The Wreck of the Golden Mary

by Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870), also known as "Boz," was the foremost English novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous social campaigner. Considered one of the English language's greatest writers, he was acclaimed for his rich storytelling and memorable characters, and achieved massive worldwide popularity in his lifetime. The popularity of his novels and short stories has meant that not one has ever gone out of print. Dickens wrote serialised novels, the usual format for fiction at the time, and each new part of his stories was eagerly anticipated by the reading public. Among his best-known works are Sketches by Boz (1836), The Pickwick Papers (1837), Oliver Twist (1838), Nicholas Nickleby (1839), Barnaby Rudge (1841), A Christmas Carol (1843), Martin Chuzzlewit (1844), David Copperfield (1850), Bleak House (1853), Little Dorrit (1857), A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Great Expectations (1861) and Our Mutual Friend (1865).

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, Literature, Adventure, Audiobook, British Literature

48 pages, Paperback

First published December 6, 1856

About the author

Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.

Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.

Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.

On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Bionic Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Dickens loved Christmas. In fact it is said that he is largely responsible for how we celebrate a traditional Christmas today, with more than a nod to the Victorian era. “A Christmas Carol” is the story millions of people will cite as being their favourite Christmas story, and Charles Dickens went on to make writing these an annual tradition every Christmas season, keeping to it throughout his life. “A Christmas Carol” was the first of five novellas, and these were followed by a special Christmas story each year, in his magazines. Not all of these have obviously Christmas themes, but they are usually tales which are imbued with the “spirit” of Christmas, emphasising themes of fellowship, family, kindness and compassion.

Some of the stories Charles Dickens wrote after the novellas are quite short, and more like essays or musings, whereas some are longer, more akin to the novellas in length. Each became a regular feature in his monthly magazine, “Household Words”. Charles Dickens wanted to make his Christmas Editions special, but he always had many literary and theatrical projects on the go, as well as a complicated personal life. For this reason, he began to recruit some of his “in-house” authors, to help him with the special Christmas story. The Wreck of the Golden Mary is one of these collaborations, and one of the contributing, initially uncredited authors, was Wilkie Collins.

Wilkie Collins was a great friend of Charles Dickens. The two authors had first met a few years earlier, on 12th March 1851, introduced by a mutual friend, the painter Augustus Egg. They then acted together in an amateur production of Bulwer Lytton’s play “Not So Bad as We Seem”. Charles Dickens was twelve years older and already an established author and public figure. He took Wilkie Collins under his wing, and a lifelong friendship followed. They dined together, went on holiday together, and visited the less reputable parts of London and Paris together. But what is perhaps most important to us, is that they also worked together on various collaborations.

For more than five years Wilkie Collins was employed on “Household Words” and also Charles Dickens’s later magazine, “All The Year Round”, including working with Dickens on several Christmas issues of both publications. Charles Dickens had been planning to write The Wreck of the ‘Golden Mary’ as his Christmas story for 1855, but felt that he needed more time to develop the idea properly. He mulled over the idea for a year, and then came up with his plan.

On 1st November 1856, he wrote to Wilkie Collins, suggesting to his friend that they walk: “through the fallen leaves in Cobham Park. I can then explain how I think you can get your division of the Christmas No. very originally and naturally. It came into my head to-day.”

His idea for the Christmas edition of 1856 was to present to the public his third collaborative Christmas piece. His first had been “The Seven Poor Travellers”, two years before in 1854, and his second the previous year “The Holly-tree Inn”. This year Charles Dickens planned to use one of his favourite themes, the sea. Even his very first Christmas novella “A Christmas Carol” had included a section where a spirit guided Ebenezer Scrooge over the sea, to see how the sailors celebrated Christmas. Enthusiastically, Charles Dickens explained his inspiration to his friend.

Charles Dickens’s idea was to present a set of stories with a first-hand account of a shipwreck; the description of the wreck itself being his own contribution. Wilkie Collins and others would then continue the story from many perspectives. Charles Dickens, with his great love of sea-faring tales, was very enthusiastic about this idea of a shipwreck, a terrible ordeal at sea in open boats, and finally a rescue. But Wilkie Collins was not sure, and took a little convincing. A week later Charles Dickens, wrote to another friend, Angela Burdett-Coutts, saying how impressed he was that Wilkie Collins had “got over the great difficulty of falling into my idea … When he read the Wreck he was so desperately afraid of the job, that I began to mistrust him. However, we went down to Gad’s Hill and walked through Cobham Woods, to talk it over; and he then went at it cheerfully, and came out as you see.”

The result was a magnificent collection of tales titled: “The Wreck of the Golden Mary: Being the Captain’s Account of the Loss of The Ship, and The Mate’s Account of the Great Deliverance of Her People in an Open Boat at Sea”. It comprised three main sections: “The Wreck”, “The Beguilement in the Boats” and “The Deliverance”. Charles Dickens was immensely pleased with the collaboration, and reported to Angela Burdett-Coutts, that it was “the prettiest Christmas Number we have had.”

