| Title | : | The Letter of Marque (Aubrey Maturin, #12) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0006499279 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780006499275 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 281 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1988 |
With Aubrey is his friend and ship’s surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also an unofficial British intelligence agent. Maturin has bought for Aubrey his old ship the Surprise, as a ‘private man-of-war’. Together they sail on a voyage which, if successful, might restore Aubrey to the rank, and the raison d'être, whose loss he so much regrets.
The Letter of Marque (Aubrey Maturin, #12) Reviews
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While Captain Jack Aubrey is the heart-and-soul main character of the series, he shares the stage with his unlikely friend Dr. Stephen Maturin, the brain and introspection of these books. In The Letter of Marque Maturin takes center stage.
In the previous book Aubrey took a tough one on the chin. He spends much of this book trying to get his back, specifically going to daring and dangerous lengths to get himself reinstated on the Navy List after a stock market swindle lands him in a terrible predicament.
That's where the book's physical action takes place. Maturin's predicament is more cerebral. He's trying to reconcile with his estranged wife, who left him upon hearing rumors that he was parading around Italy with a mistress. Yes, he was spending a good deal of his time in the Mediterranean with another woman, but that all had to do with his intelligence work. Unfortunately he was sent away on an even longer voyage and was never sure that the letter of explanation ever arrived in his wife's hands. All of this is resolved through out The Letter of Marque, but resolved with all the painfully nuanced details that a battered relationship entails. It honestly reminded me of such episodes I went through in my younger years and I did not enjoy the reminder. It was all too well done.
Much of this book ties up the loose ends of the last book. That of course leaves the reader feeling satisfied in the end, however, it doesn't always translate to the most exciting of novels, not all the way through at least.
There's also a lot of contemplation, just a little too much at times. This draws more attention to Patrick O'Brian's ever-present digressions on any number of topics, natural science being one of the foremost. Though I'd imagine readers who prefer authors to always "get to the point" would be annoyed, these meanderings are very enjoyable to me, except when they're paired with too much introspection all in the same book. That happens occasionally throughout this series and it happens again here, which is why I've knocked this down one star. Still in all, Jack Aubrey's personal victories and Stephen's struggle are engaging enough to keep The Letter of Marque well afloat!
My review of book #11, The Reverse of the Medal:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of book #13, The Thirteen Gun Salute:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... -
“I have often observed that extremely violent noise and activity go with good-fellowship and heightened spirits.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque
Captain Aubrey has been kicked out of the Navy based on some financial speculation that he was involved in. Now, he is sailing the Surprise decked out as a privateer (under the Letter of Marque) which allows him to earn a bit more money and enjoy a bit more freedom. Captain Aubrey, however, is a man who misses the Navy and being away from the Navy is killing him. Meanwhile, Dr. Maturin has his demons to deal with (women, or one woman, and Laudanum).
This isn't the strongest book in the series (12 books in and this might be the weakest so far, but still isn't really weak or weak only relatively), but it is nice to see a different aspect of the the British Navy. Probably the most famous Privateer in history is Francis Drake. Aubrey engages in several battles at sea and is able "right" his fortune and perhaps even his name. There is a scene at the end when Dr. Maturin is under the spell of a large dose of Laudanum that while interesting is a bit weak (he dreams of balloons, and Diana). There was certainly plenty of foreshadowing of balloons to make its entrance in his dream believable, but it was just not polished enough. No. Polished isn't right. It didn't risk enough. It was a bit of a boring scene. Anyway, still a very good book -- with just a few barnacles attached.
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[9/10]
Blue sea, blue sky, white clouds, white sails, a general brilliance: what could be more pleasing?
Some say that the Vikings went raiding every year in order to escape from the six-month winter nagging of their wives (Frans Bengtsson). A similar argument could be made that the English became sailors in order to escape from the dreariness of their island's climate. I too am enjoying a return to the frigate "Surprise" in the company of Captain Jack Aubrey and of doctor Stephen Maturin, the two friends that took me around the world for some extraordinary voyages of naval engagements and naturalist exploration. A major pull is also the delightful play with language from the author, a reminder of the art of polite conversation and dry wit.
Jack, I do most humbly beg your pardon for being late; it was my own fault entirely, so it was – a gross self-indulgence in bustards; and I am most infinitely obliged to you for waiting for us.
