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{{Short description|1990 historical novel by Avi}}
{{infobox Book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2018}}
{{infobox book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
| name = The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
| name = The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
| image = The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.jpg
| title_orig =
| caption = Cover for the novel
| translator =
| image = <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Charlotte doyle.jpg| 250px]] -->
| author = [[Avi (author)|Avi]]
| cover_artist = [[Janet Walsh]] <small>1st edition</small><ref name=1stEdition>{{cite book |last1=Avi |title=The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle |year=1990 |publisher=Orchard Books |location=New York |isbn=053105893X |edition=1st |url=https://archive.org/details/trueconfessionso00avi1_1 }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=June 2024}}
| image_caption = ''e'' book cover.
| author = [[Edward Irving Wortis|Avi]]
| country = United States
| language = English
| cover_artist = Douglas Smith
| country = [[United States]]
| genre = [[Historical fiction]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| publisher = [[Orchard Books]]
| series =
| pub_date = 1990
| genre = [[Historical novel]]
| media_type = Novel
| publisher = [[HarperCollins]]
| pages = 226
| isbn = 0-531-05893-X
| release_date = [[1990]]
| oclc = 21149467
| media_type = Print ([[Paperback]], [[Hardback]])
}}
}}


'''''The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle''''' is a [[historical novel]] by the American author [[Avi (author)|Avi]] published in 1990. The book is marketed towards children at a reading level of grades 5–8.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Jones |first=Trev |date=n.d. |title=The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Book) |magazine=[[School Library Journal]] |volume=36 |issue=9 |page=221 |via=EBSCOhost}}</ref> The book chronicles the evolution of the title character as she is pushed outside her naive existence and learns about life aboard a ship crossing from England to America in 1832. The novel was well received and won several awards, including being named as a [[Newbery Medal|Newbery Honor]] book in 1991.
'''''The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle''''' is a [[fictional book]] set in 1832 written by [[Edward Irving Wortis|Avi]] and published by [[Scholastic Press]] in [[1990]]. While written for a [[young adult literature|young audience]] (11–13), the book is well liked by many adults as well. It won a [[Newbery Honor]] award in [[1991]]. The book is told from a girl name Charlotte Doyle's point of view and is split into Part One and Part Two.


==Awards==
== Plot ==
The story starts in the early summer of 1832, as thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle prepares to take a voyage from [[Liverpool]], England, to her family's home in [[Providence, Rhode Island]]. Her upper-class upbringing and her education give her a very sheltered and narrow view of life. Charlotte finds herself the only passenger and the only female on the ship, the ''Seahawk''. Repeatedly, people tell her she should not be on the ship, but her escort, Mr. Grummage, insists Charlotte go.
* A [[Newbery Honor]] Book
* ''Boston Globe—Horn Book'' Award
* An ALA Notable Book
* An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
* An ALA ''Booklist'' Editors' Choice
* A ''School Library Journal'' Best Book of the Year
* A New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age
* An IRA/CBC Children's Choice.


On her first day aboard, a black sailor named Zachariah gives her a [[dirk]] for protection. He also warns Charlotte about Jaggery, the captain of the ship, which Charlotte does not believe. The captain and Charlotte become very close and he says that if she ever sees anything suspicious, she must tell him.
==Plot summary==
The book tells the story of Charlotte Doyle, a 13 year old girl, who boards a ship called the ''Seahawk'' in [[1832]] for a voyage from [[England]] to her home in [[Providence, Rhode Island]]. She is raised in an upper-class family and, as she says in the beginning, wants to be a lady. The author puts much emphasis on her wanting to be proper. Her family has already gone to Rhode Island and she was left to come alone in order to finish her year of schooling at the Barrington School for Better Girls. As the other families that were supposed to accompany her mysteriously fail to appear,well, thats what she is told Charlotte finds herself the only passenger on the voyage to Rhode Island and the sole female on board.


After spotting a [[round-robin (document)|round-robin]], a sign of mutiny, Charlotte warns Jaggery, who heads off the rebellion and kills its ringleader Cranick. Charlotte is distressed when Captain Jaggery and [[Chief mate|first mate]] Mr. Hollybrass whip Zachariah for 50 lashes. Charlotte tries to protect Zachariah by grabbing the whip, but accidentally hits the captain's face. Jaggery is enraged and whips Zachariah mercilessly, leading to his apparent death and funeral.
Charlotte is devastated by the horrible conditions on the ship and thinks of the crew as her inferiors. Captain Jaggery is the only person Charlotte can relate to on the ship. Early in the voyage she meets Zachariah, an old African cook. Zachariah gives Charlotte a small [[dirk]] "for her protection" and tells Charlotte that the crew seeks revenge against the captain for some of his actions. She later has tea with Captain Jaggery. During this meeting, Captain Jaggery tells Charlotte that he has a few muskets and that those are the only guns aboard on the ship. As the book progresses, she slowly mingles with the crew and reads to them from her books.


