Cradle of the Deep, The by Joan Lowell (1902 - 1967)

Sensational autobiography of Joan Lowell, in which she invented a colorful and multi-cultural family, who, apart from her father, all perished before her first birthday. Her father took her to sea, where she was raised by an assortment of seamen and grew into robust health until the age of 17, when the autobiography begins. She became adept in seafaring skills, including harpooning a whale single-handedly. Eventually, the ship sank off the coast of Australia, and she swam to shore and safety.
It was later proved this was fiction, and that her father took her on a voyage at age 13, along with her mother. Her travels lasted fifteen months. Lowell did not deny the allegations, and claimed it as author's privilege to make a story more interesting to read.
- Summary by LynneT