The Navigator's Wife

by Jane Galer

A surprising tale of the struggle for survival, The Navigator's Wife is the fictionalized true story of the 1808 shipwreck of the Russian fur trade explorer ship Sv. Nickolai, aground off the isolated coast of the Olympic Peninsula, and the capture of its entire crew including the young wife of the navigator, Anna Petrovna Bulygin, by Makah native people. Anna's struggle to survive in alien and harsh circumstances, the choices she makes, and the insistence with which she masters her environment make her a heroine for all time. Galer's vivid prose has been compared to Joseph Conrad or Jack London. Fleshing the skeleton of the scant factual information, this true event combines adventure, little known history, and a cross cultural love story. "A wonderful literary adventure." Ken Owens, author of The Wreck of the Sv. Nicolai.

328 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[Rick Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book opened my eyes to a way of writing history to make it live, without losing sight of the very important, real work of a historian. The book is mainly the tale of the wife of a "navigator" in the employ of a Russian trading company. The tale is interesting, the characters well fleshed, and the story flows well. The ending is a bit of a let-down, but then it's just following the lead of history which very rarely ends with dazzling bravery and superheroes.

Once the story ends, though, there is the Appendix which contrasts the tale with what is known from history. We get to see the choices the author made to create a story from the facts, and I found that to be just as interesting. This is the first book I've read in that format and I hope it won't be the last.

[Andrew]

Awesome

[Tina Janes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and tragic story! Very well written!