After the captain has withdrawn his protection of Charlotte, she feels compelled to replace Zachariah as a crew member out of guilt. The crew allows her to join them after she successfully climbs up and down the tallest mast. Upon learning of Charlotte's plans, Captain Jaggery strikes Charlotte across the face, and she vows to reveal his cruelty to the courts after they complete their voyage.
Later in the book Charlotte finds herself watching a member of the crew sew. The needle snaps and Charlotte offers to get a new one for him. She goes into the [[forecastle]], the crew's room. While looking for the needle she sees a pistol (contrary to the captain's words) and a [[round-robin]], a pact telling of an imminent uprising of the crew against the captain. Charlotte goes to tell Captain Jaggery, who then calls the crew on deck. They arrive with weapons, ready to attack, but none do so because of the captain's muskets. Charlotte is forced to take sides in the [[mutiny]]. A member of the crew is killed and Zachariah is first whipped by the first mate Mr. Hollybrass, then whipped again, mercilessly by the Captain. Charlotte does not think as highly of Captain Jaggery anymore and feels that he is rather cruel.


As the ''Seahawk'' enters a powerful hurricane, Charlotte falls from the ratlines and is saved by a man whom she believes is Zachariah, despite his apparent death. After the storm, the crew finds First Mate Hollybrass, stabbed in the back by the dirk Zachariah gave Charlotte. She is ordered to the brig, where she finds Zachariah, who has been hiding there since he was thrashed nearly to death. Captain Jaggery holds a trial and finds her guilty of Mr. Hollybrass's murder. As Charlotte has vowed to expose his cruelty when they land, he threatens to hang her unless she will align herself with him and become a respectable young woman again.
Charlotte decides to join the crew to make up for causing the death and whipping of the two crew members. She is at first rejected, but then the crew agrees to let her in if she can climb to the highest point of the ship, the royal yard. After an arduous climb, she comes back down successfully. She learns to do the crew's jobs.


With Zachariah's help, Charlotte escapes the prison and plans to steal the captain's guns and usurp his title. Upon her finding Jaggery, he reveals that he killed Hollybrass. He presents her with three choices (be disgraced by killing him, return to her proper place as a woman, or accept her fate), all of which she refuses, and flees Jaggery. The Captain attempts to kill her in front of the crew, but falls off the ship where he is crushed to death. Zachariah leads the crew in naming Charlotte as captain, but she serves primarily as a figurehead for Zachariah due to her lack of experience. They land in Providence, Rhode Island, twelve hours later.
The captain leads the ship into a [[hurricane]] in an attempt to make up for lost time. In the commotion, the [[First mate]] is killed with Charlotte's knife. The captain charges Charlotte with the [[murder]] of the ship's [[First Mate]]. The captain finds Charlotte guilty after the trial. Though [[sentence (law)|sentenced]] to be [[hanging|hanged]], she ends up confronting the captain on the [[bowsprit]] and as Captain Jaggery is about to fall over board, Charlotte has the option to save him, or let him fall to his watery death. The captain falls into the ocean and drowns. Her friend, Zachariah, tells the crew they need a new captain, and Charlotte is chosen to be the new captain of the ship (though only in name, while Zachariah takes charge instead).


A few days later the ''Seahawk'' lands in Providence, Rhode Island, where her family lives. However, she finds her family unwilling to believe her story, and they disapprove of Charlotte's outlandish tales. Eventually she decides to leave her family and return to life at sea, the place where she now believes is home on the ''Seahawk.''
When the ''Seahawk'' arrives in Rhode Island, Charlotte returns to her old "proper" behavior and dress. She intends to hide what happened from her family, but her father reads her journal of the voyage. He is appalled, burns the diary, and grounds Charlotte for a week. Charlotte finally decides to escape from her home one night, and returns to the ''Seahawk'' to be a sailor with Zachariah and the crew.


==Characters==
== Themes ==
Class and gender play a substantial role in the novel and help to frame it as a quest story.<ref name=Masterplot /> At the start of the novel Charlotte is an upper-class teenage girl who becomes a member of the ''Seahawk'' crew thus complicating her gender and class identities.<ref name=Eftekhar /> Charlotte remains a girl, but presents an attractive alternative for the reader to the gender norms typically associated with that identity.<ref name=Hubler>{{cite journal |last1=Hubler |first1=Angela E. |title=Beyond the Image: Adolescent Girls, Reading, and Social Reality |journal=NWSA Journal |date=2000 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=84–99 |doi=10.2979/NWS.2000.12.1.84 |doi-broken-date=November 2, 2024 |jstor=4316710|s2cid=145121604 }}</ref> Owing to her experiences, first cooperating with, and then rebelling against Jaggery, Charlotte has changed by the end of the novel into an authentic version of herself, not merely reflecting what society expected of her.<ref name= Eftekhar /><ref name=Hubler />
===The Doyle family===
;Charlotte Doyle
:The protagonist of the book. This 13-year-old girl at first wants to be ladylike, fitting her high class and looking down upon the crew, but later she decides to join the crew in their tasks after seeing the true Captain Jaggery. She also is accused of the murder of Mr. Hollybrass later in the book, taken to a trial, and (wrongly) found guilty. A dramatic turn of events towards the end of the book save Charlotte from the gallows.
:Charlotte Doyle disappoints her parents when she arrives home in America with unladylike appearances and behavior. Soon regaining her family's (false) confidence in her by reading books, Charlotte surprises her parents when she disappears mysteriously one night. She has chosen to sail again.
;Charlotte's father
:A strict, ardent parent engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods. Tells Charlotte, "justice is poorly served when you speak ill of your betters." The two most important things in his life are regularity and order. Only appears at the end of the book.
;Charlotte's mother
:A passive person who never disagrees with Charlotte's father. Only appears at the end of the book.
;Albert and Evelina
:Charlotte's slightly annoying younger siblings. They are like smaller versions of their parents. Only appear at the end of the book.