Oddly, and very sadly, most of the editions now available are a travesty of Charles Dickens’s initial conception. Sometimes all they contain is “The Wreck”, or some include a little of the first mate’s tale “The Deliverance”, but very few include the middle section, which is five separate tales by four different authors. Therefore this work is a collaboration between six authors, and is actually the length of a short novel. No wonder the bowdlerised versions get such low ratings.

In fact Charles Dickens’s own introductory story, “The Wreck” is a treat. It is set just 5 years earlier. Charles Dickens painted his portrait from life, observing crusty seafaring fellows very well. Born in Postsmouth, he often went back to visit, and liked to mingle with the sailors and boatspeople. I can imagine this tale being told by Captain Cuttle, a crusty character from his novel “Dombey and Son”.

Captain Ravender, the narrator in this story has a great air of authenticity. He is solid man, 56 years of age; an experienced, fair, dependable man. He tells how he has been offered a commission to sail to California to deliver gold mining tools and bring back goods. What makes this enterprise irresistible to the good Captain is the glorious ship: “The Golden Mary”. He enthuses about this wonderful craft, where everything is of the best, and the most shipshape. He also has the chance to choose his chief mate, and he is adamant about who he knows will be the best: the competent and supremely reliable John Steadiman. (With a name like that, how can he fail!)

Charles Dickens tells the story in a jaunty way, with great good humour, and we smile as we read this first tale. We get to know and care about both the captain and his mate, and the passengers and small crew. It is a small complement, and three stand out most of all, perhaps because Captain Ravender believes that they are the ones who need the most consideration. Two are females: a young woman of about 25 called Mrs. Atherfield. She is going to join her husband, taking their daughter Lucy, who is 3 years old, with her. (The little girl has never seen her father.) Miss Coleshaw is the second woman: a little older, at about 30 years of age. She is going to join her brother. The third passenger who occupies Captain Ravender’s attention is a strange, unlikable man called Mr. Rarx. He talks of nothing but gold: mining for gold, and collecting it. He is avaricious and selfish, not divulging to anyone why he is travelling to California. Nobody likes Mr. Rarx, but, oddly, he is interested and protective of Lucy and never lets her out of his sight. Everyone loves Lucy, who is a happy, friendly child, full of joy. She lifts everyone’s spirits.

We are swept up in this story, following those we feel we have begun to know. We know their fate from the start: we know there is to be a shipwreck and that there are three lifeboats. And we fear for them. Will they survive? Who will live to tell this tale for themselves?

The shipwreck itself is very dramatic and powerfully described. They are surrounded by icebergs and the nights are pitch dark. There is delirium, burgeoning madness, and supernatural elements - and there is a great tragedy. The story “ends” in a lifeboat, where some passengers and crew are desperately eking out their rations, hoping against hope to be rescued. They are in the middle of the ocean, half dead from starvation and cold, with no hope in sight, and not knowing the captain’s fate. Yet most editions stop at this point! No wonder that readers now reading this story feel that it is so odd, and wonder why it is unbalanced and unresolved.

If you are reading the complete book, “The Wreck” by Charles Dickens has three chapters. There is then a fourth chapter titled “John Steadiman’s Account”, which links the whole to the middle section: “The Beguilement in the Boats”. “John Steadiman’s Account” was written by Wilkie Collins, and is sometimes included as a concluding segment to “The Wreck”. It is subtitled “All that Follows was written by John Steadiman, Chief Mate”, and although the story itself is seamless, the feel of chapter 4 is different. Instead of Captain Ravender’s jauntiness, we now switch to an earnest tone.

John Steadiman narrates, reporting the events quietly. It has a slightly more sombre feel, and is less dramatic. Wilkie Collins’s imagery is superb, describing the moon shining “so white and ghastly”. He is a master at thrilling us, but there is no grotesque imagery here; no mention of cannibalism, as Charles Dickens has, and no exuberant humour in this section. It is a solidly crafted piece with carefully mounting tension, from which we move on quite rapidly to the middle section: “The Beguilement in the Boats”.

This section, rarely published, comprises five stories, by authors whom Charles Dickens found conformed to his ideals for Christmas tales. “Household Words” and his next magazine “All the Year Round” were conceived by Charles Dickens as vehicles to express his voice in all things, and any stories, poems and articles by contributors were expected to reflect his own views. The authors needed to share his vision, and to emphasise the values endemic in “Household Words”, such as fellowship, morality and optimism. There was to be nothing repellent, he said, but stories and a little poetry, fancies and romances, to entertain and fill his readers with joy.

