Troubled Waters

Robert LeckieProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 197K words
Chapters: 20

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Troubled Waters by Robert LeckieAuthor: Leckie, Robert, 1920-2001,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Oct 31, 2015

Editor's review

In Project Gutenberg's classification, Troubled Waters falls under juvenile literature (PZ). Its author, Robert Leckie, is known for military and historical writing, while this book is a narrative work aimed at young readers. Its readability comes from a clear adventure framework and tight plotting, with language of moderate difficulty, making it suitable as extensive reading material in English. As a public-domain ebook, it is extremely cheap to obtain, convenient for classroom distribution or independent reading, and also useful for observing how mid-twentieth-century English narratives for young readers handle pacing, dialogue, and characterization. It should be noted that the book is classified as juvenile literature, and both its themes and treatment lean toward coming-of-age and adventure rather than serious historical analysis; readers expecting a study of war history or military institutions may be disappointed. While reading, pay attention to shifts in narrative perspective and the use of chapter-ending suspense, as these are its most instructive technical aspects. For English learners, it is a gentle step up from graded readers to full-length original texts.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Young readers with basic English who want to try a full-length original text
Middle school or training institution teachers who need low-cost extensive reading materials in English
Literature enthusiasts studying mid-twentieth-century juvenile adventure narratives
Casual readers who enjoy fast-paced, plot-driven stories

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for serious analysis of war history or research on military institutions
Learners still at the beginning of English reading who need the support of graded readers
Mature readers who prefer complex structures, psychological depth, and experimental narrative

Reading tips

Read one chapter first to gauge the language difficulty, then decide whether to proceed with intensive or extensive reading.
Write a brief plot summary for each chapter to practice retelling and summarizing in English.
Notice how dialogue and scene description drive the plot, and excerpt passages as models for writing.
After finishing, look back at the foreshadowing set up at the beginning to appreciate the structural techniques of popular narrative.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What English level is this book suitable for?

It is a narrative work for young readers with language of moderate difficulty, suitable for readers with basic grammar and common vocabulary who are preparing to move from graded readers to full-length original texts. If there are too many unfamiliar words per page, slow down or use a dictionary.

Is it the same kind of writing as the author's historical and military works?

No. In Project Gutenberg's classification, this book falls under juvenile literature and is a plot-driven adventure narrative, not a work of history or military analysis. If you expect serious discussion of war history, your expectations need adjusting.

Is the ebook suitable for classroom teaching?

As a public-domain ebook, it is very cheap to obtain and distribute, making it suitable for unified classroom use. Teachers can assign reading tasks by chapter, along with plot summaries and vocabulary lists, but note that page numbers may vary by device, so citations should be located by chapter.

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About the author

Robert Leckie Author · American · 1920–2001

Robert Leckie (1920–2001) was an American military historian and a World War II Marine veteran who took part in the campaigns at Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu. His 1957 war memoir Helmet for My Pillow became a bestseller and later served as source material for the HBO series The Pacific. He wrote more than forty books in his lifetime, and the library holds six of his works, including Troubled Waters, Secret Mission to Alaska, Danger at Mormon Crossing, Stormy Voyage, Black Treasure, and Fire at Red Lake, whose subjects often involve maritime adventure and wartime operations. His writing is known for its firsthand perspective and narrative drive, combining military action with suspense; public information on the detailed background of these works is limited.