Children of Captain Grant

Author: Jules Verne
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: The Children of Captain Grant is part of the famous trilogy—The Children of Captain Grant, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and The Mysterious Island—written in 1867. The novel depicts the cruise ship Duncan sailing between Ireland and England on its maiden voyage. The shipowner, Sir George Gordon, suddenly discovers a shark following behind the ship's stern. After the sailors kill the shark, they find a sealed bottle in its belly containing three incomplete distress letters, written in English, French, and German. The letters are from the English explorer Captain Grant. Upon learning this, Captain Grant's children immediately go to the shipowner, Sir George Gordon's mansion. Since the British government refuses to send a ship for rescue, Sir George Gordon and Lady Helena decide to take Captain Grant's children aboard the Duncan to find their father. They cross the South American plains, travel throughout Australia and New Zealand, and circumnavigate the globe. Along the way, they overcome countless difficulties with immense courage and perseverance, ultimately finding Captain Grant on a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. The novel also condemns the evils of poverty, unemployment, and human oppression and exploitation, criticizes and denounces colonialism, and expresses deep sympathy for the people fighting for freedom.