In addition, while this is only my subjective opinion, I got the feeling that the social attitudes and inner disposition of the main characters rang very true for the period.Īlso very kudo-worthy is the quality of O’Brian’s prose. O'Brian makes you feel as if you are truly looking through a time machine into an earlier period. Everything from music, to food, to medicine, to science, to clothing, to social interactions within the various class systems, to military life on board a naval vessel during the Napoleonic Wars are described in extraordinary and wonderful detail. On the impressive side, the novel's historical detail is outstanding. Therefore, I thought I would just give my impression of a few aspects of the book that really impressed me and those that left me less than enthused. I'm going to forego a thorough plot synopisis since some many other reviews have checked that box so admirably. That said, before I get into specifics of the book, I do recommend this book to fans of classic literature, naval adventures and historical fiction because the literary quality is certainly there. I just didn't “enjoy” it enough to go above that. Finally, in my best impression of Solomon, I settled on a solid, if not quite ebullient, 3 stars based on the fact that I was deeply impressed with many aspects of the book. While reading it I was bouncing around between everything from a bountiful 5 star rating for pure quality of writing, hefty historical detail and superbly drawn characters, all the way south to a skimpy 2 star for less than engaging plotting, iceberg-like pacing and noticeable lack of emotional resonance. This story posed a bugger of a ratings quandary for yours truly. He translated many works from French into English, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir, the first volume of Jean Lacouture's biography of Charles de Gaulle, and famed fugitive Henri Cherriere's memoir Papillon. In addition to the Aubrey-Maturin novels, Patrick O'Brian wrote several books including the novels Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, and The Unknown Shore, as well as biographies of Joseph Banks and Picasso. The books are now available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book format. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, O'Brian's twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician (and spy) Stephen Maturin. Reardon, Chicago Tribune), and "the best historical novels ever written" (Richard Snow, New York Times Book Review), which "should have been on those lists of the greatest novels of the 20th century" (George Will). Patrick O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series of historical novels has been described as "a masterpiece" (David Mamet, New York Times), "addictively readable" (Patrick T.
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