Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin Novels

[Vertigo]

A few odd notes on Desolation Island:

pp. 9-10/ Killick's buying a wife reminded me of the beginning of Hardy's Mayor of Casterbridge.

60/ The transportation-of-convicts element was an interesting one to introduce to the series.

122/ "show them the ropes" -- It seems occasionally O'Brian makes a point of including some cliche whose reference has been lost to most people by now. It's not as though he overdoes it.

143/ Jack's favorite dish soused hog's face:

Whole Pig Heads Are Now a Thing | HuffPost Life

page 154/ 116 deaths after outbreak of fever; page 236/ 600 men lost when ship sinks

247/ I had to check to confirm that icebergs would indeed be fresh water.

I was reminded of one of my favorite comics stories, Carl Barks's "Luck of the North." That's the one witht he Viking treasure ship frozen in an iceberg. Of course, this Aubrey-Maturin novel is set in south polar regions.

Luck of the North | Scrooge McDuck Wikia | Fandom

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The novel is just excellent, just splendid storytelling, historical and geographical imagination -- perhaps the geographical element deserves more credit than it gets sometimes.

On the geographic side I remember that I read this instalment whilst I was sailing on the tall ship the Lord Nelson sailing from the Canaries to Cape Verde which was part of the same route that the Leopard sailed in the early part of this novel which did rather tickle me at the time.

I also found it interesting how O'Brian managed to tangle Aubrey into the very real affair of the international incident caused by the Leopard's attack and boarding of an American military ship prior to Aubrey taking command.

You do get left on a bit of a cliff hanger at the end though, don't you?

 

[Extollager]

And now that's No. 7, The Fortune of War, read (again). Variety's a key quality of this one, what with the harrowing account of hunger and thirst in midocean in a boat after the ship catches fire, surrender to Americans with whom the English are now at war, waiting in Boston for a prisoner of war exchange -- and an escape from Boston that reminded me rather of John Buchan. Maturin as secret agent and troubled lover of Diana Villiers is prominent; he goes back to his opiate use to enable himself to sleep. Aubrey gets pneumonia and a serious arm injury; he's not an invulnerable superhero. I'll be ready for No. 7 soon enough. Room to swing a cat -- p. 94; as a near lifetime cat-owner that's seemed like an odd expression; I guess I know what kind of "cat" better now.

 

[hitmouse]

re: room to swing a cat. I missed that. Does it really come from cat o’ nine tails?

I enjoyed this book. Showed an utterly ruthless side to Maturin as well as vulnerability.

 

[Vertigo]

re: room to swing a cat. I missed that. Does it really come from cat o’ nine tails?

I enjoyed this book. Showed an utterly ruthless side to Maturin as well as vulnerability.

I'm not sure; a little research seems to suggest that its first documented appearance pre dates the first documented appearance of a cat o' nine tails by about 40 years. So it's rather uncertain.

I'm around half way through number 12, Letter of Marque, (excellent so far) just now, so you're catching me up! I thought The Fortune of War was a fascinatingly different volume in the series.

 

[hitmouse]

I blew through the first 8 or 9 when we started this re-read. Have taken a break for a few months as it was addictive but a bit exhausting. Will continue this year.

 

[Vertigo]

I blew through the first 8 or 9 when we started this re-read. Have taken a break for a few months as it was addictive but a bit exhausting. Will continue this year.

I'm still on my first read but I only read two or three a year. I tend to buy about 4 months worth of books (maybe 25 books) at a time and generally will only have one volume from each series I'm currently reading in each batch.

 

[hitmouse]

I'm still on my first read but I only read two or three a year. I tend to buy about 4 months worth of books (maybe 25 books) at a time and generally will only have one volume from each series I'm currently reading in each batch.

I got the first 6 as a job lot on ebay, and basically read them back to back.

 

[Extollager]

I felt like I could have gone right into the next book, but that I ought to take up two or three other things first, including an interlibrary loan book or two.

 

[Don Coyote]

I've come to this thread late.

I started reading the Aubrey/Maturin series back in the late 90s and read all of them except Book 21. It's first time I found stories of wooden ships and iron men fascinating. Patrick O'Brian made me feel like I was there, immersed in the time and culture, like no other before.

I've listened to about half on Audible and the narrator Patrick Tull really brings them to life!

 

[Bick]

I might have to dip back in to these, given this thread, but I’m several books behind, as I only read the first three (about 10 years ago I think). Shall I read No. 4?

 

[hitmouse]

I might have to dip back in to these, given this thread, but I’m several books behind, as I only read the first three (about 10 years ago I think). Shall I read No. 4?

Yes absolutely. I started at the beginning again and would recommend doing that. My reread was 20 years later.

