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Red Jacket: The Autobiography of Calista Antoine
It’s 1892, the fourth and nastiest year of the Civil War. With war prices for some things going through the roof, there are some cargoes that are too tempting, tucked down in places too risky, and a ship captain has to weigh both if he wants to make a profit and stay afloat. Last I saw my parents, they were going to do the sugar run to Jamaica. Up in the cold North sugar cane simply doesn’t grow. You have to go where it’s warm and for us in the U.S., that means the Caribbean, which is unfortunately down next to the Confederate States of America and we have to sail right past Florida with its people doing their best to be unpleasant. I won’t kid you. It’s a dangerous run. Normally, they would have been back in port a week ago, but they’re overdue. Nothing to worry about yet – much.
290 pages, Paperback
First published August 29, 2014
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1033 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 29, 2015
Sweeping, simple yet moving saga of Cali of the Sea, daughter of a ship’s captain, who grows up to be a duchess. This is a story of her journey along with her family from Africa, France, Portugal, to Congo and back to France.
In 1892, Calista Carmichael is a young girl playing the violin and traveling on a ship. The British-Portugal strategic hegemonic designs on the African region, the power play by Germans, French, Belgium and Confederacy are all here and Calista survives it all with the help of her friends Aleta, Lucien and her own strong will. The grim reminders of war - genocide at a harbor, hand-less rebels, and attempts on life by the British intelligence - are noted.
It looks like the first part in a series, because I was left wondering about Lucien and the ‘Duke’ and how she ended up an ‘Antoine’. in any case, Calista has a full life - a villainous overture from Prince Leopold Ferdinand Elie Victor Albert Marie, Duke of Brabant, a marriage to Duke of Tervuren while a love interest in the form of Lucien.
Loved the illustrations. I hope to see more from the author Mark Bondurant.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair, unbiased and non-reciprocal review.
In 1892, Calista Carmichael is a young girl playing the violin and traveling on a ship. The British-Portugal strategic hegemonic designs on the African region, the power play by Germans, French, Belgium and Confederacy are all here and Calista survives it all with the help of her friends Aleta, Lucien and her own strong will. The grim reminders of war - genocide at a harbor, hand-less rebels, and attempts on life by the British intelligence - are noted.
It looks like the first part in a series, because I was left wondering about Lucien and the ‘Duke’ and how she ended up an ‘Antoine’. in any case, Calista has a full life - a villainous overture from Prince Leopold Ferdinand Elie Victor Albert Marie, Duke of Brabant, a marriage to Duke of Tervuren while a love interest in the form of Lucien.
Loved the illustrations. I hope to see more from the author Mark Bondurant.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair, unbiased and non-reciprocal review.
June 6, 2016
Red Jacket by M. Bondurant is unforgettable book. Right from the very beginning you will feel like a participant of the story. The author is able to capture great historical details, accurately portrays characters and includes in the story many exciting moments.
I can definitely recommend this novel to all readers, who love historical fantasy novels and thrilling adventure stories.
---I received this book through Goodreads First Reads, thanks to the author.
I can definitely recommend this novel to all readers, who love historical fantasy novels and thrilling adventure stories.
---I received this book through Goodreads First Reads, thanks to the author.
March 16, 2017
Cali Antoine is an engaging heroine whose adventures make for an interesting travelogue.
The novel begins with a frame, forming the conceit that it is not a novel, but the work of a fictional M. Bondurant hired to tell the life story of the Duchess of Tervuren in 1902. I enjoyed that throwback to classic works, that layer that is meant to prove the verity of the tale because the writer was told the story by someone else.
The story proper begins after this frame and is told in first person for the remainder of the book, jumping back to Cali's youth, in 1892, when she's a schoolgirl waiting to be picked up at the end of term by her parents who have been out of touch while they make a run on their family ship, the titular Red Jacket.
