u/sterkenwald

Hello Shipmates. As some of you may know, my grandfather passed away recently. We were completing a circumnavigation together, and I wanted to share my thoughts on Desolation Island that I won’t be able to share with him now:

What a wild one this book was. Jack doesn’t get to be so lucky with a ship full of prisoners, a plague on board, an overpowered Dutch ship stalking him, a near mutiny, and a shipwreck. This one definitely has the main characters up against the ropes early and often. His naval woes notwithstanding, Jack is also a complete mess on land, being scammed by Mr Kimber (I’m curious to see how he shows back up and whether Jack realizes what’s happening to him), gambling away his money, and just generally being restless. Of course Stephen doesn’t fare much better, holding the bag financially and emotionally upon finding Diana gone.

And yet along with the long suffering misery of everyone on board the Leopard, Desolation Island offers the reader some of the most clever character development so far. Jack recounts the story of Captain Bligh, and seems to recall the lesson of leadership skills from it when he is set in similar circumstances. His wisdom remains a constant, but it’s refreshing to see it tested against more trying situations. Stephen must contend with Wogan, something of a shadow of Diana, keeping her at arms length and playing the long game with Herapath. And how brilliantly he manipulates the situation, at least most of the time. It did strain credulity for me a bit that Herapath would be so trusting of him to divulge all that he knows, and that Herapath wouldn’t suspect Maturin has anything less than pure naïveté when offering Herapath the final medical check of the La Fayette.

I wonder what my grandfather would have to say about this book. Being a generally cheerful man, I suspect he would laugh and say something to the effect of “oh they sure got put through their paces, but they came out pretty good didn’t they?” He would chuckle recalling some of Jack’s puns, he would probably know a lot more about Captain Bligh, and we would wonder together about the fate of Maturin and Aubrey after the final line. Of course, being a seasoned circumnavigation expert himself, I’m sure he would hint at what happens in the next book.

This was my first book of the series without my grandfather to circumnavigate with. It was a crushing, engaging, interesting, and heartbreaking read. I look forward to the next one, and hope that you shipmates might listen to the thoughts I would have shared with him. Your support is much appreciated.

Context: I currently own a 2009 Toyota Camry that I bought from a friend about 4 years ago. It had right around 210k miles on it, and although I’ve had to do some big repairs on it due to age, it’s in decent condition. My mechanic has told me that a 09 Camry is one of the most reliable used cars I could have and it would easily go a lot more with consistent maintenance.

I’m also inheriting from my grandpa a 2019 Toyota Corolla Hybrid with about 55k miles on it. It’s been relatively lightly used and he’s kept up with all the maintenance. Other than the cost of a title transfer, it’s no cost to me.

I’m mostly thinking about what’s going to be best propelling me into the future. I like the simplicity of the 09 Camry and it’s been reliable so far. I’m just wondering whether I’d be better off with a newer model or if my 09 is an easier car to keep going for longer. I’m leaning towards taking the 19 Corolla, but wanted to ask for other opinions to make sure I’m not being stupid about it.