My Shipmate Louise: The Romance of a Wreck, Volume 1 (of 3)

"My Shipmate Louise: The Romance of a Wreck, Volume 1" by William Clark Russell is a 19th-century period piece that drops you onto the deck of the Indiaman "Countess Ida," headed for Bombay and brimming with adventure. Through the protagonist's eyes, you witness the vibrant departure from Gravesend, meet the collection of souls who call the ship home, including the fascinating Miss Louise Temple, as they sail beyond the Channel. The reader is shown the journey's early splendor and shipboard life, but the voyage takes a violent twist when a sudden collision throws the ship and its passengers into peril, drastically changing their course.