The story continues in chronological order, and ends before we get back to the tease at the beginning, which disappointed me, but I see that there is a second book, so that makes some sense. While the narrative was always pleasant and interesting, it sort of meandered, lacking urgency or a feeling of overall plot. It was more a series of events and a travelogue than a traditionally plotted novel.
It was hard sometimes to know if a character was going to be important for only a scene or if they would matter for the whole book. Still, Cali herself was interesting enough to keep me reading.
The ending few chapters were quite action packed, riffing nicely off of real historical events (as did much of the rest of the story). Glad I had the chance to read this one.
The novel begins with a frame, forming the conceit that it is not a novel, but the work of a fictional M. Bondurant hired to tell the life story of the Duchess of Tervuren in 1902. I enjoyed that throwback to classic works, that layer that is meant to prove the verity of the tale because the writer was told the story by someone else.
The story proper begins after this frame and is told in first person for the remainder of the book, jumping back to Cali's youth, in 1892, when she's a schoolgirl waiting to be picked up at the end of term by her parents who have been out of touch while they make a run on their family ship, the titular Red Jacket.
The story continues in chronological order, and ends before we get back to the tease at the beginning, which disappointed me, but I see that there is a second book, so that makes some sense. While the narrative was always pleasant and interesting, it sort of meandered, lacking urgency or a feeling of overall plot. It was more a series of events and a travelogue than a traditionally plotted novel.
It was hard sometimes to know if a character was going to be important for only a scene or if they would matter for the whole book. Still, Cali herself was interesting enough to keep me reading.
The ending few chapters were quite action packed, riffing nicely off of real historical events (as did much of the rest of the story). Glad I had the chance to read this one.
November 8, 2020
Everybody else seems to like it, but I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. I found the book boring and Calista annoying. The casual racism, appropriate for the time period, was a little inappropriate considering this is for tweens.
September 15, 2015
Alternative history, steam punk, adventure, romance.
This is my second Bondurant book and I really love how he's able to mix genres so well. I'm not a fan of historical fiction, but I do love romance and adventure, two big parts of this book. As such, I was hooked immediately and read this much quicker than I've been reading most books lately. I think another reason I was so drawn into this is the voice of the female protagonist who narrates the story. Although this is set during the Civil War, her language is mostly contemporary so it doesn't feel like a typical historical fiction piece. Plus, she's witty, strong, and no-nonsense, exactly what I like to see in a heroine. Bondurant also adds a number of other anachronistic points, such as zeppelins, steam trolleys, etc, to keep the story interesting. Finally, I loved all the adventure and mystery from across the globe. I'm a big traveler so it was fun to see Europe and Africa from Cali's eyes and during a period long ago.
The ending is a bit of a cliff hanger and there's no indication if Bondurant will be writing more to this story. I certainly hope he does because I need to know what happens to Cali and Lucian!
Overall, I recommend this to anyone who likes YA romance/historical fiction that reads closer to the adult level. I think it would be an interesting story for anyone 14+. There are no intimate scenes and just a little cursing and violence.
This is my second Bondurant book and I really love how he's able to mix genres so well. I'm not a fan of historical fiction, but I do love romance and adventure, two big parts of this book. As such, I was hooked immediately and read this much quicker than I've been reading most books lately. I think another reason I was so drawn into this is the voice of the female protagonist who narrates the story. Although this is set during the Civil War, her language is mostly contemporary so it doesn't feel like a typical historical fiction piece. Plus, she's witty, strong, and no-nonsense, exactly what I like to see in a heroine. Bondurant also adds a number of other anachronistic points, such as zeppelins, steam trolleys, etc, to keep the story interesting. Finally, I loved all the adventure and mystery from across the globe. I'm a big traveler so it was fun to see Europe and Africa from Cali's eyes and during a period long ago.
The ending is a bit of a cliff hanger and there's no indication if Bondurant will be writing more to this story. I certainly hope he does because I need to know what happens to Cali and Lucian!
Overall, I recommend this to anyone who likes YA romance/historical fiction that reads closer to the adult level. I think it would be an interesting story for anyone 14+. There are no intimate scenes and just a little cursing and violence.