The stories Charles Dickens chose were “The Armourer” by Percy Fitzgerald, “Poor Dick’s Story” by Harriet Parr, (who also wrote as “Holme Lee”), “The Supercargo’s Story”, again by Percy Fitzgerald, “The Old Seaman’s Story” by Adelaide Anne Procter, and “The Scotch Boy’s Story” by the Reverend James White. This middle section: “The Beguilement in the Boats” is usually missing from most editions of The Wreck of the ‘Golden Mary’, but each separate story can be found online. If your edition of the book contains them, they will most likely not be titled, but form chapters 1 - 5 in the middle section of the book.

There is no space for a detailed examination of each story, but they are typical Victorian tales, high on emotion even to the point of melodrama, and no doubt would have been very appealing to the readership of “Household Words”. It is easy to imagine families of that time, saving a story up to read daily round the fire each evening. A designated reader, if there was one who could read, would tell of Ding Dong Will, who was determined never to be trapped into marriage, and of the tragedy which befell him. Or of poor Dick, unloved and unwanted, who went to the bad, before perhaps turning over a new leaf. Of young women who were, as they say, “no better than they ought to be”. Of tragedy, betrayal and bloody murder. Or of the terror of a haunted ship, with the curse of Jan Fagel upon it. Or of a seaman, shipwrecked into slavery in a strange land for many years, before his return and cruel revelation. Or of missing sweethearts Domine and Jean, so much loved by Jean’s parents: another ghostly tale told by Jean’s young brother, Willy. If you enjoy Victorian fiction, these are all worth tracking down to read. They are poignant, exciting tales, and depending on your taste, one or other may well prove your favourite in this collaboration.

“The Beguilement in the Boats” brings us closer to several of the passengers in the “Golden Mary”, and we see their hopes and aspirations through these stories, which include characters from their past who have touched their lives. Some are running away from their earlier life, and some are running towards bright opportunities, amid the gold rush of California. What is certain is that all are hoping for a new life; to start afresh in a new country. Some of these hopes are shattered. There is both tragedy and insanity in store, and much grief and starvation, but there is also great steadfastness, self-sacrifice and bravery.

The third and final section is entitled “The Deliverance” and it was written by Wilkie Collins. It is an ominous doom-laden story, with a the kind of ghastly feel Wilkie Collins did so well; there is none of Charles Dickens’s lighthearted optimism here. It is a powerful tale. And yet we know from the title that all will be well; indeed many of the original passengers do survive to tell the tale. Their courage and inner strength has served them well.

Originally the authors were not credited, which was Charles Dickens’s preference for his in-house authors. As he wrote to one invited contributor, Mary Howitt, that way they could always publish their story elsewhere in the future. He was reluctant to divulge their names, and when the Reverend R. H. Davies wrote to him, praising the poem which concludes “Poor Dick’s Story” and asking who the author was, Charles Dickens even went so far as to reply (on 24th December 1856), “ I am myself the writer you refer to”. However when pressed later to reveal the authors, he did credit Harriet Parr for these verses. Indeed the verses were eventually printed in a Congregationalist hymn book. The section “The Old Seaman’s Story” is additionally all told in verse.

The little girl who features: “Golden Lucy”, the darling of the tale, had a real life inspiration, as have so many of Charles Dickens’s characters. She was based on the sister of George Stronghill, a friend of Charles Dickens. They were neighbours in Chatham, and apparently “youthful sweethearts”.

The whole reviewed here is a kindle edition. The best book edition in my opinion has illustrations by John Dugan. They are plentiful, with at least one for each story, and conform to the style Charles Dickens preferred his illustrators to have, although they were made far later, in 1955. The nautical ones in particular are very fine pen and ink drawings. Altogether, however you access it, this is a collection of stories which deserves a much wider readership. At the time it was an astounding success, as the special edition of “Household Words” for Christmas 1856, containing this whole set of stories, reached a phenomenal sale of 100,000 copies. It was then published in book form in 1898, entitled “‘The Wreck of the Golden Mary’ by Charles Dickens and Others”.

For whatever reason, Charles Dickens kept his name firmly to the fore. Perhaps it was merely the businessman in him, knowing that his name would draw the audience. And perhaps after all, for Wilkie Collins et al, it was enough at that stage, to know that they were published in the same volume as “The Inimitable” Charles Dickens.

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

If someone had given me this story and asked me to guess who wrote it, I would never of thought of Charles Dickens. Part two of this story is written by Wilkie Collins.

This is a tale of a shipwreck on the high seas. It is an adventure story and a story of survival.

The more I read by Dickens, the more I am in awe of him. He was so versatile and so imaginative! I really enjoyed this story!

