I really enjoy Sarah Vowell’s work and I’ve often recommended  Assassination Vacation , so I had pretty hight expectations for The Wordy Shipmates.

At its core The Wordy Shipmates is a very interesting book. Vowell takes a look at a very specific time and space in American History and shines a light into many preconceived notions of the Puritans and their experience in early America.

What’s missing from The Wordy Shipmates is Vowell herself. In Assassination Vacation, Vowell’s own journey was the glue which held the book together. Here that kind of journey is mostly absent and so the book often gets stalled in the historical content.

That all said, it is a fascinating book and Vowell is immensely talented. My instinct though is that hearing her read this story would be more enjoyable and entertaining than reading it, and this comes from someone who rarely listens to audio books.

So if you’re a Vowell fan, do check this book out, albeit with lower expectations as it’s no Assassination Vacation.