Bustards used to be quite numerous in Romania until about a century ago. I learned about them in school, but I have never seen a live one, so I envy Mr. Maturin for his chance to observe some of these huge birds in England before he embarks on a new voyage. For those who need a reminder of events from the previous book: it took place mostly on dry land and dealt a heavy blow to Jack Aubreym who has been unfairly accused of insider trading at the London Stock Exchange. Stephen has stepped in to help his friend with the letter of marque from the title, basically a license to pilfer and pillage on the high seas in the best British naval tradition.
Coming back to the ship is the best medicine for Jack Aubrey's depression, after he was booted out of the Navy. With a handpicked crew from the most notorious pirate town on the Channel, he sets out to hunt for fat Spanish merchant ships, and for a way to rekindle his 'Lucky' surname.
Gazing at the beam he was dimly aware of the ship's living sound as she moved north-east with a slight following sea, the contended hum of the well-set-up rigging (taut, but not too taut), the occasional creak of the wheel, the complex aroma, made up of scrubbed plank, fresh sea-breeze, stale bilge-water, tarred cordage, paint and damped sailcloth.
I would love to give you a blow by blow account of the Atlantic chases and of the daring attacks on coastal France in the present episode, but Patrick O'Brian does it so much better than me. Let me just quote one of the Secret Service men reaction to hearing the story:
"As the Duke said, it was the completest thing."
And that includes the delights of conversation and of looking up new or archaic words in dictionaries, words that I would love to use in casual conversation although I fail too see an opportunity to include 'precipitancy' or to enjoy a dinner of 'green calipash and amber calipee swimming in their juices' [that second one is turtle soup, which I would like to taste even at the risk of aggravating Greenpeace, but it's not on the menu of any restaurant I know]
I mentioned several reasons why I keep coming back to the series: the action, the descriptions of nature, the use of language, the humour. There are two more aspects that come to the forefront in this present novel. One is already nostalgia, looking back at the long journey already made with the eyes of a stunned dinner companion for Jack and Stephen:
'Ascension Island! cried Lord Meyrick. 'What vistoes that calls to mind! What oceans of vast eternity! In my youth I longed to travel, sir; I longed to view the Great Wall of China, the deadly Upas Tree, the flux and reflux of the fabled Nile, the crocodile in tears...
The second reason is the way Patrick O'Brian writes of the pangs of love, the romantic delicate touch he uses to approach to relationships of happily married Jack and of long-suffering Stephen. A suffering that is becoming exquisitely unbearable in the last pages of the book as he is reunited in Stockholm with his wayward wife. I am beyond thrilled at the return of the fiery Diana Villiers.
What is next in line for the "Surprise" and its buccaneer crew? I can't wait to find out what new adventures will come their way in South America. I can understand Jack's newfound joy in his frigate:
She is in fine form – brought us out of the Suur Sound under topgallantsails, going like a racehorse, starboard tacks aboard, studdingsails aloft and alow, nip and tuck in that damned narrow Wormsi channel – you could have tossed a biscuit on to the lee shore – and she has a dozen bolts of the kind of poldavy they serve out in Heaven.
* poldavy * is a type of old style sailcloth -
This was a wonderful conclusion to
The Reverse of the Medal. As Stephen notes at one stage in the book, Aristotle's definition of tragedy encompassed not only a great man being brought down but also the redemption and deliverance of a man who had been laid low. If that's true, then this book, in company with the last, forms a truly great example of the same. From the nadir of fortune that both Jack and Stephen experience in TRotM, LoM sees a complete reversal. Jack is more successful than he's ever been, Stephen has Diana restored to him, and the book ends on one of the happiest and most contained notes that I think I've ever seen in an O' Brian novel.
