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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 823.914 EAN: 9780393325171 ISBN: 0393325172 Label: W. W. Norton & Company Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 412 Publication Date: October 14, 2003 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Studio: W. W. Norton & Company Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: Since Patrick O'Brian launched his series of historical novels with Master and Commander in 1970, millions of readers have enjoyed the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend, surgeon Stephen Maturin. O'Brian's prose, so immediate and yet so distinctly capturing the language and culture of the English navy in the first moments of the 19th century, rolls effortlessly off the tongue of actor Robert Hardy. Never for a second do we doubt that this is the way an English naval officer would have expressed himself in 1800, and that these are the sights, sounds, and emotions he encountered. As Aubrey sails his ship into battle, we don't need the sounds of cannon to share this moment with him; Hardy's voice is the ideal instrument. (Running time: 4.5 hours, three cassettes) --Lou Schuler Product Description: Now available in an attractive movie-tie-in jacket for the release of the motion picture Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World starring Russell Crowe: "The best sea story I have ever read."—Sir Francis Chichester This, the first in the splendid series of Jack Aubrey novels, establishes the friendship between Captain Aubrey, R.N., and Stephen Maturin, ship's surgeon and intelligence agent, against a thrilling backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. Details of a life aboard a man-of-war are faultless rendered: the conversational idiom of the officers in the ward room and the men on the lower deck, the food, the floggings, the mysteries of the wind and the rigging, and the roar of broadsides as the great ships close in battle. It is the dawn of the nineteenth century; Britain is at war with Napoleon's France. When Jack Aubrey, a young lieutenant in Nelson's navy, is promoted to captain, he inherits command of HMS Sophie, an old, slow brig unlikely to make his fortune. But Captain Aubrey is a brave and gifted seaman, his thirst for adventure and victory immense. With the aid of his friend Stephen Maturin, ship's surgeon and secret intelligence agent, Aubrey and his crew engage in one thrilling battle after another, their journey culminating in a stunning clash with a mighty Spanish frigate against whose guns and manpower the tiny Sophie is hopelessly outmatched. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - The entry-level Aubrey-Maturin book (it has little to do with the film)It is curious that this novel should come with a "movie tie-in" cover, since the plots of the book and the film have virtually nothing to do with each other! On the other hand, the movie and this book are perfectly complimentary - Patrick O'Brien's world of the British Navy in the Napoleonic era is amply described in this book, and I'm sure the makers of the movie were amply inspired to provide an equally realistic depiction on screen. Another curiousity of this entry into O'Brien's ... Read More Rating:  - Experiencing the Sea, History, Culture and the World on dry landPatrick O'Brian is one of my favorite authors. I am in a seagoing service and was serving aboard my third ship when my Captain, who knew I was an avid reader, handed me a copy of Master and Commander to read. I was hooked. I saved a little of my liberty money to buy each successive book in the series every time we pulled into port and I made it to a book store. These books are amazing and have a place of honor on my book shelf. Master and Commander is book one of Patrick O'Brian's ... Read More Rating: - Exciting sea adventuresI was expecting an exciting adventure on the high seas. This book delivers that, as well as well-drawn, nuanced characters, sly wit, and tremendously detailed and thoroughly researched descriptions of life at sea in the Napoleonic Wars. Rarely do I return to a book once I've read it, but I've revisited these novels again and again, and they never fail to entertain me. Rating: - Captain Jack Aubrey is a warts-and-all heroSurprisingly adult sea story--at least based on my expectation that it was going to be geared to young boys--that is the first of a long series and was the basis for a major Hollywood production in 2003. Captain Jack Aubrey is a warts-and-all hero who is heroic not in spite of but because of his quirks. Ship's Surgeon Stephen Maturin is his land-hugging friend and confidante who goes to sea to eat (he's unemployed and broke) and proves a fun foil for Aubrey and crew with his incredible naivete about ... Read More Rating: - Master and CommanderPatrick O'Brian's series of seafaring novels is simply the best body of fictional work of the late 20th Century. Great clattering naval battles alternate with reflective passages. The humor which runs throughout the series is infectious. Highly recommended. |