Read this as part of the Dickensian group. I am thrilled to be introduced to all these shorter works by Charles Dickens.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1856 Christmas edition of his magazine, Household Words, Charles Dickens included the story The Wreck of the Golden Mary. This was actually a three part construction by Dickens and his good friend Wilkie Collins, though Collins’ name did not appear.

The first story is The Wreck of the Golden Mary written by Dickens himself, showing many of the skills and traits seen in his novels. The narrator is the ship’s captain who presents a fatherly and skilled face to the passengers and crew. This is by turns an exciting, harrowing and sad tale.

The second is John Steadiman’s Account, written by Collins likely in collaboration with Dickens. This tale follows directly after the first. If you should happen on a copy of The Wreck of the Golden Mary that has only one part, look further. It’s incomplete! This section relates further harrowing adventures on the high seas.

The final section, also from Collins, is Deliverance. I leave it for readers to learn the details of what this deliverance may be.

Taken as a whole, this story puts the concept of 19th century sea travel into new context for me. The risk that all were taking for family, hoped for wealth, for jobs, if they were part of the crew. It made me think more and differently about my ancestors.

If you enjoy Dickens and 19th c. literature, this is a nice extra. I found it in a collection of Dickens stories and short works, and Christmas stories.

[Bionic Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOTE: Please LINK HERE for my more comprehensive Goodreads review of the full text of this book. That one is for a review of a facsimile of Charles Dickens's original newspaper publication of this work, in his own magazine.

This edition of is a later publication of the work from 1955, illustrated by John Dugan. It also contains all the interpolated stories, but each has one or more black line illustrations. These are excellent, and in keeping with the many original etchings from Charles Dickens's other works.



There are no actual illustrations in the original magazine. Charles Dickens's original edition had presented the work in three sections: “The Wreck”, “The Beguilement in the Boats” and “The Deliverance”. In this edition these are called Parts One, Two and Three respectively.

This edition divides these Parts. Part One “The Wreck”, is subtitled “Being the Captain's Account of the Loss of the Ship and the Mate's Account of the Great Deliverance of Her People in an Open Boat at Sea”, as in the original. However, it is divided into 4 Chapters, the first three written by Charles Dickens, and Chapter 4 subtitled “All that follows was written by John Steadiman, Chief Mate” was written by Wilkie Collins, although it is unattributed. (There is a lot more about this in my full review.)



Part Two “The Beguilement in the Boats” is divided into five untitled chapters. These are actually each by additional authors, although only Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins are credited in this edition. Thus separate stories from four additional authors are all included in “The Beguilement in the Boats” section, and each story is a little gem in itself. Nevertheless, only Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins are actually credited.





Part Three, “The Deliverance” is also divided into three chapters.

The copious illustrations by John Dugan are a delight. I have included just a few here.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

At Christmas 1856, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and several other minor contributors published in Dickens’ publication, Household Words , a Christmas installment which included The Wreck of the Golden Mary. As the title suggests, this is the story of a shipwreck and the aftermath as the survivors drift on the sea.

Using a form that is very Dickensian in nature, the Wreck employs the story within a story device. It felt a bit jarring to me to have the main story interrupted while the first mate recounts stories the members of the crew told one another while afloat. These stories were written by others, and several of them lack the finesse and depth that one always finds in Dickens himself. At least one of them had a distinct quality that easily identified it as the work of either Dickens or Collins, and I found it to be the most enjoyable of the set.

The main story is terrific, and without the interruption, a full 5-star story. The character development is surprisingly effective. I had a real attachment to both Captain Ravender and the first mate, John Steadiman. Steadiman’s name alone will tell you a lot about his character. I was made to think of Moby Dick, which was written only a few years before this tale and with which this one shares a kind of genuine seafaring atmosphere.

Dickens’ knowledge of ships and seafaring are quite impressive and the story has the same flow and captivating detail as his novels. I have found Dickens is as skillful with short fiction as he is with tomes, but then his novels were all written in serial form, so he is accustomed to producing even his long fiction in short form.

Excellent story, worth the reading.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the parts written by Dickens and Wilkie Collins. There’s a middle section of stories by other writers which I didn’t read. The Dickens/Collins sections tell the story of the wreck through the voices of the captain and the first mate and they are very steady reasonable men, just the sort you’d want in charge. It’s very well written in a slow and measured way and seems a realistic description of the wreck and rescue.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

A joint effort by Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, a story on sea travel and a shipwrecking. Unfortunately I do not have the version with the delightful drawings, but the story is entertaining enough on it's own. Great short story with realistically enough characters.

[AndreaMarretti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brevissimo e potente.
Si sa per certo che ci furono dei superstiti ("Né ho il minimo dubbio che il rum salvò la vita di oltre la metà di tutti noi") ma ancora al ventiseiesimo giorno la situazione sembra senza alcuna speranza e fortemente compromessa: è qui che il racconto si conclude con quei disgraziati ancora in balia delle onde dell'oceano.
Un Dickens insolito, direi.

