it was sweet, but i was bored. I wanted it to be more like [b:His Bloody Project|25694617|His Bloody Project|Graeme Macrae Burnet|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433870239s/25694617.jpg|45524554] and less like [b:Pride and Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320399351s/1885.jpg|3060926], a goal not helped by there being a character named Darcy in it. i didn't buy the narrative voice--it always sounded like an author trying to sound like a character. Another problem for me was that the narrator, a woman named Mary, is not present in the most gripping scenes she is writing about (of whalers in the act of killing a whale) and must narrate from a distance.

I got to the end though thinking "what is the matter with me?" because it is a sweet tale and there was nothing in particular to make me so cranky about it except I kept wishing I was reading something else because time is short on this earth. ( )

I started this book feeling a little skeptical, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, largely because of the wry, thoughtful first-person perspective. The plot isn't earth-shattering, but I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent in Mary's company. ( )

Rush OH! is the battle cry when one sees a whale – a call to arms to run to the boats.
Set in the early 1900s in New South Wales, Rush OH! is a snippet of history when whalemen along the Australian coast would rush the waters to lance their fortunes. Unlike in America, the whalemen were not gone from their homes for years at a time, but instead lived along the coast to chase the whales near shore.

This is the tale of the life Mary Davidson, the 19-year-old daughter of a brave whaling captain, who lives among the oarsmen boarding in her home. Mary is learning her role in the family after the death of her mother: she must cook and feed the crew, take care of her younger siblings, and parcel out her feelings for one new whaler in particular, John Beck. Rush OH! is a coming-of-age tale based loosely on historical anecdotes from the area, including one Killer whale named Tom who assisted the whalemen in herding and trapping the whales.

There are humorous stories of the whale crew, but there are also some dark corners in the backgrounds of these men. The feast-or-famine life of whaling is full of hardships, and often attracts men who have nothing left to lose.

I appreciated the care taken to create an atmosphere in this story: the description of the flensing of the whales, the excitement and fear of the whale hunt, and also the depictions of the Australian coastline with local flora and fauna. The descriptions and inclusions are necessary to the story without being pedantic, which makes for a compelling setting. The characters also represent the differences of interpretation of whaling and how the fear, adrenaline, and desperation can affect people in different ways.

This is a quick read sprinkled with small illustrations that add to the vintage feel of the book. I really enjoyed this one. ( )

Rush Oh! was a sneak up on you charmer. Yeah, part of you is recoiling from the whale hunting and part of you is waiting for the moment when her innocence is her downfall but mostly, you're just enjoying yourself. ( )

My BookPage review https://bookpage.com/reviews/19570-shirley-barrett-rush-oh#.VwlFCzb2Y74 ( )