The period sense was, as ever, perfect. If ever there was a literary universe in which I think I would like to live, then the Aubrey-Maturin universe is one of them. The dialogue was a joy as ever. O' Brian is so good at using dialogue to show just how close a friendship Stephen and Jack have, just how much they mean to one another. It's such a joyous thing that even Jack's little bit of banter at Stephen about the fact that the sea going out is, in fact, called the tide, succeeded in bringing a huge smile to my face. I particularly enjoyed Stephen's conversation about how difficult it is to survive as an undergraduate at TCD. Things, clearly, have not changed that much. *g* -
3.5 – 4 stars
In a nutshell this volume of Aubrey and Maturin’s adventures covers a short, though very eventful, series of engagements in the Surprise under the titular letter of marque granted them by the crown, making Aubrey and company privateers (or in other words government sanctioned pirates). No doubt driven by his anger over the injustices he has suffered of late Aubrey proves to be a harsher than normal task-master to his crew, half of which are made up of old Surprises, the other of new men recruited from the population of privateers found in abundance in the town of Shelmerston. Most of the tension in the novel revolves around Aubrey’s audacious plan to fulfill his commission from the government in such a way as to gain the greatest amount of glory without losing any face (or credit) to the Royal Navy forces tasked with providing him assisstance. Also complicating Aubrey’s ultimate goal of re-instatement on the Navy List is his pig-headed (in Maturin’s opinion at least) adherence to his sense of personal honour and stubborn refusal to accept help that in any way implies his complicity in the scheme for which he was convicted. Sub-plots around Maturin’s use of laudanum and its wider implications both for himself and members of the crew, as well as his relationship with Diana round out the story. Oh, and both of our heroes take some very hard knocks, getting seriously injured, though in very different contexts and situations. (Poor Stephen seems to be habitually able to find new and devastating ways of falling down.)
You could certainly say that for all the vicissitudes to which O’Brian puts them he really does not like making his main characters suffer and here, after only one novel, he has provided both of them with a very happy ending indeed. Of course, I don’t imagine this to be a permanent state of affairs, but considering the level to which poor Aubrey had sunk by the end of
The Reverse of the Medal he has certainly made a precipitous rise. For his part Stephen’s bliss may be short-lived (and no doubt will be, given its source), but both our heroes really can’t complain of their treatment at O’Brian’s hands...at least for the moment. -
Bello bello bello, come sempre del resto. Quando termino un libro della saga mi sento temporaneamente in pace con il mondo.
Resto sul generico per non spoilerare: dico solo che qui ci sono tanti colpi di scena e dopo numerosi episodi in cui tante cose andavano storte, qui finalmente si avrà il piacere di vedere qualcosa che si raddrizza. Il tutto senza che la grazia e la compostezza dell'autore vengano mai meno.
Avendo appena finito di leggere Casa desolata di Dickens - e avendo letto poco prima di questo l'undicesimo episodio il rovescio della medaglia - insomma con tutte le atmosfere e le descrizioni ben fresche nella mente, mi rendo conto di quanto O'Brian sappia essere dickensiano: lo è veramente tanto, sia nelle descrizioni della Londra del XIX sec. che nella creazione dei personaggi, una capacità tutto sommato notevole o comunque non scontata in uno che non è studioso di letteratura di professione. Ma come si diceva sopra, una certa grazia - anche grazia nell'imitare e nel prendere spunto senza scimmiottare banalmente - o ce l'hai di tuo o non la imparerai mai.
Quando si trova un autore con cui ci si sente in perfetta sintonia, non si ringrazia mai abbastanza il cielo e tutti i santi e i beati. A prestissimo con il prossimo episodio. -
Read this book in 2008, and its the 12th wonderful outing in the "Aubrey/ Maturin" series.
In this tale Aubrey, after taken off the list of post-captains for a crime he did not commit, will get assistance from his friend and ship's Surgeon and not to forget spy, Stephen Maturin.
This same Maturin has bought for Aubrey their former ship the "Surprise", and to take command of this vessel as a privateer, or more politely termed as a Letter of Marque.
Together, and with their crew, they will set sail to look and confront the French, and if successful against the French by beating them hard and convincingly, can Aubrey redeem himself enough from the private hell of his disgrace, and while doing so also make a name of himself that government and Admiralty will restore him as a Navy man once again.
What is to follow is an fabulous seafaring adventure, in which Aubrey and Maturin will do anything to make the Admiralty and government of Britain make notice of them in a most decisive and determined way, and this is brought to us by the author in his own wonderful and authentic fashion.
Highly recommended, for this is another magnificent addition to this great series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Brilliant Letter Of Marque"! -
Nuovo anno, nuovo titolo di O'Brian per iniziare! Dodicesima puntata (su 21), La nave corsara.
Qualche altra volta mi sembra di aver osservato che i primi capitoli di questi romanzi si occupano di fare un certo lavoro di riepilogo e di intavolare gli sviluppi successivi, sono insomma talvolta più interlocutòri e meno interessanti, qui invece ho trovato la prima parte decisamente più intrigante.
