Cruel Sea
by
Nicholas Monsarrat
- ISBN:
-
1580800467
- Format:
-
Paperback, 520 pages
- Publish Date:
-
April, 2000
- Publisher:
-
32
- Other Format(s):
-
Hardcover, Audiobook
A powerful novel of the North Atlantic in World War II, The Cruel Sea is the story of the British ships Compass Rose and Saltash and of their desperate cat-and-mouse game with Nazi U-boats. First published in to great acclaim in 1951 (the New York Times called it “fascinating and compelling”), The Cruel Sea remains a classic novel of endurance and daring. Author Nicholas Monsarrat drew upon his own wartime experiences to bring a gritty realism to the story, capturing all the dread and danger of convoy-escort duty in the Battle of the Atlantic. Following first one vessel, then the other, through the years 1939 to 1945, events are viewed mainly through the eyes of Lockhart, an idealistic young recruit at the outset, a hardened veteran by the end. Another main character is Lockhart’s commanding officer, Ericson, a bona fide naval professional largely surrounded by civilians-turned-sailors in the exigencies of wartime. The stoic endurance and professionalism of these crews as they battle the largely unseen enemy, and confront the implacable, often deadly sea, make for gripping, timeless fiction. And it can make the modern reader ponder, how would I stack up, in their situation?