, people tell her she shouldn't be on the ship, but her escort, Mr. Grummage, insists Charlotte go.
On her first day aboard, a black sailor named Zachariah gives her a dirk for protection. He also warns Charlotte about Captain Jaggery which Charlotte does not believe. The captain and Charlotte become very close, and he says that if she ever sees anything suspicious, she must tell him.
After spotting a round-robin, a sign of mutiny, Charlotte warns Jaggery. Captain Jaggery heads off the rebellion. Charlotte is distressed when Captain Jaggery and 1st mate Mr. Hollybrass whipped Zachariah for 50 lashes. Charlotte tries to protect Zachariah by grabbing the whip, but accidentally hits the captain's face. Jaggery is enraged and whips Zachariah mercilessly, leading to his death and funeral.
After the captain has withdrawn his protection of Charlotte, she feels compelled to replace Zachariah as a crew member out of guilt. The crew allows her to join them after she successfully climbs up and down the tallest mast. Upon learning of Charlotte's plans, Captain Jaggery strikes Charlotte across the face, and she vows to reveal his cruelty to the courts after they complete their voyage.
As the Seahawk enters a powerful hurricane, Charlotte falls from the ratlines and is saved by a man whom she believes is Zachariah, despite his apparent death. After the storm, the crew finds First Mate Hollybrass, stabbed in the back, by the dirk Zachariah gave Charlotte. She is ordered to the brig, where she finds Zachariah, who has been hiding there since he was thrashed nearly to death. Captain Jaggery holds a trial and finds her guilty of Mr. Hollybrass' murder. As Charlotte has vowed to expose his cruelty when they land, he threatens to hang her unless she will align herself with him and become a respectable young woman again.
With Zachariah's help, Charlotte escapes the prison and plans to steal the captain's guns and usurp his title. Upon finding Jaggery he reveals that he had killed Hollybrass. He presents her with three choices, all of which she refuses, and flees Jaggery. The Captain attempts to kill her in front of the crew, but falls off the ship to his death. Zachariah leads the crew in naming Charlotte as captain, but she serves primarily as a figurehead for Zachariah due to her lack of experience. They land in Providence, Rhode Island, 12 hours later.
When the Seahawk arrives in Rhode Island, Charlotte returns to her old "proper" behavior and dress. She intends to hide what happened from her family, but her father reads her journal of the voyage. He is appalled, burns the diary, and tells Charlotte that she will be punished and reformed. Charlotte finally decides to escape from her home one night, and returns to the Seahawk to be a sailor with Zachariah and the crew.
Main characters[edit]
Charlotte Doyle – Charlotte is the thirteen-year-old upper-class girl with a proper education and proper manners. As such, she has grown accustomed to a refined style of living. Sheltered from the harsher sides of life, she has a narrow-minded view of things and places great value in propriety. She is returning to her family from a private girls' school in England. In the end, she decides to run away from home and become a true sailor, even though she is inexperienced.
Captain Jaggery – Captain Jaggery at first appears to Charlotte, the narrator, as a true gentleman, stylishly dressed and possessing elegant manners. He seems to be a man who she can trust and depend upon, even though he warns her that he will, at times, be compelled to treat the crew harshly. He later reveals himself as cruel and petty. He loses his temper easily and flies into violent rages. It turns out that he was charming to Charlotte only to make use of her, and is willing to kill anyone, such as Hollybrass, who threatens his position as captain.
Zachariah – Zachariah is the ship's cook who is cast in the role of the noble character. Early on, he offers Charlotte his friendship as well as a small knife for her protection. He cares for Charlotte during her first days of seasickness, and seems to be respected by the crew, although he is at times the butt of their jokes because he is the only black person on board. He tells Charlotte that he left his home in Africa as a teenager, and had been a sailor ever since. He has never lived in America and has never been a slave. At the end of the book, it becomes clear that he does not realize what his social status would be, even as a free man in Providence, Rhode Island.
Mr. Hollybrass – He was the first mate aboard the Seahawk. In the book, he tragically died in a hurricane with a knife in his back. Charlotte was wrongfully charged, tried, and was found guilty of the crime. [2]
Mr. Keetch – He was the second mate aboard the Seahawk. Charlotte had gotten the creeps from the nervous and fidgety Mr. Keetch. The second mutiny that was plotted by Charlotte and Zechariah included Mr. Keetch however, they did not know that Mr. Keetch and the Captain were working together all along. On Charlotte's first night on the ship, it was him who she heard talking to the captain while she was going to sleep.
