Coconut Chaos

At dawn on 27 April 1789 Fletcher Christian, master's mate on HMS Bounty, took a coconut to quench his thirst from the supply on the quarterdeck. This seemingly insignificant act resulted in mutiny, chaos and a chain of events that leads right up to the present day.

With a story driven by hazardous and extraordinary sea voyages and a cast that includes the Bounty mutineers, an eccentric lesbian aristocrat, Pitcairn Island sex offenders and the narrator's ancient mother, this sparkling and original book weaves together fact and fiction, history and autobiography, humour and danger in inimitable style.

“'Subversive, philosophical, deliberately chaotic and a rattling good yarn' Independent.”

Independent
'Seamlessly and elegantly, Souhami weaves together the strands of past and present, and unravels parallels between Pitcairn's extraordinary beginnings and its equally extraordinary present ... full of love' Mail on Sunday. Mail on Sunday
'Coconut Chaos is a delight, moreish and funny' Observer. Observer
'I was impressed by the way she has taken risks with history - her own as well as the documented story of the mutiny on the Bounty. We need writers who will tackle the given form of their medium and push at the edges of what is permissible' Jeanette Winterson, The Times. The Times

Diana Souhami is the author of Selkirk's Island (winner of the Whitbread Biography award), The Trials of Radclyffe Hall (shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize for Biography and winner of the US Lambda Literary Award), the bestselling Mrs Keppel and Her Daughter (also winner of the Lambda Literary Award and a New York Times 'Notable Book of the Year'). Her latest book is Murder at Wrotham Hill. She lives in London and Devon.

At dawn on 27 April 1789 Fletcher Christian, master's mate, took a coconut to quench his thirst from the supply on the quarterdeck of HMS Bounty. He thought it an insignificant act of 'no consequence', but it led to mutiny, chaos, murder and a chain of events that continues to this day. In a story driven by hazardous and extraordinary sea voyages, and a cast that includes Captain Bligh, the Bounty mutineers, an eccentric lesbian aristocrat, Pitcairn Island sex offenders and the narrator's ancient mother, this subversive, entertaining book interweaves fact and fiction, history and autobiography, humour and danger, with groundbreaking panache.

At dawn on 27 April 1789 Fletcher Christian, master's mate on HMS Bounty, took a coconut to quench his thirst from the supply on the quarterdeck. This seemingly insignificant act resulted in mutiny, chaos and a chain of events that leads right up to the present day. With a story driven by hazardous and extraordinary sea voyages and a cast that includes the Bounty mutineers, an eccentric lesbian aristocrat, Pitcairn Island sex offenders and the narrator's ancient mother, this sparkling and original book weaves together fact and fiction, history and autobiography, humour and danger in inimitable style.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.