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Master and Commander Review

Master and Commander Review

Master and Commander

Published: 1969

Author: Patrick O'Brian

Book 1 of 21: Aubrey/Maturin Novels

Genres: Action, Adventure, British & Irish, Family Life, Fiction, Historical, Literary, Literature, Medical, Military, Navel, Saga, Sea, Suspense, Thriller, Travel, War


Check the summary of this book here:



The Review:

Patrick O'Brian writes on the life and living in his novel Master and Commander. That is the simplest explanation I can provide for how he writes his novels. It's a mistake to think of him as history or sea-story enthusiast. He writes about friendships and hatred, optimism and fear, and all of the causes and ways we suffer and exult in small and large events. If you haven't read any of his works, you should simply understand what he's all about and why he's such a brilliant author.

There are storyline aspects that are both unexpected and foretold in advance. Parts of the novel are lighthearted and uplifting, but others are somewhat gloomy. The pace is both sluggish and quick, and it all depends on where you are in the plot at any particular point. You're practically in slow motion at times, but it's not the book that's sluggish; it's your brain that's producing all the action and movement by changing words into reality.

This is the first book in Patrick O'Brian's great series about Jack Aubrey's life and career, as well as his friend and companion Stephen Maturin, a physician and spy who accompanies him on his very first command, the Sophie.

It's a little sluggish at first since there are so many people to introduce, as well as some history to give them context and a lot of historical material required for the reader to grasp the period and area in which the book takes place.

Once the setting is established and the action begins, it's a fast-paced runaway that you won't want to put down, so put up with the introduction and get to the excitement.

Its naval history brought to life by an author whose commitment to detail and authenticity is unrivaled and matched only by a few. Combine that with his ability to immerse you in the plot to the point that you have difficulty returning to reality when you put the book down, and you can't go wrong with Patrick O’Brian.

This is, without a doubt, one of the best historical fiction series ever created in the twentieth century. It owes a tribute to the authors of previous Royal Navy-themed novels, but it easily outshines them all. The trick, according to Patrick O’Brian, was focusing on his characters' lives, hobbies, and surroundings rather than subjecting them to mechanical story mechanisms. Port Mahon, April 1, 1800, alone sets the tone for one of the greatest literary friendships of all time.

I had no idea I was fond of navel or spaceship stories, which may sound boring to others, but I was introduced to them by Star Trek and without realizing it, I began reading novels that were not even science fiction. This reminds me of how many people gripe about Patrick O’Brian's nautical vocabulary and other phrases. I found it helpful to think of it as akin to Star Trek or Star Wars techno-babble, however, most of the terminology in the series are actual and can be found on the internet if needed.

It's so well written that you understand the sense of what's going on without knowing what a cross jack yard, quoin, or orlop is. None of this was an issue in Moby Dick, and it isn't an issue here either. Indeed, the language has a poetic quality to it that develops as you read, until you're swaying on the swell within the shipping prediction. I soon became invested in the protagonists and was enthralled by the depiction of both the naval and larger realms. Patrick O’Brian knows everything there is to know about his time period and topic area.

The writing is usually straightforward and sparse; although there are some beautiful poetic sparks, for example, describing the lay of the water, the set of the wind, or the quality of light. Captain Aubrey's friendship with Maturin the physician is brilliantly shown, in terms of mutual affection, consideration, and respect for differences, tensions, and concerns, and the profound understanding each acquires for the better angels in the other's character.


Final Thoughts:

True, I enjoy watching and reading things happen, but it isn't really narrative. In fact, while I was reading this, I realized that the book's characters are the most significant.

I tend not to discuss storylines or provide spoilers, but I felt compelled to add a few things because I want to review all of the novels in this series shortly.

The plot, inasmuch as it exists, is quite straightforward. When Britain is at war with Spain and France in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Jack Aubrey is granted command of a ship - He befriends Stephen Maturin, a surgeon, and encourages him to join them. Despite capturing a Spanish ship far larger than his own and other daring exploits, Jack's romance with his superior's wife prevents him from embarking on further ambitious endeavors with larger ships.


Synopsis:

“The classic first novel of the epic Aubrey/Maturin series, widely considered “the best historical novels ever written” (Richard Snow, New York Times).

Ardent, gregarious British naval officer Jack Aubrey is elated to be given his first appointment as commander: the fourteen-gun ship HMS Sophie. Meanwhile—after a heated first encounter that nearly comes to a duel—Aubrey and a brilliant but down-on-his-luck physician, Stephen Maturin, strike up an unlikely rapport. On a whim, Aubrey invites Maturin to join his crew as the Sophie’s surgeon. And so begins the legendary friendship that anchors this beloved saga set against the thrilling backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars.