Cranick – He stows away on the Seahawk in order to get revenge on Captain Jaggery for Captain beating off Cranick's arm on the previous voyage. The mutiny does no go in Cranick's favor as Captain Jaggery kills him, by shooting him in his chest, and then throws him overboard without any burial of any sort. [3]
Reception[edit]
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle received a positive critical reaction when it was published. In its starred review of the book, Kirkus Reviews called it "tautly plotted, vividly narrated, carefully researched: a thrilling tale deepened by its sober look at attitudes that may have been more exaggerated in the past but that still persist".[4] Cathryn Mercier in Five Owls review journal noted the "innovative mixture of history and fiction" and said the book was "expertly crafted and consistently involving, it is sure to excite, enthrall, and challenge readers."[5] Horn Book, giving it its highest rating of outstanding, said the book was "a rousing adventure story".[6] Barbara Elleman writing forBooklist contended it was not just an adventure story, saying the dynamic between Charlotte and Zachariah "allows the story to rise above swashbuckling adventure, though that element is there too. From its riveting opening line...to its surprise ending, this is a story harder to forget."[7] The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle has been listed in several books as a best book or core collection book for children.[8][9][10] Matt Berman, of commonsensemedia.org, rated this book a 5 out of 5 stars. [11] Out of 72,000 ratings the average rating was a 3.8 out of 5 stars, on goodreads.com[12]Csmonitor.com has The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle rated number 1 of their "12 Best Books for Preteens". [13]
Awards[edit]
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle was a Newbery Honor Book in 1991.[14] A member of the Newbery committee that year felt the book deserved to win the Newbery Medal and described the book as being about "a spunky young lady goes from polite idealist impressed by good manners and gallantry to a realistic young woman who comes to terms with the complexity of the 19th-century society in which she lives".[15] It won several other critical awards including the Golden Kite Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and the Judy Lopez Award.[16] The book also appeared on several notable or best-of book lists, including the ALA's Notable Children's Book, ALA's Best Book for Young Adults,[16] and School Library Journal's Books That Shaped a Century.[17] The book was not only popular with adult critics, but also children, winning several children's choice awards including the Evergreen Award, Massachusetts Children's Book Award, the Sunshine State Young Readers Award, and the Beehive Award.[16]
Film[edit]
A film adaptation of the book was in development. It was written and would have been directed by Danny DeVito, starring Morgan Freeman as Zachariah and Pierce Brosnan as Jaggery.[18][19] Dakota Fanning was originally cast as Charlotte Doyle, but had to drop out as production was continually halted and she eventually grew too old for the part. Saoirse Ronan was later cast, but the film was again halted because Freeman was seriously injured in a car accident two weeks before filming was scheduled to commence.[20][21] DeVito returned to the subject in February 2013, saying he was looking for another young actress to star in the title role and scouting movie locations in Ireland. Shooting was supposed to start in July 2014.[20][22]The release date is still classified as "TBD" without any new information as to whether it will be shot.[23]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi | Scholastic". www.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
Jump up ^ "Mr. Hollybrass in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". www.shmoop.com. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
Jump up ^ "Cranick in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". www.shmoop.com. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
Jump up ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". Kirkus Reviews. September 15, 1990.
Jump up ^ Mercier, Cathryn (January–February 1991). "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". Five Owls. 5 (3).
Jump up ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". The Horn Book Magazine. 1990.
Jump up ^ Elleman, Barbara (September 1990). "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". BookList.
Jump up ^ Gillespie, John T.; Barr, Catherine (May 30, 2004). Best Books for Middle School and Junior High Readers: Grades 6–9. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. p. 156. ISBN 1-59158-083-8.
Jump up ^ Price, Anne (October 2005). Middle And Junior High School Library Catalog (9 ed.). H. W. Wilson. ISBN 0-8242-1053-0.
Jump up ^ Price, Anne; Yaakov, Juliette (September 30, 1991). Children's Catalog. H.W. Wilson. ISBN 0-8242-1009-3.
Jump up ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Book Review". Retrieved 2018-04-13.
Jump up ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
Jump up ^ "12 best books for preteens". Christian Science Monitor. 2012-01-13. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
Jump up ^ "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922–Present". American Library Association. 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
Jump up ^ "Choosing the Newbery Winner". Washington Post. May 12, 1991. p. X16, Book World.
^ Jump up to: a b c "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". HarperCollins Children's. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
Jump up ^ "One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century". School Library Journal. January 1, 2000. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
Jump up ^ https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/426617/The-True-Confessions-of-Charlotte-Doyle/cast New York Times Archived December 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ BROUWER, Julie (June 7, 2009). "LAWSUIT A BLOW TO TRUE CONFESSIONS". Sunday Mirror. London. p. 26. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
^ Jump up to: a b "Danny DeVito wants to cast rising star actress". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
Jump up ^ Avi (September 9, 2014). "Movie option". Wordcraft. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Danny DeVito on scouting movie locations in Ireland | Late Late Show". 24 February 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
Jump up ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - ComingSoon.net". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_True_Confessions_of_Charlotte_Doyle&oldid=842710833"
Categories:
1990 American novels
1990 children's books
American historical novels
Children's historical novels
American young adult novels
Novels by Avi
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Golden Kite Award-winning works
Novels set in Providence, Rhode Island
1832 in fiction
Novels set in the 1830s
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