The story takes place in the summer of 1931, on board a cruise ship bound for Germany. Passengers include a Spanish noblewoman, a drunken German lawyer, an American divorcee, a pair of Mexican Catholic priests. This ship of fools is a crucible of intense experience, out of which everyone emerges forever changed. Rich in incident, passion, and treachery, the novel explores themes of nationalism, cultural and ethnic pride, and basic human frailty that are as relevant today as they were when the book was first published in ...
Read More
The story takes place in the summer of 1931, on board a cruise ship bound for Germany. Passengers include a Spanish noblewoman, a drunken German lawyer, an American divorcee, a pair of Mexican Catholic priests. This ship of fools is a crucible of intense experience, out of which everyone emerges forever changed. Rich in incident, passion, and treachery, the novel explores themes of nationalism, cultural and ethnic pride, and basic human frailty that are as relevant today as they were when the book was first published in 1962.
Read Less
Add this copy of Ship of Fools to cart. $2.36, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Back Bay Books.
Add this copy of Ship of Fools to cart. $2.36, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Back Bay Books.
Add this copy of Ship of Fools to cart. $2.36, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Back Bay Books.
Add this copy of Ship of Fools to cart. $3.65, fair condition, Sold by BooksRun rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Philadelphia, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Back Bay Books.
Add this copy of Ship of Fools to cart. $4.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Back Bay Books.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Ship of Fools to cart. $4.00, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Back Bay Books.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Ship of Fools to cart. $5.19, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Back Bay Books.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Ship of Fools to cart. $5.80, good condition, Sold by Becker's Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Houston, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Back Bay Books.
Add this copy of Ship of Fools to cart. $5.99, good condition, Sold by St. Vinnie's Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Back Bay Books.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. THIS IS AN EX--LIBRARY BOOK THAT REMAINS IN GOOD, COMPLETE, AND READABLE CONDITION Former Library book. Paperback 100% of proceeds go to charity! Good condition with all pages in tact. Item shows signs of use and may have cosmetic defects.
Add this copy of Ship of Fools to cart. $6.00, very good condition, Sold by Burke's Book Store rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Memphis, TN, UNITED STATES, published 1984 by Back Bay Books.
SHIP OF FOOLS tells the story of a group of German nationals on a boat from Veracruz to Germany. Jews by the boatload were attempting to escape from an atrocious and repressive regime. What the passengers did not realize is that the shipboard lifestyle reflected a macrocosm of pain that is to be experienced in the rest of the world. We meet dozens of characters, some more skillfully developed than others, including a young American couple through whose eyes we get to see the whole tragedy unfolding. The novel is not plot driven but an observed portrait. Porter focuses on the telling of details of each personality and the result is a sometimes funny, often touching, and ultimately stinging examination of the insularity, hypocrisies, and pretensions of shipboard passengers en route from Mexico to Germany on the eve of World War II. Porter's cast of characters are primarily German, but a handful of Spanish, Mexican, Swiss, and American characters giving the novel an international perspective. The characters tend to adopt reactionary postures toward and make assumptions about their fellow travelers based on both class and nationality; consequently, they tend to regard each other in a stereotypical light but even as they fail to understand the truths behind the stereotypes, Porter highlights their lack of comprehension in a frequently comic but extremely disconcerting manner, demonstrating that her characters are at sea in more ways than one. Because of certain symbolism this is not a novel to read quickly or casually. It requires time to develop clearly in the mind, so readers are advised to approach it with ample time in which to enjoy this superior work.