Avi felt the ending where Charlotte rejects her family was a choice for freedom and an essential element of the overall story.<ref name="Avi Speech">"The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle." Horn Book Magazine, vol. 68, no. 1, Jan. 1992, p. 24. EBSCOhost.</ref> He also identified Jaggery as a protagonist in the story and felt the book served as an implicit criticism of capitalism.<ref name="Avi Speech" /> However, by the end of the novel the only non-working class person alive, Charlotte, also becomes the Captain thus suggesting a preservation of the class system even while gender roles have been challenged.<ref name=Trites /> Indeed Charlotte's inability to see things as they are rather than through her class-conscious viewpoint creates much of the conflict in the book.<ref name=Masterplot />
===Doyle family associates===
;Mrs. Emmerson
:Charlotte's chaperon. Never boards the ''Seahawk''
;Mr. Grummage
:A business associate of Charlotte's father in charge of escorting Charlotte to the ship and making final arrangements for her trip to America. An emotionless, rigid character with no compassion, whatsoever.


The book also features a narrator, Charlotte, who knows she is telling a story. This element of metafiction is important to the novel.<ref name=Trites>Trites, S.. Waking Sleeping Beauty: Feminist Voices in Children's Novels. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1997. Project MUSE.</ref> Charlotte's narrative style is similar to 19th-century travelogues.<ref name=Masterplot>Jones, Douglas A. "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle." Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Literature Series, Supplement, March 1997, pp. 1-2. EBSCOhost.</ref> The book opens with "an important warning" and the narrator, Charlotte, defending the right to tell her story because it "is worth relating even if it did happen years ago".<ref name=1stEdition /><ref name=Trites /> Even while Charlotte undergoes changes as a character, her narrative voice remains constant.<ref name=Eftekhar /> Charlotte can, however, act as an unreliable narrator to the outside world as when she records in the log that Jaggery fell to his death, so he is remembered positively rather than as a murderer to the outside world.<ref name=Trites />
===The crew of the ship===

;Captain Jaggery
== Reception ==
:The cruel captain of the ''Seahawk''. He has a daughter named Victoria (does not appear in the book) whom he rarely sees, but keeps a portrait of in his cabin. Sailing is his life. He has a reputation for making quick and profitable journeys, but the crew know that he is a tyrant. During the climax of the book, he kills Hollybrass by stabbing him with Charlotte's dirk.

He is killed before the end of the novel when he falls from the bow. As he tries to get back out of the water, he grabs hold of the figurehead of the ''Seahawk'', but before he can pull himself onto the ship again it plunges forward and he is pulled under the ship and dies.
''The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle'' received a positive critical reaction when it was published. In its starred review of the book, ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' called it "tautly plotted, vividly narrated, carefully researched: a thrilling tale deepened by its sober look at attitudes that may have been more exaggerated in the past but that still persist".<ref name=Kirkus>{{Cite journal | title = The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle | journal = Kirkus Reviews | date = September 15, 1990 }}</ref> Cathryn Mercier in ''Five Owls'' review journal noted the "innovative mixture of history and fiction" and said the book was "expertly crafted and consistently involving, it is sure to excite, enthrall, and challenge readers."<ref name=FiveOwls>{{Cite journal | last = Mercier | first = Cathryn | title = The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle | journal = Five Owls | volume = 5 | issue = 3 | date = January–February 1991 }}</ref> ''[[Horn Book]]'', giving it its highest rating of outstanding, said the book was "a rousing adventure story".<ref>{{Cite journal | title = The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle | journal = [[The Horn Book Magazine]] | year = 1990 }}</ref>
;Zachariah