È quella infatti in cui agisce un Jack cupo e ancora segnato dagli eventi raccontati in
Il rovescio della medaglia: Stephen, e gli altri che lo conoscono da tempo, sono ben coscienti che è un Jack diverso, indurito, quasi "indifferente" a tutto, neanche il ritorno sul mare sembra scuoterlo o togliergli quella cappa di depressione in cui è sprofondato, pur continuando in superficie a lavorare e a darsi da fare (come si sa, è sempre al comando della Surprise, che però non è più una nave della Marina ma una nave da guerra privata, "corsara" appunto) con la consueta energia.
Sebbene Stephen lo informi ben presto che il complotto ai suoi danni è stato scoperto e che, se non il grande pubblico, almeno le alte sfere sanno benissimo che si è trattato di un inside job e che egli è innocente (noi lettori lo sappiamo dal finale del libro precedente), questo non vuol dire che la sua situazione cambierà a breve e che sarà riaccolto nella Royal Navy con tutti gli onori (conviene a tutti non ammettere l'errore e tenere ancora la cosa segreta, e pazienza se lui ci ha rimesso la carriera e la reputazione).
Per cui, doppiamente beffato (è innocente, i suoi superiori lo sanno, e tuttavia non ci si può far nulla), Jack è costretto a ingoiare qualche umiliazione (perché, accanto ai comandanti e agli ufficiali che gli sono molto amici e che si adoperano per aiutarlo, non mancano quelli che invece godono non poco nel vedere la sua disgrazia), a mettere insieme un nuovo equipaggio, un equipaggio con attitudini e atteggiamenti diversi da quelli di una nave militare, con gli inevitabili periodi di adattamento e addestramento per raggiungere i livelli di eccellenza che si prefigge, e lui stesso deve, dopo tanti anni, in molte cose cambiare la sua "impostazione mentale" in tema di tattica, strategie, manovre (di questi libri le parti più squisitamente dedicate alla tecnica marinaresca non sono mai le mie preferite, perché molto difficili da seguire nel dettaglio: però stavolta mi è piaciuto particolarmente un brano verso l'inizio in cui Jack riflette tra sé su come dovrà cambiare completamente la sua tattica nelle battaglie: mentre in una nave militare lo scopo principale è distruggere o comunque neutralizzare il nemico, ora dovrà stare soprattutto attento a che la preda non sia danneggiata; questo vuol dire una diversa tecnica di avvicinamento, rinunciare all'uso dei suoi amati cannoni... Tutta una serie di problematiche che Jack coglie subito, perché ovviamente sul mare è tutt'altro che uno sprovveduto, ma che danno anche al lettore l'idea del suo lieve "disorientamento" in questa fase incerta e inedita della sua carriera); non manca neanche qualche nuovo motivo di leggero "imbarazzo" nel suo rapporto con Stephen, che non è più solo il suo migliore amico e confidente, ma anche... il proprietario della nave, e quindi non più uno dei suoi sottoposti ma anzi... il suo capo!
Se non che, grazie agli uffici di amici e alleati che gli danno utili suggerimenti e anche a un po' di fortuna, alla sua abilità e arditezza e al duro lavoro di preparazione fatto da lui e dai suoi uomini, riesce a inanellare un paio di imprese di successo, tra cui la cattura di una grossa nave da guerra francese, che hanno una vasta eco tra il pubblico, e inoltre riesce ad assicurarsi un seggio in Parlamento. Insomma, a fine libro non è stato ancora riammesso nella Marina e riabilitato, ma si trova in una posizione notevolmente migliore rispetto a prima e, a detta di tutti, si tratta solo di aspettare ancora un poco (il tempo di un'altra missione in Sud America, che presumibilmente sarà trattata nel prossimo libro) e tutti i torti saranno riparati.
