The historical fiction Newbery Honor book Clearing Weather by Cornelia Meigs (published 1928) tells of a financially destroyed town during the 1780s, the years after the Revolutionary War and before the establishment of the United States Republic. Because of the war, Branscomb’s elderly ship-builder, Thomas Drury, no longer has the means to continue building, especially as he now struggles with ill health. His nephew, Nicholas Drury, dreams of building ships just like his uncle, who raised him. However, without capital, he’s not sure how to start. With the help of new friends and with blackmail leverage over the town’s wealthiest citizen, Nicholas and his young new friend Michael are able to not just survive the economic downturn but thrive after an around-the-world adventure.
About Clearing Weather
In the beginning, all seems lost. Since the Drury’s shipyard is the main employer of the town Branscomb, all in town fear that the closure of his enterprise will impoverish everyone in these post-Revolutionary War years. But Nicholas’ fortunes change when he meets Etienne Bardeau, a young Frenchman, who gives him ideas and hope to redeem the shipyard from failure. Nicholas meets Etienne as the Frenchman flees from Darius Corland, the most important man in town (possibly after Thomas Drury himself). Etienne has a damning letter from Darius Corland that gives evidence that Corland is secretly a Loyalist to England, hoping to undermine the young new nation. Corland is so concerned that this letter will be revealed and ruin his reputation, that he spends the next few years trying to regain it from Nicholas.
Now Nicholas is no longer alone. Along with Etienne and a southern young man named Michael, the three are able to come up with a plan to save the fortunes of the town: Build one last might ship and sail the good wares of Branscomb around the world, hoping it will bring back fortunes, just as Dick Whittington’s cat did for him. With the hidden letter as a bargaining chip and with extra money from Michael’s plantation family’s wealth, Nicholas secures enough capital to build the majestic ship, the Jocasta.
Since Clearing Weather is a children’s novel, it will be no surprise to the reader that there is success in their journey. But before the happy ending, there is a lot of adventure and worry, both for those traveling on the Jocasta and for those remaining behind in Branscomb. Michael sails with the ship, and instead of returning after trading in the Indies, he and the capitan decide to sail around the world in order to make even more money and to have an adventure. Their main adventures are then trading with Native American Indians on the Pacific Coast of America, who eventually become hostile to their ship. The Jocasta and its crew must flee for their lives. Pirates off the coast of China and chance meetings with influential merchants bring their adventure full-circle, since they then apparently travel in safety with riches aboard the ship.
Meanwhile, back in Branscomb, Nicholas and the entire town spend the two-years wondering what had happened to the Jocasta, since the letter explaining the “around-the-world” expedition had been lost in transit. He faces his own challenges as he is attacked multiple times by Corland’s lackeys, who try to recover the blackmail letter and also sabotage any work he attempts to complete in the shipyard. Hope is nearly lost. But hope isn’t lost, and all tension resolves in the end, as the Jocasta returns triumphant with far more wealth than the wares with which she left.
My Thoughts on Clearing Weather
The second half of the book was more interesting, with the adventures at sea and the tension. The characters were loveable and interesting. I loved reading about those in Branscomb supporting the shipping endeavors. Those hard at work in the shipyard were loveable because of their dedication to the Drury’s no matter what. The author gave them unique personalities that made them interesting. Nicholas was a loveable protagonist who changed and grew up through his story. The writing was better than other contemporary novels, in my opinion, and fluently built the plot and characters.
That said, the novel left much to be desired. The story, for the most part, moved rather slowly. The tension with Darius Corland and the blackmail letter felt ridiculous. (Corland was willing to kill to get the letter back?). The fact that the Jocasta continued sailing was even more ridiculous. They undertook a risky around-the-world adventure on the spur of the moment, all the while their families were destitute and depending on the profits of the trade in order to survive the coming years. Instead of eight months, they left for more than two years. I also disliked the racism inherent in the author’s depiction of trading with the Pacific coast Native Americans, which I’m sure was completely fabricated, given the 1928 publishing date.
The characters and action were memorable, and the era is not one that is commonly covered in American history. Few people know about the Article of Confederation era and erroneously assume that The United States was formed directly after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Ironically, this era of difficult non-governance is what I’m studying with my US Government class this week! So for those reasons, Clearing Weather is unique alone among the Newbery award winners and honors I’ve read so far. But my apprehensions and admitted boredom (in parts) contribute to my lower rating and personal non-interest in sharing this book with the children in my life.
Clearing Weather was a Newbery runner-up (later redesignated as a Newbery Honor) in 1929. I rate it “OKAY” and say “MAYBE IF YOU HAVE TIME.”
Newbery rating scale: FANTASTIC | REALLY GOOD | PRETTY GOOD | OKAY | BLAH
What to do with this Newbery: KEEP IT AND READ IT | MAYBE IF YOU HAVE TIME | DON’T BOTHER