:The second protagonist of the novel. Acts as cook and doctor for the crew.
Barbara Elleman writing for ''[[Booklist]]'' contended it was not just an adventure story, saying the dynamic between Charlotte and Zachariah "allows the story to rise above swashbuckling adventure, though that element is there too. From its riveting opening line...to its surprise ending, this is a story harder to forget."<ref name=Booklist>{{Cite journal | last = Elleman | first = Barbara| title = The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle | journal = Booklist | date = September 1990}}</ref> Judy Eftekhar praised the book for Charlotte's ability to grow as a person while remaining true to her character.<ref name=Eftekhar>Eftekhar, Judy. "The Transformation of Charlotte Doyle". ''Writing'', vol. 25, no. 5, n.d., p. 12. EBSCOhost.</ref>
:He is very kind and tries (successfully) to become a friend to Charlotte. At first, Charlotte prejudges Zachariah because he is Black and a mere sailor, but later realizes that he too can be a friend.
However, the author has also been criticized for giving Charlotte too modern a sensibility, effectively making her a "time-traveler" in her own culture.<ref name=Macloead/> According to Anne Scott MacLeod, authors who "evade the common realities of the societies they write about" and "give their heroines freer choices than their cultures would in fact have offered", are misrepresenting history.<ref name=Macloead>Macleod, Anne Scott. "[https://www.hbook.com/1998/01/creating-books/publishing/writing-backward-modern-models-in-historical-fiction/ Writing Backward: Modern Models in Historical Fiction]". ''Horn Book Magazine'', vol. 74, no. 1, Jan/Feb 1998, pp. 26–33. EBSCOhost.</ref>
:He gives Charlotte a dirk because he says that the crew is seeking revenge for some of the captain's actions.

:At the end of the (first) attempted mutiny he is chosen to be whipped 50 times. Hollybrass is ordered to carry out the task but stops after the third lash. Then Jaggery cruelly finishes the whipping. After this Zachariah, who is still alive, is taken down to the Brig and hidden away. Jaggery and Charlotte presume he is dead after seeing the crew throw what is presumed to be Zachariah's body overboard in Zachariah's sewn up hammock. As Charlotte and the captain later find, Zachariah is still alive and plans to reveal the captain's actions to the authorities after they disembark.
''The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle'' has been repeatedly listed as a core collection book for libraries, for middle school and junior high readers.<ref>{{Cite book | last1 = Gillespie | first1 = John T. | last2 = Barr | first2 = Catherine | title = Best Books for Middle School and Junior High Readers: Grades 6–9 | publisher = Libraries Unlimited | date = May 30, 2004 | location = Westport, CT | page = [https://archive.org/details/bestbooksformidd00gill/page/156 156] | isbn = 1-59158-083-8 | url = https://archive.org/details/bestbooksformidd00gill/page/156 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last = Price | first = Anne | title =Middle And Junior High School Library Catalog | publisher = H. W. Wilson | date = October 2005 | edition = 9 | isbn = 0-8242-1053-0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last1 = Price | first1 = Anne | last2 = Yaakov | first2 = Juliette | title = Children's Catalog | publisher = H.W. Wilson | date = September 30, 1991 | isbn = 0-8242-1009-3 | url = https://archive.org/details/childrenscatalog00pric }}</ref> Matt Berman, of [[Common Sense Media]], rated this book a 5 out of 5 stars for ages 9 and up.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-true-confessions-of-charlotte-doyle|title=The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Book Review|publisher=Common Sense Media|access-date=April 13, 2018|language=en}}</ref> ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' has rated ''The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle'' number 1 of their "12 Best Books for Preteens".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2012/0113/12-best-books-for-preteens/The-True-Confessions-of-Charlotte-Doyle-by-Avi|title=12 best books for preteens|date=January 13, 2012|work=[[Christian Science Monitor]]|access-date=April 13, 2008|issn=0882-7729}}</ref>
:After Jaggery dies, Zachariah becomes the effectual captain of the Seahawk (it was Charlotte who was ''named'' captain).

;Cranick
===Awards===
:The stowaway aboard the ''Seahawk''.
''The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle'' was a [[Newbery Medal|Newbery Honor]] Book in 1991.<ref name=Newbery>{{cite web | title = Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922–Present | publisher = [[American Library Association]] | year = 2009 | url = http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm | access-date = December 31, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Cullinan">{{cite book |last1=Cullinan |first1=Bernice E. |last2=Person |first2=Diane G. |title=The Continuum encyclopedia of children's literature |date=2003 |publisher=Continuum |location=New York, NY |isbn=9780826415165 |page=51 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LyutQg6mroC&pg=PA51 |access-date=August 3, 2018}}</ref>
:His arm was amputated by Zachariah after Captain Jaggery beat him. He attempted to lead the mutiny against the Captain, but died from being shot by the Captain. Zachariah tried to say words on his behalf, but the captain refused. The crew was unable to have a proper funeral and was forced to throw him overboard.
A member of the Newbery committee that year felt the book deserved to win the Newbery Medal and described the book as being about "a spunky young lady [who] goes from polite idealist impressed by good manners and gallantry to a realistic young woman who comes to terms with the complexity of the 19th-century society in which she lives".<ref name=WashPost>{{cite news | title = Choosing the Newbery Winner| newspaper = Washington Post| page = X16, Book World | date = May 12, 1991}}</ref> It won several other critical awards including the [[Golden Kite Award]],<ref name="Cullinan"/><ref name="Kite">{{cite web |title=Past Golden Kite Recipients |url=https://www.scbwi.org/awards/golden-kite-award/125854-2/ |website=Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators |access-date=August 3, 2018 |archive-date=August 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820023222/https://www.scbwi.org/awards/golden-kite-award/125854-2/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> the [[Boston Globe–Horn Book Award]],<ref name="Cullinan"/><ref name="BGHB">{{cite news |first=Jonathan |last=Hunt|title=My favorite BGHB winner, reviewer edition |url=https://www.hbook.com/2013/06/news/boston-globe-horn-book-awards/my-favorite-bghb-winner-reviewer-edition/ |access-date=August 3, 2018 |work=Boston Globe–Horn Book awards |date=June 17, 2013}}</ref> and the Judy Lopez Award.<ref name=Publisher>{{cite web | title = The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle | publisher = [[HarperCollins|HarperCollins Children's]] | url = http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/books/True-Confessions-Charlotte-Doyle-Avi/| access-date = January 1, 2010}}</ref>
;Hollybrass

