The Last Voyage of the Donna Isabel: a Romance of the Sea

by Randall Parrish

""The Last Voyage of the Donna Isabel"" is a romance novel set at sea, written by Randall Parrish. The book follows the story of a young man named Philip Marsham, who sets sail on the Donna Isabel, a ship bound for the West Indies. On board, he meets and falls in love with a beautiful young woman named Faith Vanstone. However, their romance is threatened by the presence of a dangerous pirate named Captain Blackbeard, who is also on board the ship. As the ship makes its perilous journey across the ocean, Philip and Faith must navigate their feelings for each other while also trying to survive the threat of the pirate. The book is filled with adventure, romance, and danger, making it a thrilling read for anyone who loves sea stories.1908. The book Some may question the truth of this narrative, yet they will scarcely be found among those who go down to the sea in ships. To them the unfathomable mystery abiding upon the face of the great deep, the constant marvel of huge, heaving leagues of watery solitude, secret and profound, must ever remain so vast, so inexplicable, as to be beyond any interrogatory of the finite-the strange, the unexpected, lurking everywhere. To others, mere landsmen, confidently imagining that all phenomena can be reduced within the contracted limits of human comprehension, I need say no more than that witnesses still survive to corroborate the principal incidents of this story, which I now purpose writing in the full glow of a memory still dominated by the events to be recorded. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

368 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1908

About the author

American journalist and dime novel writer

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This has almost a mystical Pirates-of-the-Caribbean sort of feel to it, with a treasure ship encrusted in ice—an old Spanish galleon, with three million pesos aboard, along with the dead bodies of the former sailors! But to get there the hero, who is in hiding from a political upset with the Chilean officials, has to endure being forced to navigate a pleasure yacht with a fine lady aboard, which has been pirated by treasure-hungry desperadoes. Often it looks utterly hopeless for both hero and heroine, especially as she is already married to a scoundrel twice her age, and their love is forbidden.

It's a gripping tale, and one where you'll feel the nip of the south seas and feel the shuddering cold of the weather. You may even be infected with the lust for Spanish gold...

-I didn't like the married-woman-forbidden-love angle, though I did like the characters themselves.
-The language is decidedly salty, which is unusual for a Parrish book.

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the way it ended. Also loved the idea behind the "last voyage" I was not expecting it to mean what it did. To have the 126 year old ship break loose from the ice and them actually end up sailing it north was an great way for them to find the vessel. The description of the original crew and their fate was poignant. One of his better books.