What an incredible adventure Rose de Freycinet has had In 1817, disguised as a man, she boarded a Royal Navy corvette commanded by her husband. Married 3 years earlier, she refused to leave him for 3 years, the time of his world tour. Accompanying her, she will become - no doubt - the first woman to have circumnavigated.
To write this book, Marie-José Chavenon relies on the diary found of this woman with a strong character. Little romanticized, it explains the historical and political situations of the time and the encounters made during the journey.
A journey that will take our heroine around Cape Horn and, above all, see her corvette run aground and sink in the Falklands. It is finally on a ship flying the American flag that the crew embarked to complete its loop after 3 years at sea.
The book could end there. But obviously, the author discovered in the course of her research that other women had used the same subterfuge (disguising themselves as men) to board. Thus, in addition to the 150 pages that carefully tell Rose's story, 8 women's stories (on about 50 pages) are added. If the former resemble that of Rose and justify their presence in this book, the latter (and in particular that of Florence Arthaud) are more there to attract the barge, it seems to me.
The title"De Rose de Freycinet à Florence Arthaud" is a bit oversold given the content of the book. This is unfortunate, because the quality and accuracy of historical research make it an interesting and enjoyable document to read.
From Rose de Freycinet to Florence Arthaud
- Éditions Gérard Louis
- 210 pages
- 14.1 x 20.6 cm
- 19,00 €