In tutta onestà, non mi sembra che La nave corsara sia una delle puntate migliori della saga: la "crisi" scoppiata ne Il rovescio della medaglia, che aveva scatenato in me una violenta e appassionata reazione e un'ansiosa attesa per il libro successivo, si risolve (sembra di sì, a meno di futuri colpi di scena) un po' troppo in fretta e un po' troppo bene per il nostro protagonista. Nella sua prefazione a Ai confini del mare, O'Brian scherzando aveva detto che, quando aveva iniziato a scrivere le avventure di Jack, non immaginava che le avrebbe portate avanti per così tanti libri, se l'avesse saputo avrebbe anticipato un po' l'anno di partenza delle sue imprese, invece ora si trovava già quasi alla fine delle guerre napoleoniche ed era costretto a... dilatare un po' i tempi per far entrare tutte le storie che desiderava raccontare in pochi anni ("è possibile che nel prossimo futuro l'autore [...] sia indotto a usare anni ipotetici, in certo modo simili alle ipotetiche lune utilizzate per calcolare la Pasqua: l'anno 1812a, per così dire, o addirittura 1812b"): insomma forse queste peripezie legate sono state un po' "accelerate" per non rubare troppo tempo alle successive avventure situate negli ultimi decisivi anni di guerra (è una mia ipotesi). In effetti, però, io avrei preferito che questo inedito Jack "rinnegato" e costretto a reinventarsi durasse per più dello spazio di un solo romanzo (poi può sempre darsi che le cose si sviluppino in modo inaspettato, chi lo sa).
Ho provato inoltre una fitta acuta di delusione a leggere della fine ingloriosa e fuori scena , un personaggio fatto fuori senza troppe cerimonie e che invece speravo mi avrebbe dato qualche soddisfazione, anche se la sua morte è funzionale al processo di riabilitazione e reinserimento del protagonista.
Un po' di maniera sono stati anche i brevi quadretti, che in genere mi piacciono tanto, di Jack a casa con moglie e figli, anche se la scena dello spacchettamento del servizio di piatti è carina.
Insomma, tutto giusto e tutto al suo posto, in questo libro, ma forse non particolarmente memorabile o brillante come in altre puntate: una puntata che serve a "risolvere" un po' di problemi e a sciogliere qualcuno dei nodi precedentemente intrecciati. E anche la mia recensione stavolta non trova molto altro da dire, se non che, come al solito, ora ricomincia l'attesa per la lettura del prossimo libro, che in genere mi concedo in estate.
Si distinguono però la meravigliosa scena del pranzo di Jack e Stephen con i loro ex pupilli Babbington, Pullings e Mowett, ormai uomini fatti, una vera e propria reunion dei vecchi compagni della Sophie (in questo libro vi è più di un riferimento a quel famoso primo comando), e la lunga scena finale a Stoccolma con il tanto atteso , che avviene in modo volutamente poco enfatico e anzi quasi comico, con Stephen , ma che dà comunque un gran senso di soddisfazione al lettore (nella mia testa comunque mi piace pensare che, checché scriva O'Brian, Diana ).
Mi sentirei "sporca" a dare meno di 4 stelle a O'Brian, per cui non lo faccio, anche se valutando freddamente questo romanzo è più da 3,5: mi ha lasciato la sensazione che le tante potenzialità introdotte dal libro precedente non siano state proprio sfruttate a pieno. -
I'm returning to this series after a very long break, and I'm glad that I did. It's possible, after all, to read books wrong, which can end up spoiling the book for reasons that are nothing to do with the book itself. In the case of the Aubrey/Maturin series, the uniformity of their excellence in terms of writing, their largely character-driven, relatively shapeless novelistic plotting compared poorly, I thought, to the more intricate, complex and subtle mechanisms of Dorothy Dunnett. Of course, that's the wrong approach. They don't suffer in comparison at all. They are completely different animals. To read them for the thrill of clever plot twists that have been deviously woven into eight massive volumes is both pointless and a bit stupid, and I'm glad now that I've achieved this perspective, because the pleasures of O'Brian's novels are in some ways richer than Dunnett's, for all that Dunnett will always edge out O'Brian as one of my favourite writers.
Jack Aubrey is in a sorry state at the start of The Letter Of Marque, struck off the naval lists after a trumped-up charge, he is morose, short-tempered and depressed. Stephen Maturin has purchased The Surprise, however, and with the titular letter and a crew half of old naval hands and half of doughty pirates, they set out to restore Jack's fortunes.