Through every ensuing adventure on which Aubrey and Maturin embark, from the witty parley of their lovers and enemies to the roar of broadsides as great ships close in battle around them, Patrick O’Brian “provides endlessly varying shocks and surprises—comic, grim, farcical and tragic.… [A] whole, solidly living world for the imagination to inhabit” (A. S. Byatt).”


Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:

Action, Aubrey And Maturin, Billy Boyd, Botany Bay, British Navy, Character Development, Desolation Island, Drama, Diana Villiers, Early 19th Century, Fortune Of War, High Seas, Historical Fiction, HMS Surprise, Horrible Old, Indian Ocean, Jack And Stephen, Jack Aubrey, Jane Austen, Lucky Jack, Master And Commander, Maturin Series, Mauritius Command, Napoleonic Wars, Nautical Terms, Old Leopard, Patrick Brian, Patrick O’Brian, Patrick Obrian, Patrick O Brian, Paul Bettany, Peter Weir, Post Captain, Royal Navy, Russell Crowe, Stephen Maturin, United States, Uss Constitution, Well Written, Years Ago


Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 95/100 Yes.

Buy The Kindle Version Here:


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The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels (Hardcover):


Master and Commander (2003) (PG+):


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Emma Review

Emma Review

Emma

Published: 23, December 1815

Author: Jane Austen

Genres: Classic, Comedy & Humor, Drama, European, Family Life, Fiction, Friendship, Historical, Literature, Regency, Romance, Rural Fiction, Small Town, Teen, Victorian, Young Adult


Check the summary of this book here:



The Review:

Emma by Jane Austen is a character study of a person who, because of her social standing, has a complex or nearly perverted sense of ethics when it comes to the value of socioeconomic status. This anecdote is significant because it demonstrates how upper-class individuals establish their own subculture based on money or, in Emma's case, familial ties. These shifts in the socio-climate might result in some very nasty-spirited persons, such as Emma's negative attributes, even if they are unaware that they are being cruel or terrible to others.

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, this is like a character study and this sort of character lays the backdrop for some fascinating insights into human nature, particularly in terms of the many forms of influence that individuals have over others. Emma loves rearranging people like chess pieces. She enjoys the cause and effect of social events involving people and has an abnormal desire to influence the fate of others.

This was Jane Austen's last novel published while she was still alive, but it is not her final novel; before she began writing it, she had already stated that she would create a character that people would probably dislike, but Emma has been liked and continues to be liked, as we see her develop in this story.

Emma comes to see the light and makes positive adjustments throughout the story. I'm not giving anything away by mentioning this because it's obvious from the start. Reading what is happening to her is the most beautiful part of this novel.

This appeared advanced to me in terms of psychological/satirical components, such as the father's intellect level being obliquely poked fun at on a regular basis. Austen's resentment of her father is darkly humorous, with references to the weather or the temperature of the room indicating Emma and her father's cultured or academic contrasts.

I've just skimmed Austin's work for anagrams, but I believe the father figure represents the usual male authority of the period. I believe she is making an early woman's power statement disguised behind the character of her father and Emma's intellectual division as an author communicating via her fiction.

It was also entertaining to compare the films offered. A question always comes up while reading this and other books like this, what would your reaction be if you married someone 16 years your senior? Austen's period had various challenges that we would not be able to deal with as well. The book provides a fascinating look at Austen as a proponent of early women's liberation. We don't appreciate how fortunate we are. These days, we can do whatever we want.

I believe some readers' disdain for Emma is misconstrued because, as always, she was intended to be the way she was, and the author created her in such a manner that the reader dislikes her at first, but gradually begins to change the sentiments towards her with her own, and eventually begins to enjoy her by the end.

And this takes me to my most reviled topic: we must not despise a novel or a writer just because of a character we dislike or because the character is defective; we must recognize that some tales require flawed characters to advance.

A book and plot will never progress without these characters. Sometimes there is no villain in a novel, and we just despise the main character until we realize that this figure was misunderstood by us and was both the hero and the villain of his or her own life and story, much as we do to ourselves in real life.


Final Thoughts:

Because of the period, it was written, I didn't get the impression that it was outdated. I felt as if I were reading a complex character study with clever psychological components.

One of the reasons I wanted to read all of Jane Austen's writings was that the very macho author of Master and Commander Patrick O'Brian would frequently dedicate his books to Jane Austen. Patrick O'Brian's few available interviews also mention Austin as one of his key literary inspirations, which is enough to make you want to read an author you've never read or who solely writes about a subject you're not interested in.


