Alone on A Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo – Book Review

by Faizan Fahim · Published 28/09/2018 · Updated 13/02/2020

Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo is the second book of Morpurgo I read. I read the Private Peaceful which I liked a lot.

So when I saw this book in the street market, I brought it. For 30 Rs. Good deal.

I finished reading it in two sitting. The books are short, but then there is the way Morpurgo close the chapter that you feel the urge to read one more.

It is very different from what Sidney Sheldon does. Sidney ends the chapter on such cliffhangers that one just cannot stop himself from continuing.

Morpurgo manly writes for kids (well, I am 22 😛 ), so he maintains the soft writing throughout the book.

World War 2 Plot

Like Private Peaceful, Alone on Wide Wide Sea has a World War 2 going on. In Private Peaceful we were in the center, in it we are sea away from the location.

It shows how bigger and farther does the consequences of World War has.

The orphans, missing kids, and unwanted children were thrown into a ship and dispatched to the countries where there were no fights. With the dreams of good life and bright future.

But that never happens. Most of the kids lose their siblings. Many become the slaves in other countries, and many did not survive the thunder.

This book tells the story of Arthur Hobhouse. An orphan shipped to Australia.

This is a story of a brother trying to find his sister.

And it will make you sad after reading the end.

Other World War 2 Books:

Depth of the Sea

A big part of the story is on the sea. Be it the journey from Australia to London or making ships at the beach.

But alike sea, the characters do not have any depth. They are nicely written for sure, but they look cut out figures. The depth of the characters come from reading the character, but the story is short and does not provide weight to characters.

Like Kate Atkinson, you can read her books and find a new thing about the character every time.

But this does not hurt the book. It improves it.

Sometimes, less is more.

alone on a wide wide sea book reveiew - Alone on A Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo - Book Review

alone on a wide wide sea book review

London Bridge is Falling Down

This song is from start to end. A back music.

And when they find they sister, this song plays. Then you see the importance of the song in the life of the protagonist.

Listen to the song.

Quotes from the Book

If I learned anything in this life, I've learned that you can't cling on. Click To Tweet

You have to understand the sea, he said, to listen to her, to look out for her moods, to get to know her and respect her and love her. Only then can you build boats that feel at home on the sea.

Read DatBookReviews review of Alone on a Wide Wide Sea.