Jason Smiley Stewart - My Life Story
Volume 1 - Against All Odds
What Readers have written about ‘Against All Odds’
Ian passed me your book to read, which I did with the greatest of pleasure. I enjoyed it immensely and had no trouble getting through it in a very short time. It probably appealed as well as I have visited Telegraph Island and knew some of the history, and maybe some of the writing reminded me of the Hornblower stories.
You have produced a worthy novel and I admire your writing which made it possible to imagine the characters and the life and times.
----above all, a good story. Some of the set pieces are described in brilliant detail, linked symbolically as the narrative unfolds, by the laying of the sub-marine cable, vividly bringing home the relative recency of the telecommunication age, serving not always successfully to relieve the pain of human isolation. I felt the sense of loss that one feels on finishing a well-told tale, but look forward to splicing the yet-to-be-connected threads in the anticipated sequel - "Telegraph Island" Basil James.
A boy on his journey to be a man; the Middle East; a desolate island and a wonderful love story. A stimulating novel for anyone fascinated with the 19th Century and the exhilaration of travelling and discovering the unknown.
Translated from the original German text: In the first half of the 19th Century a country bumpkin, Jason Smiley, unexpectedly leaves his father’s smithy in the little village of Pickworth and joins the Earl Canning; the new ship commanded by Captain Stewart from the next village. This transformation is caused by a loose horseshoe and the fact that Jason nearly drops a highly sensitive instrument – a sextant. In the first volume (Against All Odds), of a four volume autobiography, shy Jason starts to learn social graces and demonstrates his technical ability but he also makes mistakes as he travels a world he didn’t know before.
John Milton Langdon tells the story from the perspective of the old Jason using the language of the time and mindful of the ruling social conventions. The result is the story of life that is detailed, full of atmosphere and unexpected twists. In particular the carefully structured last chapter leaves one curious to read more.
Jason Smiley is set to follow in the footsteps of Hornblower and Jack Aubrey. Fact and fiction are blended together to maintain interest and enjoyment.