Roger Willoughby: A Story of the Times of Benbow
1881
Roger Willoughby: A Story of the Times of Benbow
1881
On the windswept shores of Dorsetshire, young Roger Willoughby watches a ship glide across the horizon and feels the sea call to him with an urgency he cannot name. Shackled to a sheltered life on land, he dreams of the moment he might sail beyond the cliffs he knows, into the adventures that await in the wider world. When the opportunity finally comes to board a vessel and test himself against the ocean, Roger discovers that the real voyage has only just begun: one that will forge his character, challenge his loyalties, and introduce him to figures like the formidable Captain Benbow, whose reputation precedes him like a squall on the horizon. Alongside his friend Stephen Battiscombe, Roger navigates not only the treacherous waters of the coast but the political currents of an era ripe with upheaval. This is a story of a boy becoming a man, of ambition meeting circumstance, of the romancing of the sea in an age when sailing meant something. Kingston writes with the infectious enthusiasm of a man who believed adventure was the best education, and his affection for his young protagonist is palpable on every page. Readers who long for tales of courage, friendship, and the open ocean will find in Roger Willoughby a spirit as fresh as the salt air.
