“A masterly story, beautifully told.” Gavin Kennedy, Bligh biographer.

“A valuable addition to Bountiana.” Colleen McCullough.

“Deeply researched and highly readable.” Robin Hanbury-Tenison OBE

The mutiny on Bounty on 28 April 1789 was the revolt of one man against another — Fletcher Christian against William Bligh. On that fateful day two friends became mortal enemies in a mighty clash of wills that rocked a nation.

In Fragile Paradise, the great-great-great-great-grandson of the Bounty mutineer brings to life a fascinating and complex character history has portrayed as both hero and villain, and the real story behind a mutiny that continues to divide opinion more than 200 years later.

The result is a brilliant and compelling historical detective story, full of intrigue, jealousy, revenge and adventure on the high seas. Glynn Christian shares the thrill of discovery as he follows the footsteps of his famous ancestor through family papers, contemporary accounts and, ultimately, on his own sailing expedition to Pitcairn Island where he finally solves the riddle of Fletcher Christian’s death.

Fragile Paradise sheds new light on Christian’s actions and the question of who was the real villain of the mutiny. It also retraces the mutineers’ extraordinary voyage to find sanctuary and reveals for the first time the pivotal role women played in this quest. Without the skills of the Polynesian women they kidnapped, the mutineers would not have survived on Pitcairn Island.

The story of the first Englishman who found and lost paradise in the South Pacific and his descendant’s personal odyssey to discover the truth, Fragile Paradise is a fitting finale to a great adventure.