 

[Vertigo]

I might have to dip back in to these, given this thread, but I’m several books behind, as I only read the first three (about 10 years ago I think). Shall I read No. 4?

Number 4, The Mauritius Command is an excellent book, one of my favourites.

 

[KiraAnn]

I read a couple of them. I think Master and Commander and Far Side of the World, but positive. I thought they were better than most of the “wooden ships and iron men” genre but the Hornblower series is still the king, IMHO.

Now, the movie was great. The cinematography, acting, direction, all just hit that sweet spot.

 

[Extollager]

I've finished true no. 7 (cf. my error at the beginning of #82 above) , The Surgeon's Mate, with satisfaction. I find I am nagged at by the prospects for Mme Lehideux, however, who was supplying our prisoners of the French with items for their escape attempt; won't it be discovered, what they had accomplished towards that end, with serious consequences for her?

I appreciated Captain Aubrey's uneasiness, on behalf of his crewmen, regrading the possible effects upon morale of the recitation of poetry on the quarterdeck. This reminded me of Silas Wegg's remarks about the weakening effects upon the brain of the reading of poetry rather than prose, in Our Mutual Friend. These fellows of a bygone age, they knew a thing or two that many of us have forgotten.

 

[A. Hairyhanded Gent]

New to the forum.

I've read the first four and am starting on the fifth. Here's an initial impression I formed, and I'd like to hear an responses.

To me there seemed to be a marked difference in--let's say--the "effectiveness" of the narrative between almost any other sections, and those sections that deal with Aubrey's or Maturin's interactions with Sophie's family. I found them to be very dull and almost trivial as compared to the other sections. I had to speed thru them, especially in the first two books, until I became accustomed to these sections.

I wish to add that the quality of the writing is certainly not to blame, but that the jarring part is that these sections suffer by comparison to the passages that detail the necessary strategies and preparation for a sail-powered man-of-war to prepare for, and fight, and engagement.

 

[hitmouse]

New to the forum.

I've read the first four and am starting on the fifth. Here's an initial impression I formed, and I'd like to hear an responses.

To me there seemed to be a marked difference in--let's say--the "effectiveness" of the narrative between almost any other sections, and those sections that deal with Aubrey's or Maturin's interactions with Sophie's family. I found them to be very dull and almost trivial as compared to the other sections. I had to speed thru them, especially in the first two books, until I became accustomed to these sections.

I wish to add that the quality of the writing is certainly not to blame, but that the jarring part is that these sections suffer by comparison to the passages that detail the necessary strategies and preparation for a sail-powered man-of-war to prepare for, and fight,

I had a similar impression the first time I read these. On second reading I have revised my opinion. The domestic scenes are very different. It is almost as if O’Brien has spliced a bit of Jane Austen into the action. The thing is that although it has a different pace, the domestic side is equally intense in its own way. It also develops the human side of the male leads, as well as their relationship with each other, and it injects some useful melancholy into the proceedings which adds weight to What Is To Come.
Overall, clever, sparkling stuff, and necessary.

 

[A. Hairyhanded Gent]

I had a similar impression the first time I read these. On second reading I have revised my opinion. The domestic scenes are very different. It is almost as if O’Brien has spliced a bit of Jane Austen into the action.

EXACTLY!

The thing is that although it has a different pace, the domestic side is equally intense in its own way. It also develops the human side of the male leads, as well as their relationship with each other, and it injects some useful melancholy into the proceedings which adds weight to What Is To Come.

This is the direction I'm headed, and I'm pleased to hear that there's reason to be optimistic.

Overall, clever, sparkling stuff, and necessary.

 

[Vertigo]

I too had issues with the domestic scenes in the early books but I feel they get better. I would agree with @hitmouse and add that I think O'brian gets better at the balance between these two areas as things move along.

 

[A. Hairyhanded Gent]

It's really breath-taking to consider the size of O'Brian's canvas, especially how it affords him the opportunity to nuance his characters over a long exposure to the reader.

There's the dimension of "narrative time"--the period of time as related in the books over which personal growth can occur, and he's doing an excellent job of that, especially with Aubrey ad his wife--but in addition, he's getting to do multiple nuanced overlays of the same characters, adding more and more events they participate in, or to be derived from thoughts and dialogs,and the reader's understanding of these characters can be quite intimate. These are like additional brushstrokes.

For example, Aubrey begins to remind me, more and more, of an old college room-mate, one with whom I kept in constant touch as we grew older. The inability to quickly see subterfuge, etc., and it comes of a basically trusting and open nature born of healthy self-image and self-confidence.

And my friend was just as innocently and cheerfully rapacious as Aubrey, too. Interesting to consider.

 

[Extollager]

I've now read #8 The Ionian Mission, #9 Treason's Harbour, and #10 The Far Side of the World. No wonder these novels are admired and enjoyed.