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles Dickens was the editor of the publication "Household Words" when the special Christmas 1856 edition was published. Dickens (writing as a sea captain) and Wilkie Collins (writing as the first mate) wrote the exciting framing stories about the shipwreck of the Golden Mary. The framing stories included the voyage of the ship, the shipwreck, and the survivors' ordeal in lifeboats in frigid temperatures. They never gave up hope that they would be spotted by another ship. These sections of the adventure story are called "The Wreck" (Dickens and Collins) and "The Deliverance" (Collins). A long sea voyage was very risky for the travelers, and a shipwreck was not uncommon. I enjoyed this suspenseful tale with interesting characters traveling to the California Gold Rush.

Note: "Household Words" also published five secondary works where the passengers in the lifeboats told stories to keep their spirits up. These additional stories are not included in all editions of "The Wreck of the Golden Mary," but they help us understand why some people left England to pan for gold. This section of five works is called "The Beguilement in the Boats." To read the complete work, look for an edition with the full title, The Wreck of the Golden Mary: Being the Captain's Account of the Loss of the Ship, and the Mate's Account of the Great Deliverance of Her People in an ... Number of Household Words, Christmas, 1856..

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done. I found the various voices of the passengers' stories an interesting way to sound different from the main text.

[Jason Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up to three.

Read in this compilation: A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Classics. This story is another victim of the travesty explained here.

I'll give a better review of this when I read the rest of this story which isn't included in the book I have, nor is it in The Gutenberg Project file.

This seems incomplete, but I don't know what parts are missing. I think four or five short stories told by the people in the life boat were omitted, and I sure hope the ending is missing as well because it ain't much of an ending. The captain is dying of starvation, but we know he survives it because he gives his part of the narrative in 1856, and the starving thing happens in 1851. Also, there's no rescue described, just the first mate saying "That's how I took over the captaincy after we had been adrift for 27 days." They're still just floating around in the ocean.

This would've been a two star book except the captain is pretty awesome. Here's one scene as the ship is foundering, and one of the passengers, a rather selfish cad, is threatening to stir up a panic.

“Mr. Rarx,” said I to him when it came to that, “I have a loaded pistol in my pocket; and if you don’t stand out of the gangway, and keep perfectly quiet, I shall shoot you through the heart, if you have got one.” Says he, “You won’t do murder, Captain Ravender!” “No, sir,” says I, “I won’t murder forty-four people to humour you, but I’ll shoot you to save them.” After that he was quiet, and stood shivering a little way off, until I named him to go over the side.

Love it.

And then there's this quote too, which is in the first paragraph: "It has always been my opinion since I first possessed such a thing as an opinion, that the man who knows only one subject is next tiresome to the man who knows no subject. Therefore, in the course of my life I have taught myself whatever I could, and although I am not an educated man, I am able, I am thankful to say, to have an intelligent interest in most things."

I can appreciate that sentiment.

[shadesofwords · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost squealed with delight when I saw this book in the library. No, I had never heard of it nor anyone had ever recommended it to me. But what made me happy was that this book was written by Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. Till I read this book , I had no clue that they were colleagues or even friends!!
The novella tells the story of a the crew and passengers on the ship The Golden Mary that is sailing towards the Californian coast. There is a motley group of passengers – a man looking out to make money in the gold rush, an estranged fiancé, a mother and her child heading to meet the father. The ship is tragically struck by an ice berg and sinks. Luckily all the crew and passengers are moved safely to two life boats.The people though alive are far from safety as they float stranded on the open sea with minimum food and water between them.
Apart from the captain and the first mate , through whose eyes the story is told , an extremely important character is Golden Lucy. She is the only child on board and everyone’s favorite. She presents purity and happiness when the ship was afloat and hope and spirit when survivors hung between life and death in the lifeboats.
Dickens brings out interesting aspects of human behavior under this severe living condition and creates vivid characters in such short story telling. One of the steps the survivors take to keep their spirits alive as days pass by without the sign of another ship , is to tell each other stories. 5 such stories all contributed by 5 different writers form the body of the novella.

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many versions of this story published today. I recommend ISBN 1907947973 because it contains the entire story as it was originally published, with the 5 stories contained in The Beguilement of the Boat. (168 pages)

I thoroughly enjoyed this collaborative story (there were 6 authors involved) is a wonderful look at human kindness and strength in times of dire need.
Dickens and Collins carry the framework of this story into human integrity, depth and soul. These people come alive in these pages.
The other 4 authors, all well known in their day but forgotten in ours, include 5 stories that look closely at some of the passengers and crew.
The end result is that the reader cares what happens to these people and hopes with them on their desperate journey.

An almost forgotten story but one worth reading and enjoying. Be sure, though, to read the full version (ISBN 1907947973).

