Rites of Passage

I picked this up in Oxfam Bookshop last week purely on its cover art - a bizarre cross between Neptune and a crowned man-in-the-moon. Having previously read, and enjoyed (definitely NOT the right word) ‘Lord of the Flies' I also thought you couldn't really go wrong with William Golding - I wasn't entirely correct.
What we read is essentially Edmund Talbot's journal that he is writing for his godfather. He is a rather snobbish young man with few pleasant characteristics. His observations on the passengers and crew are condescending and reveal more about Edmund himself. I didn't really like him, I don't imagine that you are meant to like him, but I absolutely loved the way he wrote! Golding's words are a joy to read, I laughed out loud on many and occasion and adored his many “paranomasia”.
There is little plot, it could be whittled down to a couple of lines and would sound rather dull. Essentially it, like Lord of the Flies, examines the breaking down of society and the darkness that lurks inside each and every one of us, but it's not nearly as good. I'd like to think that young Edmund has learned a lesson from this tale. Perhaps at some point I shall rejoin his journey, apparently there are a further 2 volumes, but I'm in no hurry!

Good prose, but uninteresting. Maybe this is a piece that cannot be read outside its own time. The “scandal” around which the book is based is largely uneventful and possibly unbelievable. Was probably my first seafaring book though...