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A review by jclose
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
5.0
I picked this up quite quickly having finally seen the 2003 Peter Weir film, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany in the leading roles. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and authenticity of the film and was curious how well this was adapted from the first book in the Aubrey-Maturin series.
For a start, the film is not a direct adaption of the Master and Commander book, instead from what I can gather the film grabs elements from different books in the series and makes some other slight changes. But honestly it doesn’t matter, this doesn’t detract from the quality of both the book and film.
As mentioned in other reviews, the language in this book is complex. Patrick O’Brian spared no effort in his use of nautical and naval military terms, the way characters spoke also felt incredibly authentic to the time, especially with their use of slang and he doesn’t really stop to explain anything to the reader. I did struggle as a result with the first 100 pages or so, I had no idea what the different names or uses of the different sails were, or the types of wind over the seas, or what the sailing manoeuvres such as tacking did. I often found myself putting the book down, and googling a term or phrase and then returning to the book. There is even a companion book called The Sea of Words by Dean King that was specifically written to help with understanding this, I might purchase that someday. However, I actually think it’s best to just go with the flow with this, learning the terms as you go. The story itself still makes sense and over time I came to understand more of the terms used or get a general idea of what is meant.
The story mainly centres on Jack Aubrey at the turn of the 19th century, a lieutenant without a ship and wasting his hours away at the Navy port Mahon in Minorca. Here he meets Stephen Maturin, an Irish Physician and Natural Philosopher. Jack is soon promoted to the rank of commander and given a small ship called the HM Sophie and orders to escort a convoy of small merchant ships. He invites Stephen to be his ship surgeon which Stephen accepts and here he acts as a way for the reader to learn a little about ship life. We also meet James Dillon who is Jacks first lieutenant, a wealthy irishman who knows Stephen Maturin from their time as members of United Irishmen. The book then follows the exploits of the HM Sophie, as it completes the convoy and then spends time capturing Spanish and French ships for ‘prize’ money gaining a reputation across the Royal Navy and also the French and Spanish fleets.
I really enjoyed the structure of this, it’s a sort of slice of life story aboard the ship and Patrick O’Brian delivers a vivid and detailed look naval life. The friendship between Jack and Stephen grows through the book and creates some really excellent scenes in the story. A particular favourite is when they are sitting on top of a hill in Gibraltar watching a huge naval battle through their scopes. James Dillon is also a really interesting and quite a tragic character and his history with Stephen creates some very interesting twists in the story. All the characters have their flaws, Aubrey is often seen as too eager for battle and the time he spends with Molly Harte does more damage than good and Stephen is a great doctor but often forgets his more liberal views aren’t in line with many of the officers he is surrounded by.
There are a lot of characters in the book, from the crew of the Sophie to people at the ports to Captains and Admirals of other ships and even their crews too. However, I never found it overwhelming and I think that is a testament to Patrick O’Brians writing.
I will definitely be continuing onto the sequel Post Captain, might even attempt the whole 20 book series. We’ll see!
For a start, the film is not a direct adaption of the Master and Commander book, instead from what I can gather the film grabs elements from different books in the series and makes some other slight changes. But honestly it doesn’t matter, this doesn’t detract from the quality of both the book and film.
As mentioned in other reviews, the language in this book is complex. Patrick O’Brian spared no effort in his use of nautical and naval military terms, the way characters spoke also felt incredibly authentic to the time, especially with their use of slang and he doesn’t really stop to explain anything to the reader. I did struggle as a result with the first 100 pages or so, I had no idea what the different names or uses of the different sails were, or the types of wind over the seas, or what the sailing manoeuvres such as tacking did. I often found myself putting the book down, and googling a term or phrase and then returning to the book. There is even a companion book called The Sea of Words by Dean King that was specifically written to help with understanding this, I might purchase that someday. However, I actually think it’s best to just go with the flow with this, learning the terms as you go. The story itself still makes sense and over time I came to understand more of the terms used or get a general idea of what is meant.
The story mainly centres on Jack Aubrey at the turn of the 19th century, a lieutenant without a ship and wasting his hours away at the Navy port Mahon in Minorca. Here he meets Stephen Maturin, an Irish Physician and Natural Philosopher. Jack is soon promoted to the rank of commander and given a small ship called the HM Sophie and orders to escort a convoy of small merchant ships. He invites Stephen to be his ship surgeon which Stephen accepts and here he acts as a way for the reader to learn a little about ship life. We also meet James Dillon who is Jacks first lieutenant, a wealthy irishman who knows Stephen Maturin from their time as members of United Irishmen. The book then follows the exploits of the HM Sophie, as it completes the convoy and then spends time capturing Spanish and French ships for ‘prize’ money gaining a reputation across the Royal Navy and also the French and Spanish fleets.
I really enjoyed the structure of this, it’s a sort of slice of life story aboard the ship and Patrick O’Brian delivers a vivid and detailed look naval life. The friendship between Jack and Stephen grows through the book and creates some really excellent scenes in the story. A particular favourite is when they are sitting on top of a hill in Gibraltar watching a huge naval battle through their scopes. James Dillon is also a really interesting and quite a tragic character and his history with Stephen creates some very interesting twists in the story. All the characters have their flaws, Aubrey is often seen as too eager for battle and the time he spends with Molly Harte does more damage than good and Stephen is a great doctor but often forgets his more liberal views aren’t in line with many of the officers he is surrounded by.
There are a lot of characters in the book, from the crew of the Sophie to people at the ports to Captains and Admirals of other ships and even their crews too. However, I never found it overwhelming and I think that is a testament to Patrick O’Brians writing.
I will definitely be continuing onto the sequel Post Captain, might even attempt the whole 20 book series. We’ll see!