:The First mate who does not respect Captain Jaggery, at least in Charlotte's eyes. He gets into an argument about whether or not they should have directed the ship into a hurricane with Jaggery, who then murders Hollybrass (during the hurricane).
The book also appeared on several notable or best-of book lists, including the [[ALA's Notable Children's Book]],<ref name="Cullinan"/><ref name="lbrackensquires">{{cite web |title=The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle |url=http://lbrackensquires.blogspot.com/2010/04/true-confessions-of-charlotte-doyle.html |website=Literature for Children and Young Adults #5603 |access-date=August 3, 2018|date=April 9, 2010}}</ref> ALA's Best Book for Young Adults,<ref name="lbrackensquires"/> and [[School Library Journal]]'s Books That Shaped a Century.<ref name="One Hundred Books">{{cite web | title =One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century | publisher = [[School Library Journal]] | date = January 1, 2000 | url = https://www.slj.com/2000/01/collection-development/one-hundred-books-that-shaped-the-century/ | access-date = June 20, 2018}}</ref> The book was not only popular with adult critics, but also children, winning several children's choice awards including the Evergreen Award,<ref>{{cite web |title=Award Winning Books |url=http://klahowya.ckschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_89572/Image/Learning/Library/Good%20Books/Award%20Winning%20books.pdf |website=Klahowya SS Library |access-date=August 3, 2018 |page=5 |archive-date=August 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803074403/http://klahowya.ckschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_89572/Image/Learning/Library/Good%20Books/Award%20Winning%20books.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Massachusetts Children's Book Award]],<ref>{{cite web |title=List of All Winners |url=http://massachusettschildrensbookaward.blogspot.com/p/the-massachusetts-childrens-book-award.html |website=MCBA (Massachusetts Children's Book Award) Nominees, winner and honor books |access-date=August 3, 2018}}</ref> the [[Sunshine State Young Readers Award]],<ref>{{cite web |title=The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle |url=http://courtsmlsblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/ |website=Young Adult Fiction |access-date=August 3, 2018|date=March 28, 2010}}</ref> and the Beehive Award.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Utah Beehive Awards |url=http://mtpleasantlib.org/about-the-library/book-lists/the-utah-beehive-awards/ |website=Mt. Pleasant Public Library |access-date=August 3, 2018 |archive-date=September 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901080434/http://mtpleasantlib.org/about-the-library/book-lists/the-utah-beehive-awards/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
;Keetch
:Second mate who was demoted after Zachariah was whipped. Fears Jaggery more than Hollybrass. A spy for Jaggery toward the end of the book, ruining Charlotte's and Zachariah's plan.
;Johnson
:Becomes second mate after Zachariah is whipped.
;Ewing
:Broke his needle and asked Charlotte to go to fetch another one for him. (It was then that Charlotte went to the forecastle and saw the round robin "and pistol".)
;Fisk
:First mate while Charlotte is captain. For following voyages, Fisk is the captain of the Seahawk.
;Grimes
:Testifies to teaching Charlotte to use a knife, and that Charlotte was good at it, during the trial.
;Morgan
:Ignored Charlotte when she was accused of murder.
;Barlow
:Second mate while Charlotte is captain, possible first mate.
;Dillingham
:First to admit he saw Charlotte with a knife during the trial.
;Foley
:Suggests Charlotte climb to Royal Yard while she attempts to "join the crew".