The aforementioned uniformity of excellence of these novels tends to render each succeeding novel susceptible to accusations of sameness. Certainly there is progression. Each book is a chapter in the ongoing history of our heroes' friendship and careers. They age and change in circumstances and temperament. There are voyages, there are battles, there are some exchanges of intelligence, observations of flora and fauna, and occasional visits to hearth and home and family, where Jack can blunder cheerfully and Stephen can mope for his estranged wife. The story develops, the characters grow, the world opens up around them, a world so fully and perfectly realised that we come to understand that what we mistook for sameness is, in fact, recognition and comfort and familiarity. Each book gives exactly what it sets out to give, and so long as we don't mistake it for something it's not, we can fully enjoy them in all their warmth and generosity. For all love. -
In Vol.XI of Robert's Adventures in Napoleonic Naval Literature, the protagonist found himself wearied and despondant, wondering whether it was "worth it" to go on.
THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY
See the complete review here:
http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/33... -
Reading ‘The Letter of Marque’ was an attempt at escapism and distraction immediately before and after the American election. It didn’t work, but I’m not sure anything would have. It was nice to have Aubrey and Maturin for company while I was too anxious to sleep, in any event. This is quite a sombre outing for pair, as Jack has been struck off the naval lists and is captaining a privateer that Stephen bought to cheer him up. Nonetheless, there are delightful moments of levity as well as thrilling sea battles. Notable sub-plots include Stephen’s troubling relationship with laudanum, an exploding pudding, Babbington’s eye for the ladies, and Jack not talking about his feelings but Stephen understanding anyway. O’Brian continues to have a wonderful ear for dialogue, a deft touch with characterisation, and a magical ability to evoke the early 19th century.
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one more o’brian down (only eight more to go, lol)!
thoroughly enjoyed this one, which had almost everything i love most about these books: storms, action, gruesome descriptions of 1800s surgery, a delightful scene of capt. jack aubrey, r.n. swimming with a seal, etc.
loved the character stuff too - jack and stephen continue to change and develop even after all this time and i love them more than ever -
The Letter of Marque is the twelfth book in the Aubrey/Maturin series, and I don’t seem to be enjoying it any less as time – and the series – stretches on.
Here we catch up with Jack after he’s been struck off the list of post-captains for a crime on the stock exchange that he could never have understood enough to commit. But he’s not without a boat, The Surprise having been surreptitiously bought by his now rather minted best friend Stephen, and given a letter of marque to protect them from the Royal Navy in their new activity of privateering (piracy with its best manners on display).
No longer full of pressed men and marines, the men who now serve Jack are all those who want to be there, recommended either by their past experiences of his command or drawn by the lure of the flashy prizes he’s often been lucky to bring in. And in the background, the English authorities are laying out the necessary plans to reinstate Jack should he do enough damage to the French to justify their backpedalling.
Meanwhile, Stephen is still ministering to the ship in his role as doctor while gathering information about the enemy in his other, secret intelligence role. All while pining over Diana, his erstwhile wife, and completely failing to notice that his servant is pilfering and then diluting what remains of his laudanum supplies.
Picking one of these books up is like slipping into a soothing warm bath, no matter whether the book depicts one of the more successful or miserable outings for Jack and Stephen. Complete with a couple of rousing engagements, The Letter of Marque was a lovely catch up with my favourite literary couple. -
The story rolled memorably along until the last 50 pages or so when it took a detour into snoozetown with the tedious love woes of the Doctor. that, plus another placeholder ending, degrades the overall enjoyment of the book, but not the series.
-
In this twelfth volume of the series, the Reverend Martin gives some advice on happy endings to an aspiring naval author: “When Mowett told me he meant to write a very ambitious piece called “The Sea-Officer’s Tragedy”, based on Captain Aubrey’s career, his victories and his misfortunes, I told him I hoped he would make it end happy. “I can’t possibly do that,” says he. “Since it is a tragedy, it must end in disaster.” I begged his pardon for disagreeing, but I had the support of the greatest authority in the learned world, Aristotle himself, in saying that although tragedy necessarily dealt with doings of great-minded men or women, in a high and serious manner, it by no means necessarily ended unhappy....”.
This passage felt like a wink from the author after all the vicissitudes Captain Jack Aubrey and Naval Surgeon/naturalist/spy Stephen Maturin endured in “The Reverse of the Medal”, for in this volume, our heroes face many more challenges and battles on land and sea, but surmount them all, more or less, to arrive at their own happy endings, at least for the moment.
