Godfrey Morgan: a Californian Mystery

This Verne adventure is indeed a mystery and also a satire on the Crusoe genre. Our characters are larger than life, as well they should be - Verne expects Americans to perform epics. Young Godfrey goes to sea for adventure before settling down with his bride to be. His incredibly wealthy uncle sets him aboard one of his steamers which founders some days out, leaving Godfrey and his companion, a dance and comportment instructor, near the shore of a uninhabited island. They set up residence, benefiting from livestock, some supplies and tools which apparently also wash ashore. Later, a canoe full of savages land in order to cook up a prisoner. Godfrey helps the latter escape, and the grateful native becomes a "Friday". While the island initially seems free from any predators, it is not long before Friday saves Godfrey from a bear, a tiger and a poisonous snake. But when swarms of lions, tigers, hyenas and crocodiles attack it is more than they can handle. Where do all the beasts come from? What is the cause of the occasional plume of smoke Godfrey notes on the island? Those are some of the mysteries about which the reader will be enlightened. (A. Banner ) (6 hr 5 min)

Chapters

CHAPTER I. In which the reader has the opportunity of buying an Island in the P…	14:06	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER II. How William W. Kolderup, of San Francisco, was at loggerheads with …	18:26	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER III. The conversation of Phina Hollaney and Godfrey Morgan, with a pian…	15:09	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER IV. In which T. Artelett, otherwise Tartlet, is duly introduced to the …	11:30	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER V. In which they prepare to go, and at the end of which they go for good	13:56	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER VI. In which the reader makes the acquaintance of a new personage	11:58	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER VII. In which it will be seen that William W. Kolderup was probably rig…	18:30	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER VIII. Which leads Godfrey to bitter reflections on the mania for travel…	18:21	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER IX. In which it is shown that Crusoes do not have everything as they wi…	16:37	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER X. In which Godfrey does what any other shipwrecked man would have done…	16:48	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XI. In which the question of lodging is solved as well as it could be	15:31	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XII. Which ends with a thunder-bolt	18:18	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XIII. In which Godfrey again sees a slight smoke over another part of t…	16:26	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XIV. Wherein Godfrey finds some wreckage, to which he and his companion…	16:05	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XV. In which there happens what happens at least once in the life of ev…	16:33	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XVI. In which something happens which cannot fail to surprise the reader	13:57	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XVII. In which Professor Tartlet's gun really does marvels	17:13	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XVIII. Which treats of the moral and physical education of a simple nat…	17:27	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XIX. In which the situation already gravely compromised becomes more an…	17:21	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XX. In which Tartlet reiterates in every key that he would rather be off	19:19	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XXI. Which ends with quite a surprising reflection by the negro Carefin…	23:22	Read by Arnold
CHAPTER XXII. Which concludes by explaining what up to now had appeared inexpli…	18:22	Read by Arnold

Reviews

(3 stars)

Julia R.

This is basically a fun and light-hearted version of Robinson Crusoe, with some little mysteries behind many of the unusual happenings that these castaways come up against. The LibriVox.org version is well read by Arnold Banner.