The Nutmeg of Consolation
Published: 1991
Author: Patrick O'Brian
Book 14 of 21: Aubrey/Maturin Novels
Genres: Action, Adventure, British & Irish, Contemporary, Family Life, Fiction, Historical, Literary, Literature, Medical, Military, Navel, Saga, Sea, Suspense, Thriller, Travel, War
Check the summary of this book here:
The Nutmeg of Consolation Summary
The Review:
In “The Nutmeg of Consolation” Patrick O'Brian continues Aubrey's journey into the southern hemisphere, which began with "The Thirteen Gun Salute," while the H.M.S. Surprise sails through Indonesia before arriving in Sydney. While reading the Aubrey/Maturin series in order is recommended, several of the volumes may be read out of order. However, doing so, in this case, would leave you stranded.
Patrick O'Brian's balance of seafaring fiction and his magnificent and vibrant portrayal of life at sea and in battle, as well as his awareness of military and political history, mixed with his particular regard for natural history through Maturin, amazes, mystifies, and encapsulates both a sense of wonder and awareness. This book, like the rest of the series, is deserving of all the high ratings and points and comes with a strong recommendation.
This book gives us a wonderful picture of Australian life, politics, and the hardships of transportation at the time. This is the book for you if you want to learn more about Australia through the perspective of an early fictional naturalist. There is some action at sea, but it follows the pattern of the other novels in that not much occurs, with a few thrilling moments that don't lead to much action, and the book ends up being unsatisfying as a maritime adventure.
The reason for this is that the majority of the story takes place on land, but the writing and narrative are both excellent. I've said it before and I'll say it again: this series is about the sea, but that doesn't mean the characters never go to shore or don't have lives on land, so enjoy the story and follow the heroes on land as well. Patrick O'Brian's mastery of knowledge and perceptions of the time and place is unmatched, as usual.
I'm not a full supporter of summaries or spoilers, but with this series, I think it's alright to provide some hints to those who are already following along. I'm trying to stay away from spoilers so that readers may appreciate Patrick O'Brian's writing and the overall structure of the story. His descriptions of the continent's wildlife, as well as the social context, are so thorough that any reader might imagine strolling beside Maturin on his tour; it's an entirely magnificent mental trip.
There are spoilers in the following paragraph, so please skip if you don't want to read.
This novel picks up just where “The Thirteen Gun Salute” left off, with the crew of the Diane building their own skiff while waiting for rescue. The crew is quickly apprehended, and after some adventure, they are put right and find themselves back in port, as is common in the South China Sea. The political climate that Maturin had left (the French politically outmaneuvered) takes a more nautical turn as Aubrey, now refitted, makes an attempt to sink the French ship before it approaches the Straits of Magellan, and the ship and crew finally arrive in Australia, which was still a penal colony at the time.
This book, as well as the entire series, is fantastic. Patrick O'Brian was a genius, but not in the arrogant, self-centered literary sense. The series provides an up-close and personal interaction with the language, people, battles, naval traditions, intelligence, and gunnery of the period, which individuals like me learn far more from than history books. But Patrick O'Brian is interested in a wide range of subjects, including medicine, biology, botany, fashion, gastronomy, music, literature, and so on. He must have been a dedicated scholar, yet he conveys all of this to readers in a very down-to-earth manner, treating the common sailor with the same reverence as an admiral.
I admit that reading the first book in the series was like reading in a foreign language to me. It took me a long to grasp many old phrases but since the writing was so compelling, I kept reading and soon found myself thinking in the Old English language presented by Patrick O'Brian in the series.
Final Thoughts:
The overall tone of this work is one of optimism and brightness. Things go wrong, but then wonderful things come in droves. It appealed to me. Our heroes had a rocky start, a good middle, and a tough time at Botany Bay, but they eventually do the right thing, leading to a fantastic conclusion.
Synopsis:
“"[The series shows] a joy in language that jumps from every page...You're in for a wonderful voyage."—Cutler Durkee, People
Shipwrecked on a remote island in the Dutch East Indies, Captain Aubrey, surgeon and secret intelligence agent Stephen Maturin, and the crew of the Diane fashion a schooner from the wreck. A vicious attack by Malay pirates is repulsed, but the makeshift vessel burns and they are truly marooned. Their escape from this predicament is one that only the whimsy and ingenuity of Patrick O'Brian—or Stephen Maturin—could devise.
In command now of a new ship, the Nutmeg, Aubrey pursues his interrupted mission. The dreadful penal colony in New South Wales, harrowingly described, is the backdrop to a diplomatic crisis provoked by Maturin's Irish temper, and to a near-fatal encounter with the wildlife of the Australian outback.”
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Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
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