[Gemma Wiseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very brief and very scintillating. This fast-paced narrative could be a Canterbury Tale on the high seas. After all, stories are told and songs sung to pass the time. This could be a parable... all that glistens is not gold, but some golds are priceless. A shipwreck allows time to magnify loose threads in characters who are cast outside the usual regime of society. And, like a Pied Piper, Captain Ravender encourages the passengers to find courage and hope within. So interesting that the Golden Mary was headed for the Californian goldfields and the child with shining fair hair is nicknamed Golden Lucy. So many metaphors tantalise this tale. A small treasure.

My Poetic Review: Songlines on the Winds

[Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

i mean bad ending obviously

[J9 · Rating 1 out of 5]

A short story about a ship crashing on an iceberg. The passengers make it to the lifeboats, and while they waited to be rescued, they told each other stories to pass the time. The thing I liked best about this story is the character development which is true to Dickens form. He doesn’t disappoint with this cast of characters and their relationships to one another.
But, and there is a big but, the story sucks. I usually turn to Dickens for happy, cheezy, endings around Christmas and that’s what I expect from ALL tales in a book of Christmas Stories. But the favorite character in this story is a little 3-yr old girl with golden curls whom everyone loves. And she dies. Not in a great, fast, crashing way, no…by starving to death. Slowly.
And then, it just ends. There’s some more desperation, food running out, and bad weather. Then the captain dies. And it just ends.
Were they rescued? Did they all die? Did they kill and eat each other? Did mermaids sing them to their death by suicide? Did I miss something?
I love Dickens, but this story sucked.

[Zams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was simply bored by this piece. I had to relisten to the end 5 times becauae I just stopped paying attention every time.
I also found it weird how obsessed everybody was with the child.

[Els · Rating 3 out of 5]

Call it artistic all you want, but I DO NOT LIKE STORIES WITH NO CONCLUSION.

[Sam Woodfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its quite an odd story this one. It's not really a full novel and not really a complete story, but simply an account of a small period in time - namely a ship wreck.
The first half of the book is written by the Captain of a ship, commissioned to travel to California during the gold rush. But when the ship hits an iceberg it becomes a tale of rescue as the passengers and crew fight for survival out at sea.
The reason the rating for this book is so low is simply because it's so short and a little incomplete but I actually really liked it. Not because its a good 'story' but because its a good account of maritime actions at the time. The Captain gives a good account of his past which shows him working up the ranks. Whilst on the ship he goes into some detail about the workings of the ship and the requirements of the crew, and after the wreck there is lots of detail about the actions of the crew. So this book acts as a great insight into the maritime world at the time. It also makes really clear the dedication required and the sense of pride in the profession.
The story ends quite quickly and so it feels very incomplete so it only really acts as an insight into the time but this was good in itself and quite enjoyable.

[Melodee]

This Dickens story had endearing characters and was quite suspenseful, but I was disappointed to find that it really had no ending.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short novella with what appears to have no ending. I'm trying to figure out if what I read is the full story or if I somehow didn't download the whole thing.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.39⭐

The Wreck of the 'Golden Mary' was divided into three major sections: 'The Wreck' by Dickens (with a concluding segment by Wilkie Collins); 'The Beguilement in the Boats'—a section composed of 'The Armourer's Story' by Percy Fitzgerald, 'Poor Dick's Story' by Harriet Parr ('Holme Lee'), 'The Supercargo's Story' by Percy Fitzgerald, 'The Old Seaman's Story' by Adelaide Anne Procter, and 'The Scotch Boy's Story' by the Rev. James White; and a final section, 'The Deliverance,' by Wilkie Collins.

The Wreck by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins 5⭐

The Beguilement in the Boats:
The Armourer's Story by Percy Fitzgerald 4⭐
Poor Dick's Story by Harriet Parr 3.5⭐
The Supercargo's Story by Percy Fitzgerald 3.75⭐
The Old Seaman's Story by Adelaide Anne Procter 5⭐
The Scotch Boy's Story by the Rev. James White 4.5⭐

The Deliverance by Wilkie Collins 5⭐

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do like Dickens...but I had trouble with this story...and will need to reread this to figure out what I missed. I couldn't determine if they were still drifting at the conclusion!

[Bud Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed reading this short story as part of my 2025 Dickens reading marathon. Then again, perhaps I should have waited to read this until after our cruise to Antarctica! 😆

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this short story, Charles Dickens describes the wreck of the fictional Golden Mary which hit an iceberg while traveling from Liverpool to California, going around the Cape of Hope. Everyone safely escaped the sinking ship in two of the boats they carried. Then they rowed for many weeks, having little to eat or drink and hoping for a rescue.