==Film==
==Film==
A film adaptation of the book was in development. It was written and would have been directed by [[Danny DeVito]], starring [[Morgan Freeman]] as Zachariah and [[Pierce Brosnan]] as Jaggery.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/426617/The-True-Confessions-of-Charlotte-Doyle/cast|title=The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204110036/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/426617/The-True-Confessions-of-Charlotte-Doyle/cast |department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2008|archive-date=December 4, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | last =Brouwer | first = Julie | title =LAWSUIT A BLOW TO TRUE CONFESSIONS | newspaper = Sunday Mirror | location = London | page = 26 | date = June 7, 2009 | url = http://findarticles.com/particles/mi__qn4161/is__20090607/ai__n31966923// | access-date = January 1, 2010}}</ref> [[Dakota Fanning]] was originally cast as Charlotte Doyle, but had to drop out as production was continually halted and she eventually grew too old for the part. [[Saoirse Ronan]] was later cast, but the film was again halted because Freeman was seriously injured in a car accident two weeks before filming was scheduled to commence.<ref name="contactmusic">{{cite web|title=Danny DeVito wants to cast rising star actress|date=February 24, 2013|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news/danny-devito-wants-to-cast-rising-star-actress_3521847|publisher=Contactmusic.com|access-date= February 6, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avi-writer.com/blog/2014/09/movie-option/|title=Movie option|work=Wordcraft|author=Avi|date=September 9, 2014|access-date=November 6, 2015}}</ref> DeVito returned to the subject in February 2013, saying he was looking for another young actress to star in the title role and scouting movie locations in Ireland. Shooting was supposed to start in July 2014.<ref name="contactmusic" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Danny DeVito on scouting movie locations in Ireland {{!}} Late Late Show|website = [[YouTube]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoMTYrJYKCU|access-date= August 27, 2013|date= February 24, 2013}}</ref> The release date is still classified as "TBD" without any new information as to whether it will be shot.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/movie/the-true-confessions-of-charlotte-doyle|title=The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - ComingSoon.net|website=ComingSoon.net|language=en-US|access-date=April 13, 2018|archive-date=August 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818120040/http://www.comingsoon.net/movie/the-true-confessions-of-charlotte-doyle|url-status=dead}}</ref>
A [[film]] adaptation of the novel is in development, which would be directed by [[Danny DeVito]] and filmed in [[New Zealand]]. [http://www.hollywood.com/movie/The_True_Confessions_of_Charlotte_Doyle/3480646] It will star [[Dakota Fanning]], [[Pierce Brosnan]] and [[Morgan Freeman]].

==References==
{{reflist|2}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, The}}
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[[Category:1990 novels]]
[[Category:1990 American novels]]
[[Category:Newbery Honor winners (book)]]<!-- Comment -->
[[Category:1990 children's books]]
[[Category:Young adult novels]]
[[Category:American historical novels]]
[[Category:Children's historical novels]]
[[Category:American young adult novels]]
[[Category:Novels by Avi]]
[[Category:Newbery Honor–winning works]]
[[Category:Golden Kite Award–winning works]]
[[Category:Novels set in Providence, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Fiction set in 1832]]
[[Category:Novels set in the 1830s]]
[[Category:Orchard Books books]]
[[Category:Children's books set on ships]]
[[Category:Children's books set in the 1830s]]

Latest revision as of 21:07, 2 November 2024

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Cover for the novel
AuthorAvi
Cover artistJanet Walsh 1st edition[1][failed verification]
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical fiction
PublisherOrchard Books
Publication date
1990
Publication placeUnited States
Media typeNovel
Pages226
ISBN0-531-05893-X
OCLC21149467

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is a historical novel by the American author Avi published in 1990. The book is marketed towards children at a reading level of grades 5–8.[2] The book chronicles the evolution of the title character as she is pushed outside her naive existence and learns about life aboard a ship crossing from England to America in 1832. The novel was well received and won several awards, including being named as a Newbery Honor book in 1991.

Plot

[edit]

The story starts in the early summer of 1832, as thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle prepares to take a voyage from Liverpool, England, to her family's home in Providence, Rhode Island. Her upper-class upbringing and her education give her a very sheltered and narrow view of life. Charlotte finds herself the only passenger and the only female on the ship, the Seahawk. Repeatedly, people tell her she should not be on the ship, but her escort, Mr. Grummage, insists Charlotte go.

On her first day aboard, a black sailor named Zachariah gives her a dirk for protection. He also warns Charlotte about Jaggery, the captain of the ship, which Charlotte does not believe. The captain and Charlotte become very close and he says that if she ever sees anything suspicious, she must tell him.

After spotting a round-robin, a sign of mutiny, Charlotte warns Jaggery, who heads off the rebellion and kills its ringleader Cranick. Charlotte is distressed when Captain Jaggery and first mate Mr. Hollybrass whip Zachariah for 50 lashes. Charlotte tries to protect Zachariah by grabbing the whip, but accidentally hits the captain's face. Jaggery is enraged and whips Zachariah mercilessly, leading to his apparent death and funeral.

After the captain has withdrawn his protection of Charlotte, she feels compelled to replace Zachariah as a crew member out of guilt. The crew allows her to join them after she successfully climbs up and down the tallest mast. Upon learning of Charlotte's plans, Captain Jaggery strikes Charlotte across the face, and she vows to reveal his cruelty to the courts after they complete their voyage.

