SHINE Magazine » Featured http://shinemag.com Transmitting culture, fashion, beauty, and lifestyle on the Internet waves directly from London Sat, 27 Mar 2010 17:47:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 The Lieutenant http://shinemag.com/2010/03/08/the-lieutenant/ http://shinemag.com/2010/03/08/the-lieutenant/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:14:15 +0000 Sherry Ziaie-Fard http://shinemag.com/?p=1023 Daniel Rooke although always having a sense of inadequacy in fitting in with his peers, was born with a gift of calculating numbers. This gift maps out his entire destiny; from the moment he enters The Portsmouth Naval Academy to the moment he breaths his final breath on a Caribbean island some 65 years later. A Dr Adair gives Rooke two opportunities. The first one is an offer of a bursary to attend the Academy and the second is introducing him to Dr Vickory, the Astronomer Royal at Greenwich. The latter will be of great importance to his future. After failing to gain a position at an observatory, Rooke joins His Majesty’s Marine Forces and in due course receives his commission as second lieutenant.  However, after being severely injured in a sea battle, he returns to Portsmouth. Some years later, aged 24 and fully recovered from his injuries, Rooke receives an offer from Dr Vickory  to be an astronomer on a proposed naval expedition to New South Wales. Accompanied by his friend Silk, a lieutenant with aspirations of becoming a writer and the rest of his companions on board the Charlotte, Rooke embarks on a voyage to the new colony. Gradually falling away from the restrictive shackles of the navy and by forming a new friendship with a young native girl, this odyssey to establish himself as an astronomer soon becomes a mind altering journey of self discovery.

The story of Rooke’s journey is set in the 18th century but, is one that all can relate to in modern times. His passions, his doubts when making decisions, his indecisions about following command when required by his superiors and the joys he receives from simple, daily occurrences. The book has plots based on colonial and naval expeditions, which, although fascinating yet slightly disturbing, come secondary to his story. The author really captivates the reader’s mind through the emotional evolvement of Rooke’s personality and it is something I find most endearing about his character. As a history graduate, I found the context of the book very intriguing. Naval history is a subject I know little about, but I do know expeditions to new colonies in the 18th century were not exactly similar to the adventure movies filmed in Hollywood. I think this context adds to the empathy the reader feels for the character and the decisions he makes throughout the book. The Lieutenant is an intelligent, thought provoking read that makes my mind wonder to a hut on a rock in New South Wales, stars glistening in the sky and a young man wondering what destiny awaits him.

Available from Amazon.com in the USA and Amazon.co.uk in the UK.

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