The Golden Mary is an unusual Dickens story because it is told in three chapters and only a part of it is written by Charles Dickens. While Dickens wrote almost all of the first chapter, The Wreck, Wilkie Collins finished it. Five little known writers wrote the sections in the second chapter, The Beguilement in the Boats, and Wilkie Collins wrote the last chapter, Deliverance. It was published in the Christmas issue of Household Words in 1856.

The Wreck and Deliverance are dramatic stories filled with tension, pain and finally, thankfulness. The Beguilement contains stories people on the boats shared with each other during the long hours hoping to be rescued. All together they make a good and exciting tale for the monthly publication, even though they are not Christmas stories.

Mr. Rarx and golden Lucy are characters which will be remembered for a long time.

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins' "The Wreck of the Golden Mary" is only a Christmas story because some of the short stories happen during Christmastime. While shipwreck several of the men tell four stories to pass time, which the majority of them are very sad, wondering how that would help lift spirits? Maybe seeing other sorrows forgetting the current troubles. Ghost, love and horror stories are in the mix.

Story in short- A ship headed to California hits an iceberg, will anyone be saved?



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A person might suppose, from reading the above, that I am in the habit of holding forth about number one. That is not the case. Just as if I was to come into a room among strangers, and must either be introduced or introduce myself, so I have taken the liberty of passing these few remarks, simply and plainly that it may be known who and what I am. I will add no more of the sort than that my name is William George Ravender, that I was
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born at Penrith half a year after my own father was drowned, and that I am on the second day of this present blessed Christmas week of one thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, fifty-six years of age.
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I am a single man (she was too good for this world and for me, and she died six weeks before our marriage-day), so when I am ashore, I live in my house at Poplar. My house at Poplar is taken care of and kept ship-shape by an old lady who was my mother’s maid before I was born. She is as handsome and as upright as any old lady in the world. She is as fond of me as if she had ever had an only son, and I was
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he. Well do I know wherever I sail that she never lays down her head at night without having said, “Merciful Lord! bless and preserve William George Ravender, and send him safe home, through Christ our Saviour!” I have thought of it in many a dangerous moment, when it has done me no harm, I am sure.
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“Ravender, you are well aware that the lawlessness of that coast and country at present, is as special as the circumstances in which it is placed. Crews of vessels outward-bound, desert as soon as they make the land; crews of vessels homeward-bound, ship at enormous wages, with the express intention of murdering the captain and seizing the gold freight; no man can trust another, and the devil seems let loose. Now,” says he, “you know my opinion of you, and you know I am only expressing it, and with no singularity, when I tell you that you are almost the only man on whose integrity, discretion, and energy—” &c., &c. For, I don’t want to repeat what he said, though I was and am sensible of it.
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All dinner-time, and all after dinner-time, we talked it over again. I gave him my views of his plan, and he very much approved of the same. I told him I had nearly decided, but not quite. “Well, well,” says he, “come down to Liverpool to-morrow with me, and see the Golden Mary.” I liked the name (her name was Mary, and she was golden, if golden stands for good), so I began to feel that it was almost done when I said I would go to Liverpool. On the next morning but one we were on board the Golden Mary. I might
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have known, from his asking me to come down and see her, what she was. I declare her to have been the completest and most exquisite Beauty that ever I set my eyes upon. We had inspected every timber in her, and had come back to the gangway to go ashore from the dock-basin, when I put out my hand to my friend. “Touch upon it,” says I, “and touch heartily. I take command of this ship, and I am hers and yours, if I can get John Steadiman for my chief mate.”
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We were taken aback at meeting with no better luck, and we had wore ship and put her head for my friends, when as we were jogging through the streets, I clap my eyes on John himself coming out of a
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toyshop! He was carrying a little boy, and conducting two uncommon pretty women to their coach, and he told me afterwards that he had never in his life seen one of the three before, but that he was so taken with them on looking in at the toyshop while they were buying the child a cranky Noah’s Ark, very much down by the head, that he had gone in and asked the ladies’ permission to treat him to a tolerably correct Cutter there was in the window, in order that such a handsome boy might not grow up with a lubberly idea of naval architecture. We stood off and on until the ladies’ coachman began to give way, and then we hailed John. On his coming aboard of us, I told him, very gravely, what I had said to my friend. It struck him, as he said himself, amidships. He was quite shaken by it. “Captain Ravender,” were John Steadiman’s words, “such an opinion from you is true commendation, and I’ll sail round the world with you for twenty years if you hoist the signal, and stand by
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you for ever!” And now indeed I felt that it was done, and that the Golden Mary was afloat.

