Freaks of Fortune; or, Half Round the World

"Freaks of Fortune; or, Half Round the World" by Oliver Optic follows the adventures of Levi Fairfield, an honest and clever young man, as he deals with his greedy uncle, Nathan Fairfield, and takes exciting journeys by sea. The book looks at ideas of right and wrong, loyalty, and searching for happiness, all while exciting things happen at sea. Early in the story, Levi remembers building a sawmill as a kid, which shows how good he is with machines. He talks about this with Bessie Watson, a nice young woman, and it seems like they might fall in love. But things get crazy when they see smoke coming from Uncle Nathan's rundown house, and everyone rushes to put out the fire. After the fire, Uncle Nathan says his gold is gone, and he thinks Levi might have started the fire and stolen the money, creating tension and mystery.