Synopsis:

“Oft-copied but never bettered, Jane Austen's Emma is a remarkable comedy of manners.

Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated by the celebrated Hugh Thomson and includes an afterword by David Pinching.

Austen follows the charming but insensitive Emma Woodhouse as she sets out on an ill-fated career of match-making in the little town of Highbury. Taking the pretty but dreary Harriet Smith as her subject, Emma creates misunderstandings and chaos as she tries to find Harriet a suitor, until she begins to realize it isn't the lives of others she must try to transform.”


Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:

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Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 95/100 Yes.

Buy the Kindle version here:


Free with free Audible trial:


The Complete Works of Jane Austen:


Emma. (2020) (13+):


Emma (1996) (PG):


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Northanger Abbey Review

Northanger Abbey Review

Northanger Abbey

Published: December 1817

Author: Jane Austen

Genres: Classic, Drama, Fiction, Historical, Literature, Regency, Romance, Victorian

Check the summary of this book here:



The Review:

The values required for marriage, the importance of fiction in a well-made life, the narrative's consistency despite the shift in a scene from Bath to the Abbey, and much more can all be found in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. On these and other themes, many volumes of commentary have already been published. I just realized that Austen is such a superb artist that the reader of Northanger Abbey misses the intricate framework that underpins the story.

I think it's just as wonderful, if not slightly better, than Jane Austen's other novel, Emma. I almost laughed out loud numerous times while reading this book. The dialogue and internal monologue are both hilarious. I really liked the tension between the protagonist and some of the Bath buddies she meets. Not everyone is good, and I enjoy having mixed and flawed characters in a story while reading. There's also a mystery that begins around halfway through the book and is entertaining to read about. The narrative is a touch sluggish and heavily focused on the characters, but that is true of any Austen work.

The title of this work, Northanger Abbey, is actually the address of a character in this novel who adores reading gothic romances. Even if I am not a fan of this genre, I can read these novels without growing bored since I feel that each form of writing may teach me something new. It is a must if you are a student learning English. I'm curious how many current novels will still be in print in over a century.

It is her first work, although it was released after all of her other novels had been published due to a publisher who had already paid her but never published this novel and had to be sued. That is why this novel is apart from her other works.

And that is why for many readers, including Jane Austen devotees, Northanger Abbey appears to be a sloppy attempt to emulate Jane Austen's writing style at times. The book develops the funny eccentric characters that Austen is renowned for in the first half of the work, but the main character's naiveté and the author's excessive reliance on sudden fortunes earned, as well as the significance given to wealth, make the plot less than credible. Nonetheless, it is a tale that will ignite the hopes of young women who aspire to find happiness in marriage.

In this novel, you are going to find some things a lot like there will be a lot of discussion among ladies about which male they want. Alternatively, the guys flirted with the ladies. A number of dances were performed. And essentially what it was like in that era, as well as every other era.


Final Thoughts:

The characters are well depicted, instantly recognizable as individuals you undoubtedly know, and you are sucked in, as with all of her stories. It's not merely a period romance; for one thing, Austen's time was not "period," but "current." Austen was such a wonderful observer and narrator of human behavior that this book is as important today as it was back then. 

Just imagine in the 1800s, a young man bragging about his horse's improbable speed would be bragging about his car's 0-60 acceleration in these days. Alternatively, a young lady who reads books and then assumes that is how reality is, can become a woman who now holds her phone and believes what she sees "on Google" is accurate, making similar mistakes of judgment.

Except for a few character faults and some minor flaws that can be made by a new author, it was an enjoyable read, and there are times when the writing style is excellent. So, if you enjoy classics, I suggest this book, but it is no match for Pride and Prejudice.


Synopsis:

“Unabridged value reproduction of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen is a must-have collectable for every bookshelf. This short romance takes the reader on a lovely escape to middle-class life in nineteenth-century Bath, England.

This book is the first Jane Austen sold to a publisher, but it was published after her death. It’s the most comic, with reference to many books of her time, written in a style that would entertain her own family if read by the fireside.

Will Catherine Morland fall head over heels for Henry Tilney? Will Henry’s father get in the way or Catherine be scared of Abbey?

Find out in this affordably printed volume, written by one of the top selling authors of all time.”


Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:

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Rating: 85/100
Recommended: 90/100 Yes.

Buy the Kindle version here:


Free with free Audible trial:


The Complete Works of Jane Austen:


Northanger Abbey (2007) (PG):


Northanger Abbey (1987) (13+):


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