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We had room for twenty passengers. Our sailing advertisement was no sooner out, than we might have taken these twenty times over. In entering our men, I and John (both together) picked them, and we entered none but good hands — as good as were to be found in that port. And so, in a good ship of the best build, well owned, well arranged, well officered, well manned,
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well found in all respects, we parted with our pilot at a quarter past four o’clock in the afternoon of the seventh of March, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, and stood with a fair wind out to sea.
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Old Mr. Rarx was not a pleasant man to look at, nor yet to talk to, or to be with, for no one could help seeing that he was a sordid and selfish character, and that he had warped further and further out
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of the straight with time. Not but what he was on his best behaviour with us, as everybody was; for we had no bickering among us, for’ard or aft. I only mean to say, he was not the man one would have chosen for a messmate. If choice there had been, one might even have gone a few points out of one’s course, to say, “No! Not him!” But, there was one curious inconsistency in Mr. Rarx. That was, that he took an astonishing interest in the child. He looked, and I may add, he was, one of the last of men to care at
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all for a child, or to care much for any human creature. Still, he went so far as to be habitually uneasy, if the child was long on deck, out of his sight. He was always afraid of her falling overboard, or falling down a hatchway, or of a block or what not coming down upon her from the rigging in the working of the ship, or of her getting some hurt or other. He used to look at her and touch her, as if she was something precious to him. He was always solicitous about her not injuring her health, and constantly entreated
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her mother to be careful of it. This was so much the more curious, because the child did not like him, but used to shrink away from him, and would not even put out her hand to him without coaxing from others. I believe that every soul on board frequently noticed this, and not one of us understood it. However, it was such a plain fact, that John Steadiman said more than once when old Mr. Rarx was not within earshot, that if the Golden Mary felt a tenderness for the dear old gentleman
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she carried in her lap, she must be bitterly jealous of the Golden Lucy.

❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert

It was truly sad when little Lucy had died before the rescue ship came. I was glad that her mother and father had another little girl and helped Miss Coldshaw and her fiance. I was glad the captain rallied. Poor Dick's story is truly sad, being so in love and rejected. Mr. Rarx thinking only of his gold, in his dreaming of wealth, still dreaming he stands in the boat and falls overboard.

[~ Cheryl ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've since learned that this was originally one of those collaborative efforts, by Dickens with a number of other authors (including Wilkie Collins) contributing parts. A collection of very short tales with a main narrative to frame it. The version I read, contains only the portion written by Dickens, and possibly Collins. As such, it is disappointingly, even jarringly, incomplete. I'll need to poke around for a complete version someday.

_________

Update:
I found the complete book online for download to my kindle. The full title is:

"The Wreck of the Golden Mary. Being the Captain's Account of the Loss of the Ship, and the Mate's Account of the Great Deliverance of Her People in an Open Boat at Sea."

Yeah, so it was the Great Deliverance part I was missing. As well as all of the stories in the middle.

I did not care for ANY of the stories, except for one I thought fit in with the frame narrative quite well. The conclusion (the deliverance) was satisfying. The shipwreck narrative as a whole was gripping and had some beautiful moments I'm glad to have read.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dickens, Charles. The Wreck of the Golden Mary. 1856.
There is a lot we don’t know about this 40-page novella about a ship that hits an iceberg off Cape Horn and leaves its crew and passengers stranded in a couple of small boats. It was first published as a Christmas supplement in Household Words as a collaborative project between Dickens and Wilkie Collins, but we don’t really know much else about its genesis. How much Dickens and how much Collins is anybody’s guess. It seems incomplete. Was it meant to be as we see it, or was there a frame story that got cut for space? There are two diaries, putatively written by the Captain and the First Mate. Does that mean they both survived, or are they voices from the grave? Is the story appropriate for a Christmas issue? There is certainly not much Christmas cheer in it. There is an unusual mix of realism and sentimentality—even for Dickens—but none of the characters seem to have the hallmark Dickensian eccentricity. Did I enjoy it? Sure. But it left me scratching my head.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wreck of the Golden Mary is a short collection of 6 connected short stories and 1 poem written by 6 different authors. Together, these formed the main part of the Christmas 1856 issue of the magazine 'Household Words', which was edited by Dickens at this time. The common theme is centred on the good ship Golden Mary, which sinks during an overnight collision with an iceberg en-route to California, forcing the crew and passengers to take to the boats. Most of the stories are those told by the survivors to each other to keep themselves occupied, whilst the wreck and its aftermath form the start and end of the book. Whilst there is a mixture of styles, it works well overall in its own Victorian melodrama kind of way. Not surprising, considering Dickens put a number of these Christmas compilations together over the years.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was Dicken's Christmas story for the 1856 holiday season. One of his co-writers on this story was his collaborator Wilkie Collins. It was a very well written set of stories and I enjoyed. I have done a further review of this story on my blog: http://quirkyreader.livejournal.com/4...

In my opinion the best story out of this collection was "The Scotch Boy's Story" by Reverend James White. But then again I have a soft spot for ghost stories.