I have enjoyed revisiting this series via audiobook and the wonderful readings by Patrick Tull, and this seems like a good place to take a break before beginning the next round of voyages, battles, misunderstandings, botanizing, and intrigue, with the South Pacific, Australia, and South America ahead.
Reread 8/17-8/19/22 -
Both Jack and Stephen face down their personal demons. In Jack's case, his susceptibility to land sharks has caused him to get involved in a scam that ultimately gets him stripped of his Navy commission. It will take a lot of luck for him to get reinstated. Fortunately, he is not called "Lucky Jack Aubrey" for nothing. Also, he is in command of a privateer full of eager and able seamen.
For Stephen, it's his long-term opium habit. (He is not addicted, of course. Never in life.) When his self-medication finally gets him into big trouble, a brother physician prohibits the use of opium. This is a problem for Stephen, until he remembers about his supply of Peruvian coca leaves.
Neither Jack nor Stephen would have survived these ordeals if not for their mutual friendship, the loyalty of their shipmates, and the devotion of their wives (each in her own very different way). It also helps them to have friends in high places.
One thing I really appreciate about Patrick O'Brian is his astounding gift for showing rather than telling. -
After being falsely accused and convicted of a complicated investment scheme, Jack Aubrey has been cast out of the service. He's been in the Royal Navy nearly all of his life, and the separation breaks his heart. In hopes of moderating his misery, his particular friend Stephen Maturin buys the Surprise and secures a letter of marque for the ship. Aubrey can captain the Surprise once more, but this time as a privateer. It is acutely painful to him, but leads to one of his greatest professional triumphs. Stephen, meanwhile, finally meets face-to-face with Diana once more.
Everything about this book was beautiful and perfect and much-longed for. The only flaw was that the voice the narrator gives Diana Villiers is cloying and fake, and it nearly ruined my enjoyment of her scenes with Stephen. But not quite, for nothing could take away my adoration for the slow, weird ways they reconcile with each other. -
I'm profoundly in love with Diane Villiers. Steve Maturin's estranged wife. Both these characters turn over another leaf in this glorious tale of the continuing Aubrey/Maturin saga. Captain Jack Aubrey has been struck off the naval list because of enemy agents framing him for a stock exchange crime he did not commit. Many know he has been framed and the enemy agents guilty of the entrapment have fled the country. Aubrey is presented with HMS Surprise, which Steven Maturin has bought out of his inheritance. Therefore, Jack Aubrey is sailing the ship as a Letter of Marque - a privateer. He is still fighting for his country and trying to clear his name and win reinstatement back into the Royal Navy.
Once again I was enthralled by this twelfth story of the Royal Navy saga set in the time of Napoleon and the British/American War of 1812 to 1814. I can't wait to start on the next one. Splendid stuff. -
The usual, brightly colored Aubrey and Maturin high-seas fun, leaven with the sobering hash each makes of his health and personal life. They have the whole world helping them into their personal infernos, but the fault lies not in their stars but in themselves. Friends and family--and each other--bear them through as usual on a freshening breeze and the promise of yet greater adventures.
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Well, I love e'm all, but this is one of my faves! This is the 10th Aubrey & Maturin I've re-read this year - something's had to soothe my savage breast following the Brexit vote and I can't take up smoking again - been off the evil weed for 35 years!
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I laughed, I cried. What a joy.
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“more tears were shed over prayers that were granted than ever were shed over prayers that were refused”
“Killick, who as captain’s steward was naturally in charge of these things, took him by the arm and called out slowly into his perhaps uncomprehending ear, ‘You Free Man Now. Huzzay,’ making the gesture of one released from his manacles, and thus signifying that the moment the black set foot on a British ship he was no longer a slave. ‘You’ – touching his breast – ‘Free Man.’
‘Parm me, sir,’ said the black, ‘my name is Smith.’ But he spoke so gently for fear of giving offence, that, in the midst of the cheerful hullaballoo, his words had no influence whatsoever upon public opinion.”.
“Stephen and Davidge spoke of the difficulties of remaining alive as an undergraduate at Trinity College in Dublin: Davidge had a cousin there who had been pierced three times, twice by a sword, once by a pistol-bullet.
‘I am not a quarrelsome man nor inclined to take offence,’ said Stephen, ‘yet I must have been out a score of times in my first year. It is better now, I believe, but it was a desperate place in those days.”
