I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Shanghaied by Jon Howe is a historical novel following Eamon, an American man who is kidnapped and forced to serve on the ship the Atalanta as it travels around the world. Eamon has no desire to stay on the ship but as it gets further and further from his home and his family, he has to find new ways to survive and use his skills as a printer to remain useful.

I liked the attention to detail when it came to life on a ship. The different positions and jobs plus the names for the parts and pieces of the ship show knowledge on the part of the author, adding a layer of authenticity to the work. The emotional moments through the letters between Eamon and his wife added depth to their relationship and the ticking clock the two face (if Eamon doesn’t come back, his wife could be pressured into marriage or giving up their printing business in order to continue providing for their children).

I was only somewhat aware of the practice of kidnapping men to serve as sailors, so this work gave me some places to start to continue my own research on the topic. Several points are made to discuss how this example of early capitalism impacted everyone, from Chinese women forced into prostitution to men like Eamon to mentions of the enslavement of African people and the Opium War

Content warning for depictions of period typical racism, particularly in relation to Chinese people, Tahitian women, and Black men as well as mentions of physical assault of a Chinese woman.

I would recommend this to readers looking for historical works centering around kidnapped men working on cargo ships.

Oh my goodness, this was a fantastic story. I've read about people getting pressed into service but hadn't thought that much about how that would feel. Excellent story.

The lives of three Marblehead, Massachusetts men turned on a dime when they stopped at a pub one night. Drugged and shanghaied, they awakened in the hold of a merchant ship at sea. Eamon McGrath was a printer, Sam Holbrook, a farmer, and Coop, an apprentice cooper. When merchant ships in the early 1800s lost crew to the British Navy, replacements were often kidnapped. For the trio, each day would be a fight to get their bearings. Seafaring language was new to Eamon, Sam and Coop. They must master new daily challenges. Orders must be followed. Brute force was used, if necessary, to keep the crew in line as the trade ship sailed to Hong Kong.

Eamon was grief stricken. His outcry earned him a severe beating. "His body pain is welcome compared to the agony his heart cannot escape." His experience as a printer would help Captain Rolinson with basic bookkeeping and manifest entries.

"A farmer's experience is bizarre at sea," however, Sam helped Cook with the livestock, even earning the moniker of "Doc" when curing the ills of the wayfarers.

Coop hoped to eventually inherit his father's trade. Now, his love of adventure kicked in. He had already climbed to the top of the rigging.

"A captain without a command is a lost soul, and there are many ways to lose one's ship. Beyond storms and reefs, mutineers and pirates, there is the business of running a ship...Of all the variables he deals with...other than weather, his crew's mood bears the most on the ship's profitability." The Atalanta had been sold to a Hong Kong company and was en route to East Asia. "Where the crew's weaknesses reveal themselves is near the equator...in the heat and calm of the doldrums...The crew is forever up and down the rigging chasing the least patch of wind."

Upon the rigging, "something profound within him shifts...the moment he beholds the beauty before him, his grip on the betrayal he suffers loosens...he hates that Atalanta carries him farther from home. Away from love. Away from hope. He is new to hatred so fierce...but...Atop the mast, what rushes in is beauty...He no longer knows where he belongs...with each breath, air feels new...So, it is not the brutality on deck that breaks Eamon, breaks him open and compels him onward. It is beauty that breaks him."

As a land lubber, this reader was fascinated by the world of merchant vessels and seafaring in the early 1800s. Storms, shipwrecks and reefs, as experienced and addressed by the Atalanta's crew, were meticulously described. The in-depth glossary provided additional clarification for this read of nautical historical fiction. Highly recommended.

Thank you Koehler Books and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's 3.5 stars for me - this was such an interesting debut. I'm always intrigued by anything relating to sea-farers or piracy so this hit the spot. It wasn't perfect, but I feel like I learned a lot and that the plot was steadily paced throughout.

Thank you for letting me read this ARC.

What an incredible debut novel! Shanghaied is exactly about that title. This book by Jon Howe is an incredible look into how it was when a man went to a pub in Massachusetts in the early 1800's, expected to come home and poof! was kidnapped, wakes up on a strange sea faring vessel and is pressed unwittingly into serving that captain and ship. Harrowing! His family doesn't know what happened to him until they hear the gossip in town and or received that letter from somewhere in the world that took months to travel to its recipient!! I loved this book, and I am (being a land lubber) ever grateful for the glossary in the back of the book. I certainly learned new terminology. This is a terrific book, a great story that sent my emotions all over the place, and eloquently written. Bravo to Mr. Howe!

I was so invested in reading this, it had a great historical fiction novel and I enjoyed the time-period that was used. The story worked well overall and I enjoyed getting to go on this adventure. Jon Howe does a great job in pulling you in and making you care about the characters.

Shanghaied starts with Eamon McGrath in a dire situation, forced onto a ship away from his family. What follows is adventure, peril, and majestic seafaring. I became immersed in the world of early 19th century seafaring, and enjoyed the character arch of Eamon overcoming his bitterness to find acceptance and resilience at sea. Some of the language didn't ring true to the period, but fans of Master and Commander or other seafaring stories should find this a fun read.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Lots of action and adventure on the high seas. Good read.

3.75☆

A good action-packed novel regarding one man's efforts to get back home. The story was full of action and the story held your interest. Overall, a good read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.