As the Seahawk enters a powerful hurricane, Charlotte falls from the ratlines and is saved by a man whom she believes is Zachariah, despite his apparent death. After the storm, the crew finds First Mate Hollybrass, stabbed in the back by the dirk Zachariah gave Charlotte. She is ordered to the brig, where she finds Zachariah, who has been hiding there since he was thrashed nearly to death. Captain Jaggery holds a trial and finds her guilty of Mr. Hollybrass's murder. As Charlotte has vowed to expose his cruelty when they land, he threatens to hang her unless she will align herself with him and become a respectable young woman again.

With Zachariah's help, Charlotte escapes the prison and plans to steal the captain's guns and usurp his title. Upon her finding Jaggery, he reveals that he killed Hollybrass. He presents her with three choices (be disgraced by killing him, return to her proper place as a woman, or accept her fate), all of which she refuses, and flees Jaggery. The Captain attempts to kill her in front of the crew, but falls off the ship where he is crushed to death. Zachariah leads the crew in naming Charlotte as captain, but she serves primarily as a figurehead for Zachariah due to her lack of experience. They land in Providence, Rhode Island, twelve hours later.

When the Seahawk arrives in Rhode Island, Charlotte returns to her old "proper" behavior and dress. She intends to hide what happened from her family, but her father reads her journal of the voyage. He is appalled, burns the diary, and grounds Charlotte for a week. Charlotte finally decides to escape from her home one night, and returns to the Seahawk to be a sailor with Zachariah and the crew.

Themes

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Class and gender play a substantial role in the novel and help to frame it as a quest story.[3] At the start of the novel Charlotte is an upper-class teenage girl who becomes a member of the Seahawk crew thus complicating her gender and class identities.[4] Charlotte remains a girl, but presents an attractive alternative for the reader to the gender norms typically associated with that identity.[5] Owing to her experiences, first cooperating with, and then rebelling against Jaggery, Charlotte has changed by the end of the novel into an authentic version of herself, not merely reflecting what society expected of her.[4][5]

Avi felt the ending where Charlotte rejects her family was a choice for freedom and an essential element of the overall story.[6] He also identified Jaggery as a protagonist in the story and felt the book served as an implicit criticism of capitalism.[6] However, by the end of the novel the only non-working class person alive, Charlotte, also becomes the Captain thus suggesting a preservation of the class system even while gender roles have been challenged.[7] Indeed Charlotte's inability to see things as they are rather than through her class-conscious viewpoint creates much of the conflict in the book.[3]

The book also features a narrator, Charlotte, who knows she is telling a story. This element of metafiction is important to the novel.[7] Charlotte's narrative style is similar to 19th-century travelogues.[3] The book opens with "an important warning" and the narrator, Charlotte, defending the right to tell her story because it "is worth relating even if it did happen years ago".[1][7] Even while Charlotte undergoes changes as a character, her narrative voice remains constant.[4] Charlotte can, however, act as an unreliable narrator to the outside world as when she records in the log that Jaggery fell to his death, so he is remembered positively rather than as a murderer to the outside world.[7]

Reception

[edit]

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle received a positive critical reaction when it was published. In its starred review of the book, Kirkus Reviews called it "tautly plotted, vividly narrated, carefully researched: a thrilling tale deepened by its sober look at attitudes that may have been more exaggerated in the past but that still persist".[8] Cathryn Mercier in Five Owls review journal noted the "innovative mixture of history and fiction" and said the book was "expertly crafted and consistently involving, it is sure to excite, enthrall, and challenge readers."[9] Horn Book, giving it its highest rating of outstanding, said the book was "a rousing adventure story".[10]

Barbara Elleman writing for Booklist contended it was not just an adventure story, saying the dynamic between Charlotte and Zachariah "allows the story to rise above swashbuckling adventure, though that element is there too. From its riveting opening line...to its surprise ending, this is a story harder to forget."[11] Judy Eftekhar praised the book for Charlotte's ability to grow as a person while remaining true to her character.[4] However, the author has also been criticized for giving Charlotte too modern a sensibility, effectively making her a "time-traveler" in her own culture.[12] According to Anne Scott MacLeod, authors who "evade the common realities of the societies they write about" and "give their heroines freer choices than their cultures would in fact have offered", are misrepresenting history.[12]

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle has been repeatedly listed as a core collection book for libraries, for middle school and junior high readers.[13][14][15] Matt Berman, of Common Sense Media, rated this book a 5 out of 5 stars for ages 9 and up.[16] The Christian Science Monitor has rated The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle number 1 of their "12 Best Books for Preteens".[17]

Awards

[edit]

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle was a Newbery Honor Book in 1991.[18][19] A member of the Newbery committee that year felt the book deserved to win the Newbery Medal and described the book as being about "a spunky young lady [who] goes from polite idealist impressed by good manners and gallantry to a realistic young woman who comes to terms with the complexity of the 19th-century society in which she lives".[20] It won several other critical awards including the Golden Kite Award,[19][21] the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award,[19][22] and the Judy Lopez Award.[23]

