Audible, June 2013

We meet Walter Crofter as an old man, 67, ill and possibly dying of malaria, determined to write down the story of his life, both what he did, and most importantly, why. He has secrets never shared, and wants his wife and children to understand.

Walter Crofter is the son of a cloth merchant in Elizabethan England, and his father's lack of business skill does not make life easy. His old patron, Sir Walter Scott is out of favor, his elder son Gerald has embarked on a life of crime, and the cloth merchant has little to offer his younger son but hard work with few prospects. Walter loves his parents, but he wants his work to count for something.

So he sets out, and, almost by chance, signs on to a royal merchant ship. The second in command, Bart, takes Walter under his wing and teaches him the skills of a sailor, and Walter over the next few years rises through the ranks.

He's also learning the skills of a merchant trader, and proves both lucky and smart. The luck is important, because life at sea in late Elizabethan and early Jacobean times is very, very dangerous. They fight the French and assorted pirates, and have many adventures, while Walter grows from boy to man.

I will say right now that, for an historical novel, the history of Spain in the late 16th and early 17th century, as related in this book, is absolute nonsense. I strongly recommend ignoring that, and just sit back and enjoy the story. Walter is an utterly engaging character, fallible, but loyal and decent, and it's his fundamental decency as much as his brains and his hard work that see him through the danger and challenges he faces. Because he is decent, loyal, and honorable, he attracts people like himself.

What is real in this picture of the times is the violence, the danger, the risk of disease at a time when medicine was at best primitive. This wasn't a time when the weak survived--and Walter Crofter is a very well-drawn example of moral decency as an essential part of strength, rather than a source of weakness.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of the audiobook from the author. ( )

Walter Crofter was born into a family of London shopkeepers in 1588. He never truly felt like he belonged within his own family - so by age eleven, Walter had run away and somehow found his way on to a British ship. For the next eight years, Walter sailed around the world and rose quickly through the ranks of the Merchant Navy.

Now at the age of 67, Walter looks back over a life lived during a period of turmoil - where politics and royal favor could turn deadly, shifting at a whim. With a family background such as his, can an honest boy stay true to himself and his principles?

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It was such an engaging plot, and the characters fairly jumped off the page at me. I give this book an A+! and am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series, which will focus on the life of James Crofter, Walter's son. ( )

I, Walter is an exciting story set in the early 1600′s. Walter is telling his life story, from his birth and upbringing-by a father who never could sell much and waited for Sir Walter Raleigh to be back in favor, and a mother who nagged and cajoled him. Walter’s older brother ran away from home and now is a wanted criminal. Walter left home at 12 years of age and ended up on a large ship with many masts, were he became a member of The Royal Marine Merchant Navy.

I became swept away with Walter on his life travels, rising in rank, fighting pirates, falling in love, commanding his on ship, and having a family! It was a smooth and well paced story line that pulled you in. I felt all the action, pain and sadness that Walter experienced. Well written! Well done!

Rating 4

Heat rating: mild

Reviewed by: GlendaL

Courtesy of My Book Addiction and More ( )

I don't usually read historical fiction but a colleague highly recommended this book so I decided to give it a try.
I liked Walter's sense of humor and voice. The story starts when he is elderly and writing out his story, and then you quickly get to the thick of it. I connected with him because I understood the feelings of being mismatched from family, and that is a universal theme. Not only did I used to feel that, and want to fit in with other families, I thought that I had legitimately been switched at birth and my best friend was my sister. I know, I know. Teenage brains, right?
His family struggled, and he had to move around and watch his parents fight and that it also something that I dealt with when I was younger. Of course it was different circumstances, but some themes are universal.
A lot of the cultural subtleties were lost on me, so while I am sure it was well researched, I can't really comment on that aspect like some reviewers do and readers want to know about.
It was really interesting how he came to be a part of the navy, and how fate steered things in his life, and that is another universal theme I enjoyed that each little thing and decision effects so much then and on down the line.
The writing is lyrical at times, and I loved the vivid descriptions like of the sea and of the skies when he first got on the ship.
One of the aspects that I didn't enjoy is when I got pulled out of the story when the elderly Walter inserts commentary instead of just writing like he was a teen again. But I understand the aesthetic value that can bring and the crossover appeal as well.
The love story was great and even though I knew the ending because of the beginning the journey for Walter and Maria to get where they were was enthralling. I loved it when they didn't even know each other's languages but used hand gestures to communicate, and the time they spent together, the bond that drew them together.
Walter led me on quite the adventure, fighting pirates, being aboard the ship and proving his worth to Maria. There is also a darker side, him putting secrets out there and working out guilt over some of the actions. It was so easy to pull for Walter and be so into what he was up to and his life and those of the ones surrounding him.