“Could you not spend an afternoon at Milport, to meet the electors? There are not many of them, and those few are all my tenants, so it is no more than a formality; but there is a certain decency to be kept up. The writ will be issued very soon.’ Then, seeing Jack’s look of astonishment, he went on, ‘I mean to offer you the seat.’
‘Do you, by God?’ cried Jack; and realizing the extent, the importance, the consequence of what his cousin had just said he went on, ‘I think that amazingly handsome in you, sir; I take it more kindly than I can say.’ He shook Mr Norton’s thin old hand and sat staring for a while: possibilities that he hardly dared name flashed and glowed in his mind like a fleet in action.
Cousin Edward said ‘I thought it might strengthen your hand in any dealings with government. There is not much merit in being a member of parliament, unless perhaps you represent your county; but at least a member with merit of his own is in a position to have it recognized”.
Takes Stephen 40 pages and like a week to inform his wife he’s not unfaithful. Christ almighty. -
This is now my third time reading through this brilliant series and I am reminded again how beautifully written and how wonderfully, addictively enjoyable they are.
In The Letter Of Marque, Jack’s fortunes are a low ebb, but he commands the Surprise as a privateer or “letter of marque” as events develop which may bring about his reinstatement. Stephen, meanwhile, sets about repairing his marriage to Diana while succumbing to his laudanum addiction. It’s an excellent mixture of naval action and developments ashore, with O’Brian’s study of an addictive personality especially well done, I think.
Patrick O'Brian is steeped in the period of the early 19th Century and his knowledge of the language, manners, politics, social mores and naval matters of the time is deep and wide. Combined with a magnificent gift for both prose and storytelling, it makes something very special indeed. The books are so perfectly paced, with some calmer, quieter but still engrossing passages and some quite thrilling action sequences. O'Brian's handling of language is masterly, with the dialogue being especially brilliant, but also things like the way his sentences become shorter and more staccato in the action passages, making them heart-poundingly exciting. There are also laugh-out-loud moments and an overall sense of sheer involvement and pleasure in reading.
I cannot recommend these books too highly. They are that rare thing; fine literature which are also books which I can't wait to read more of. Wonderful stuff. -
Lucky Jack Aubrey is back! And what a comeback it is!
But that will come in due course and first Jack and Stephen have their fair share of misery and heartache. And while Jack bears it with a certain degree of fortitude though being uncharacteristically reserved and sullen, Stephen is practically falling to pieces, losing almost all his quick-wittiness and sharpness of mind. But certain wounds are not to be suffered alone in a quiet corner and action is always the best remedy so both Jack and Stephen are constantly on their way and the book seemed to me as action-packed as possible. Stephen even had a chance to wield a sword in cold blood - a delight nearly forgotten since the first books.
I noticed that thoughout the series I tend to say that the book I've just read was the best so far, so making at least half the series "best books". But these three starting with "The Far Side of the World" raise the standard so high that I wonder if the rest of them will be able to maintain it. -
Another very enjoyable outing of Aubrey and Maturin. Between them they have by now accumulated enough wounds to see off an entire football team, but they are still going strong, good as new - meanwhile I am troubled by a creaky left elbow.
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stephen bought jack the HMS surprise as medicine for his exploded ego and now they are sailing around antagonizing the french per their custom but they're privateers so there is kind of a casual friday energy. there is a boat fight involving horses on the boat in this one
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Nine years after I started, I still marvel at these stories. They are in their own class, and delightful. They are also hilarious at times. I’m not sure why I have never awarded one five stars before, but this one earns every one of them.
Following his unjust punishment in the previous novel, Aubrey is a privateer. But in this blisteringly fast story, he has two shockingly successful cruises that see his fortunes increase and his name restored, even if he is not yet back in the good graces of the Admiralty and returned to his rank. The cutting out of a French man-of-war from an enemy harbor is wicked good fun, and Maturin’s reconciliation with Diana is very pleasant. -
This one may be my favourite of the series thus far with a great blend of action, personal adventures, and the excellent narration of Ric Jerrom.
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One of my favorite Aubrey books so far. Very much like a redemption story for Jack. It's interesting how mirrored the history of certain Royal Navy captains are to these stories. The author did his research.
I detest any time Diana comes back into the story. I just do not feel like her and Stephens's relationship is very interesting to read about. I'm not here for the weird situation they created for themselves. Can the reader get back to sailing in a warship or some historical political intrigue, please?