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RAINBOW IN THE ROYALS by Garland Roark

RAINBOW IN THE ROYALS

By

Pub Date: Oct. 26th, 1950
Publisher: Doubleday

A better written book than his best selling Wake of the Red Witch or his Fair Wind to Java. He has managed to get away from the temptation to have too many irons in the fire and his story sails along, fair winds and foul, with plenty of melodrama but less of intricacy. Once again there is conflict between two men for one girl, daughter of the ship owners. The two men are brothers, both bent on winning the race from New England to San Francisco and the gold mines. Bill, the younger one, is willing to risk everything, including honor, to win; his brother Jim pits his seamanship and judgment, and, of course wins with fair play, but the race is to the finish line, and there are plenty of thrills. Nautically speaking, I wont vouch for the accuracy of detail; it's not in my line. But for sheer pace of narrative, color, drama, it's top drawer picaresque adventure, with characterization secondary to story interest.