Reviews

This is the second of a planned trilogy, the first of which explored Watkins's childhood (A Celtic Childhood, LJ 9/15/99). In this volume, we follow his adventures as a young man, first on the high seas and later in Scotland. It is no surprise that these reminiscences are more colorful in language and content, but they still contain the youthful navet and charm that buoyed up the earlier volume. The characters and settings are vividly described in Watkins's colorful, somewhat florid style. Throughout, he skillfully intertwines history, literature, and the real world, creating an entertaining composite of "true and tall tales" in the process. The book includes a glossary (particularly helpful for the slang terms) and lyrics for some of the songs referred to in the text. An entertaining read; recommended for larger public libraries. Angela M. Weiler, SUNY at Morrisville Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.