The book also appeared on several notable or best-of book lists, including the ALA's Notable Children's Book,[19][24] ALA's Best Book for Young Adults,[24] and School Library Journal's Books That Shaped a Century.[25] The book was not only popular with adult critics, but also children, winning several children's choice awards including the Evergreen Award,[26] Massachusetts Children's Book Award,[27] the Sunshine State Young Readers Award,[28] and the Beehive Award.[29]

Film

[edit]

A film adaptation of the book was in development. It was written and would have been directed by Danny DeVito, starring Morgan Freeman as Zachariah and Pierce Brosnan as Jaggery.[30][31] Dakota Fanning was originally cast as Charlotte Doyle, but had to drop out as production was continually halted and she eventually grew too old for the part. Saoirse Ronan was later cast, but the film was again halted because Freeman was seriously injured in a car accident two weeks before filming was scheduled to commence.[32][33] DeVito returned to the subject in February 2013, saying he was looking for another young actress to star in the title role and scouting movie locations in Ireland. Shooting was supposed to start in July 2014.[32][34] The release date is still classified as "TBD" without any new information as to whether it will be shot.[35]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Avi (1990). The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (1st ed.). New York: Orchard Books. ISBN 053105893X.
  2. ^ Jones, Trev (n.d.). "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Book)". School Library Journal. Vol. 36, no. 9. p. 221 – via EBSCOhost.
  3. ^ a b c Jones, Douglas A. "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle." Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Literature Series, Supplement, March 1997, pp. 1-2. EBSCOhost.
  4. ^ a b c d Eftekhar, Judy. "The Transformation of Charlotte Doyle". Writing, vol. 25, no. 5, n.d., p. 12. EBSCOhost.
  5. ^ a b Hubler, Angela E. (2000). "Beyond the Image: Adolescent Girls, Reading, and Social Reality". NWSA Journal. 12 (1): 84–99. doi:10.2979/NWS.2000.12.1.84 (inactive November 2, 2024). JSTOR 4316710. S2CID 145121604.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  6. ^ a b "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle." Horn Book Magazine, vol. 68, no. 1, Jan. 1992, p. 24. EBSCOhost.
  7. ^ a b c d Trites, S.. Waking Sleeping Beauty: Feminist Voices in Children's Novels. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1997. Project MUSE.
  8. ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". Kirkus Reviews. September 15, 1990.
  9. ^ Mercier, Cathryn (January–February 1991). "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". Five Owls. 5 (3).
  10. ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". The Horn Book Magazine. 1990.
  11. ^ Elleman, Barbara (September 1990). "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". Booklist.
  12. ^ a b Macleod, Anne Scott. "Writing Backward: Modern Models in Historical Fiction". Horn Book Magazine, vol. 74, no. 1, Jan/Feb 1998, pp. 26–33. EBSCOhost.
  13. ^ Gillespie, John T.; Barr, Catherine (May 30, 2004). Best Books for Middle School and Junior High Readers: Grades 6–9. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. p. 156. ISBN 1-59158-083-8.
  14. ^ Price, Anne (October 2005). Middle And Junior High School Library Catalog (9 ed.). H. W. Wilson. ISBN 0-8242-1053-0.
  15. ^ Price, Anne; Yaakov, Juliette (September 30, 1991). Children's Catalog. H.W. Wilson. ISBN 0-8242-1009-3.
  16. ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Book Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  17. ^ "12 best books for preteens". Christian Science Monitor. January 13, 2012. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  18. ^ "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922–Present". American Library Association. 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  19. ^ a b c d Cullinan, Bernice E.; Person, Diane G. (2003). The Continuum encyclopedia of children's literature. New York, NY: Continuum. p. 51. ISBN 9780826415165. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  20. ^ "Choosing the Newbery Winner". Washington Post. May 12, 1991. p. X16, Book World.
  21. ^ "Past Golden Kite Recipients". Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  22. ^ Hunt, Jonathan (June 17, 2013). "My favorite BGHB winner, reviewer edition". Boston Globe–Horn Book awards. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  23. ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". HarperCollins Children's. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  24. ^ a b "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". Literature for Children and Young Adults #5603. April 9, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  25. ^ "One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century". School Library Journal. January 1, 2000. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  26. ^ "Award Winning Books" (PDF). Klahowya SS Library. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  27. ^ "List of All Winners". MCBA (Massachusetts Children's Book Award) Nominees, winner and honor books. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  28. ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". Young Adult Fiction. March 28, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  29. ^ "The Utah Beehive Awards". Mt. Pleasant Public Library. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  30. ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2008. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008.
  31. ^ Brouwer, Julie (June 7, 2009). "LAWSUIT A BLOW TO TRUE CONFESSIONS". Sunday Mirror. London. p. 26. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  32. ^ a b "Danny DeVito wants to cast rising star actress". Contactmusic.com. February 24, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  33. ^ Avi (September 9, 2014). "Movie option". Wordcraft. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  34. ^ "Danny DeVito on scouting movie locations in Ireland | Late Late Show". YouTube. February 24, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  35. ^ "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - ComingSoon.net". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
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