The Wreck of the Mary Deare

By: Hammond Innes

Narrated by: Bill Wallis

They dismissed the Mary Deare as ‘a piece of leaking ironmongery taken off the junk heap’. For 40 years this 6,000-ton freighter had tramped the seas, suffered shipwreck twice, and been torpedoed three times in two world wars. Then one March night, battered and bruised and empty, she emerged from severe Biscay gales into the English Channel - and into the newspaper headlines. Here was a ship of mystery and tragedy... in one of the greatest sea stories of all time.

©1956 Hammond Innes (P)2010 BBC Audiobooks Ltd

What a great audio book!

If you like a classic adventure story, and are at all interested in the sea and ships, you will appreciate this book. I read it years ago in print and really liked it, but the audiobook is even better. Bill Wallis is a superb narrator and his reading of this novel is among the best I've ever heard.
If you get the opportunity, try to listen to the first 2.5 hours in one sitting - as a sustained piece of nautical adventure writing, I don't think it could be bettered.

Superb Story and Narrator

This is THE best sea adventure story ever written, and a very good courtroom one too. The narrator IS each of the characters. If you find time to listen to swaths of it as a time, it becomes a truly immersive experience.

Kept

Good book. Moderately complex. Fun to follow. Good audiobook, well read, good voice. Note the stars.

Sea tale

First, I dimly remembered seeing the movie "Wreck of the Mary Deare" about 50 years ago with Gary Cooper as John, and Charlton Heston as Patch. I could not for the life of me remember the ending and not much of the story came back to me but I vaguely remember enjoying the movie so I downloaded this book. I am so glad I did. I do love a good tale and really love a good sea tale and this book does not disappoint. It is a very good tale of the sea, of men and ships and treachery of course. I enjoyed it so much I listened straight through and missed a nights sleep. I am in awe of the sea and know some of the things it can do. I am no sailor but have crossed to Bimini a couple of times in a very small boat and it can be scary when it kicks up and gets rough. This is a great adventure story well narrated. I do not think it could be better told.

great read

I remember reading this as a teenager -- it was the sort of book one could not put down. How would the same book appear after so many decades? Answer: it is still a riveting, beautifully written evocation of man and the wild oceans. The reader, Bill Wallis, was first rate: he didn't read this book it was a telling, a personal recounting....there is an immediacy about this presentation.

Great

The story was mesmerizing. The descriptive writing, of the sea, the weather, the men, was wonderful. As I read, I was there… physically and emotionally impacted. The psychological suspense, the physicality, of the effort was such, that while I could hardly put it down, I had to, for short periods, to catch my breath and let my pulse return to normal. I found myself fully invested in the outcome and woke in the middle of the night to listen to the last 2 hours.

The Wreck of the Mary Deare

This is a great sea story well deserving an excellent rating. Narration was also excellent.

Classic Sea tail

Excellent presentation of this superior sea story the author and the narrator present a vivid account of the goings of the Mary Deare.

Best Rugged old sea story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is my favorite sea story, because it captures so well the feel of a tramp steamer and it's supersticious crew, in the wake of a terrrible storm, and the underlying story, sealing the fate of the Mary Deare, culminating in a well told court room drama. A great mixture of adventure and drama masterfully told by the master, Hammond Innes.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wreck of the Mary Deare?

The first encounter at the very start of the book, has you gripped right away, which continues to build through part one.

Which character – as performed by Bill Wallis – was your favorite?

Higgins, the first mate. A great voice! Hard to believe it's Bill's voice, perfect for the character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The book was made into a film with Charlton Heston as Sands, and Gary Cooper as Captain patch. It is a classic called, aptly, "The Wreck of the Mary Deare". Although not following exactly the same as the book, it is still a well done Movie, a classic old movie well worth seeing. I actually saw the movie first, and had to read the book. Neither disappointed me.

Old sea adventure!

What made the experience of listening to The Wreck of the Mary Deare the most enjoyable?

The best author for adventure on the seas. I read all of this author I could get my hands on in the 80's and was thrilled that I found it here. You won't be able to stop listening.

What did you like best about this story?

Pure adventure and suspense.

Which character – as performed by Bill Wallis – was your favorite?

He is good at telling this tale and keeps you interested.

Any additional comments?

Hope there will be more from this author! I would like to revisit them all.