This is my very first “Applause for Authors” (A4A) post, and I have to say: I’m bursting to tell you about this Middle-Grade debut novel!
Title: The Curse of Purgatory Cove
Author: Pete A. O’Donnell
Genre: MG/fantasy (with elements of historical fiction)
Published: September, 2019
Expertise in—and Enthusiasm for!—Sailing… and more!
In the dedication, O’Donnell remembers two of his uncles and the fond memories of sailing with each of them. There is a depth of information about sailing and the sites on the East Coast.
O’Donnell hails from Rhode Island, the setting for this novel. And his last name hearkens to Ireland.
This expertise speaks boatloads (pun intended!) throughout the novel.
Two Storylines Blended Together
The story is told from the first-person point-of-view (POV) of Tom, a thirteen-year-old and his paper route.
That is, until chapter 10 when Tom promises to go on an errand for crazy old man, Swift. Tom’s payment for the errand is to keep his father’s fixed boat, free-and-clear. While they work on the boat, Swift tells his life-story. He recalls being a boy about Tom’s age and how a turn of events made him a sailor, which led him to become a murderous, thieving pirate, pillaging merchant ships along with mates under him.
The fascinating part—and a huge cause for applause for O’Donnell—is how Swift’s story is portrayed. It’s also told in first-person—but as dialogue. Paragraphs of it. As if Swift is telling his story to Tom while they work, minus plot-slowing action beats and interrupting questions.
I haven’t seen this done in this way ever before. And, wow, this style carries the story well!
The novel becomes two first-person accounts happening simultaneously until it comes to a head at the end of the story where both storylines collide into real-time.
This is such a tactful, delightful method of storytelling. Both first-person. Very different characters. And the reader is seeped in the character’s mind both times in deeper POV.
Deeper POV
Both characters have agendas. Both characters have promises to keep and dreams to seize. And readers experience both first-hand.
Because O’Donnell uses deeper POV, where the reader becomes the character. On one hand, a young man becomes a pirate. Through those paragraphs, I’ve tasted the salty air. I’ve seen with my eyes the pirates’ silk stockings and jewelry—taken from their loot of stolen goods of merchant ships to replace ragged clothes. I sympathized with the pirates’ greed for treasure which could make their free lives also rich, while being unhindered by any nation’s government other than their own.
On the flip-side, I’ve lived in the mind of a thirteen-year-old boy and his longing to see his father, who he hasn’t seen since his parents divorced. I became the kid in the final weeks of middle school, nearing the beginning of a dreaded life at boarding school.
By being in both characters so deeply, there are no info dumps. Not one! Because old Captain Swift explains to his apprentice, Tom, about sailing. The magic, the legend… it’s all told as Tom learns it through Swift’s retelling of it.
And O’Donnell does this masterfully.
As for the magic, the Irish legend of Oisín in Tir na nÓg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ois%C3%ADn) is told alongside the mysterious curse of one very old pirate.
Illustrations!
The cover and all illustrations inside were drawn by the author. Double-duty! Which is cause for double-applause, me hardies!
Educational Opportunity
Being a middle-grade novel, The Curse of Purgatory Cove is filled with pirates, magic and the troubles a modern thirteen-year-old. But this story could be used as a teaching resource. Lend your ear for a moment:
- Learn how to sail and the parts of the little ship Tom rode. (I’m thinking of a group project!)
- History of trade, including slave trade. (Presentation, anyone?)
- The uprising of pirates on the seas and political injustice. (Move over, Captain Blackbeard.)
- Landmarks on the East Coast. (Possible field trip…)
- A much lighter novel, as opposed to Treasure Island, although just as sinister and realistic. A more vast view of the survivor Robinson Crusoe tale. And don’t forget Captain Blood and Peter Pan. (Comparison study!)
- Irish legend of Oisín in Tir na nÓg. (Need I say more?)
Buy it now!
This novel is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Which means, this self-published novel is easy to purchase. Did I mention he is self-published?! Support a debut novelist and tell your friends!!
Or sample the first three chapters first!
This is the best deal of them all! The author, Pete O’Donnell, audio recorded the first three chapters, so you can sample his novel… for free! Listen on his website: https://illadvisedstories.com/
Until next time… Anchors, ahoy!
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Thanks for this review, Cheryl. As a mom of three boys, I think I’ll be buying this one for the future!