Sea Fever By K.M. Peyton

K.M. Peyton Ú 5 review

I found this book in a box when spring cleaning. I enjoyed it as much this time as I did when I first read it over 40 years ago.
Whilst her Flambards books are the most famous, and were televised, this is a really good read. Sea Fever An early work by K.M Peyton (and possibly one of the ones written in collaboration with her husband), this book may disappoint Peyton fans looking to read about teenage girls mooning over their horses (or perhaps more recent converts expecting historical fiction featuring somewhat anachronistically independent young heroines, as in Snowfall, my favorite of Peton's recent novels). Sea Fever is pure seafaring yarn, and as such is very gripping and satisfying. Whatever the genre, Peyton is a fantastic storyteller.

At the book's start, Matt, the seventeen-year old hero, has been working for several years with his father on their decrepit fishing smack in a small village somewhere near the mouth of the Thames. When his father is drowned in a freak accident Matt suddenly finds himself the sole support of his mother and several siblings, with a fishing boat that's falling to pieces under him and not enough help to man it. He unexpectedly strikes up a friendship with Francis, the son of a very rich yacht owner, who may be willing to pay a lot for crew to man the yacht in a race in which 1,000 pounds is at stake. There are many exciting scenes of wrecks, races, nautical daring-do and outright villainy. The baddie in this story is so very bad, that I'm a little surprised I didn't find the whole thing two-dimensional and unbelievable, but I read on furiously, white knuckled, never once conscious of having to suspend disbelief.

I'm very glad I sought this obscure book out, and it was refreshing to read something rather different from my usual fare. A breath of fresh sea air, as it were. Sea Fever

Sea Fever