October 12, 2016
This review is based on an ARC received from the author.
This was a page-turner for me, a tasty bit of alternate history fiction with an unusual setting. The main character is from a seagoing family, and so much of the novel had to do with trade and sailing. Callista is a very enjoyable character, as were the others.
For me, the book had two weaknesses.
First, the chapter-heading artwork was inconsistent in quality. For instance, the illustrations at the beginning of chapters 8 and 18 were extremely good, but the quality dropped way off whenever people were the central focus of the illustration. That's a production issue, though, not a literary one.
Second, the alternate history was intriguing, but frustrating. Usually, the author of an alternate history provides more clues about the world. In this one, the American Civil War doesn't seem to have occurred until the late 1880s, and dirigibles are very advanced. Somehow, it is still economically viable to have transatlantic trade via sailing ship, even though steamships are relatively common. I'd love to have learned more about how any of these things happened, much less three seemingly unrelated things in the same story world.
So, I kept reading because of the interesting adventure story and the characters, but I really wanted more out of the world-building.
This was a page-turner for me, a tasty bit of alternate history fiction with an unusual setting. The main character is from a seagoing family, and so much of the novel had to do with trade and sailing. Callista is a very enjoyable character, as were the others.
For me, the book had two weaknesses.
First, the chapter-heading artwork was inconsistent in quality. For instance, the illustrations at the beginning of chapters 8 and 18 were extremely good, but the quality dropped way off whenever people were the central focus of the illustration. That's a production issue, though, not a literary one.
Second, the alternate history was intriguing, but frustrating. Usually, the author of an alternate history provides more clues about the world. In this one, the American Civil War doesn't seem to have occurred until the late 1880s, and dirigibles are very advanced. Somehow, it is still economically viable to have transatlantic trade via sailing ship, even though steamships are relatively common. I'd love to have learned more about how any of these things happened, much less three seemingly unrelated things in the same story world.
So, I kept reading because of the interesting adventure story and the characters, but I really wanted more out of the world-building.
May 9, 2015
I don't usually read this type of books but damn I enjoyed this one so much!
Recommended for everyone who's not familiar with the genre, trust me, you will want to read more.
I would change a few things in the book but that didn't stop me from liking it :)
Recommended for everyone who's not familiar with the genre, trust me, you will want to read more.
I would change a few things in the book but that didn't stop me from liking it :)
May 13, 2015
I really enjoyed this historical fantasy.Through Callie,I felt like I was living through this period in American history,and experiencing life on a great sailing ship.I intend to give this book to my granddaughter because she will enjoy it as much as I did.
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October 14, 2014fantastic book ,, i enjoy every word of this book ,, Just i can read and read this book whole my life ,, Love This wonderful book :)
March 19, 2015
I had my great niece read it and she enjoyed it.
April 14, 2017
Not a genre I normally read, but it was refreshing to step out my comfort zone. The story of adventure and intrigue, was well written - a mix of different genres with a strong heroine. Which is a must for me to be fully engaged in a read. I found the protagonist, Cali relatable. I got to view the world through her eyes as she experienced an array of challenges, transitioning into womanhood.
June 10, 2017
At a young age of 17, brave Calista helps lead her parents in the right direction by suggesting that they head to Europe and then the Congo for trade and such for profit. Calista is a free spirit who dances to the music of her own drum, making new friends and gets lost in travels among musicians. Even with these new and exciting distractions that led her astray, she overcame these obstacles and came around. She saved her family from going under, losing everything and also saved her friends life. She has learned to deal with and to cope with death. Not only was she a heroin to her family, she was caught off guard with falling in love with the man of her dreams as well. This historical fiction was garnished with romance, excitement and suspense. I strongly recommend this book for people of all ages, especially for those who want to encourage their daughters to be leaders. To see themselves looking up to this fantastic heroin as they can set their own path in life looking for a partner that compliments, not just completes them.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews