I can’t recommend this book enough. The writing is beautiful and stays true to its historical setting. Where other writers would have started and finished the story around the voyage itself, Barrett wisely shows the effects of the voyage on the characters, but avoids the pitfall of making the second half anticlimatic. I would suggest this to most serious readers, especially those who enjoy seafaring stories like the Patrick O’Brien books, as well as naturalist-focused books like Angels & Insects.