Book Review ~ "The Commodore's Daughter" by Jamie Brazil

The Commodore's Daughter by Jamie Brazil
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Tween to YA Historical Fiction

Book Description: Fifteen-year-old Jennifer Perry dreams of traveling the world, a dream that will never happen now that she's promised to a man twice her age. But what can she do? Run away. To Japan, where her survival is uncertain. Learning the ways of her new world, and the code of the Samurai, she uncovers a plot to ambush the American sailors. Now she must risk her own life in order to save her Commodore father.


My thoughts: Jamie Brazil has written a novel depicting an imaginary character into a historical family. She has placed Jennifer as the daughter of Commodore Perry. His job was to open trade between Japan and the United States. The book takes place in the 1800's, a time when girls didn't have many options, and being a stubborn girl was not approved.

As the book opens, Jennifer has been promised to a man who is twice her age. She is 16 and does not have a desire to marry. When she meets her fiancee at a ball, she runs away. She hides on her father's ship, that will be leaving for Japan in the morning.

Her time on the ship is a slow point in the story. She survives off of her father's left overs, cherry cordials, and reading books. It is a time for the reader to get to know Jennifer better and how her minds works. When she arrives in Japan, she learns a new language, culture, and makes a few friends.

The real action and adventure occur in the last quarter of the book. I admit that it was my favorite part of the book, while the beginning and middle were interesting. I think that it would be a better fit for my daughter, who is entranced by all things Asian. She loves the culture.

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