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Aubrey & Maturin #15
Clarissa Oakes
The 15th installment in the Aubrey/Maturin series.
This splendid installment in Patrick O'Brian's widely acclaimed series of Aubrey/Maturin novels is in equal parts mystery, adventure, and psychological drama. A British whaler has been captured by an ambitious chief in the Friendly Isles (Tonga) at French instigation, and Captain Aubrey, R.N., is dispatched with the Surprise to restore order. But stowed away in the cabletier is an escaped female convict. To the officers, Clarissa Harvill is an object of awkward courtliness and dangerous jealousies. Aubrey himself is won over and indeed strongly attracted to this woman who will not speak of her past. But only Aubrey's friend, Dr. Stephen Maturin, can fathom Clarissa's secrets: her crime, her personality, and a clue identifying a hightly placed English spy in the pay of Napoleon's intelligence service.
In a thrilling finale, Patrick O'Brian delivers all the excitement his many readers expect: Aubrey and the crew of the Surprise impose a brutal pax Britannica on the islanders in a pitched battle against a band of headhunting cannibals.
This splendid installment in Patrick O'Brian's widely acclaimed series of Aubrey/Maturin novels is in equal parts mystery, adventure, and psychological drama. A British whaler has been captured by an ambitious chief in the Friendly Isles (Tonga) at French instigation, and Captain Aubrey, R.N., is dispatched with the Surprise to restore order. But stowed away in the cabletier is an escaped female convict. To the officers, Clarissa Harvill is an object of awkward courtliness and dangerous jealousies. Aubrey himself is won over and indeed strongly attracted to this woman who will not speak of her past. But only Aubrey's friend, Dr. Stephen Maturin, can fathom Clarissa's secrets: her crime, her personality, and a clue identifying a hightly placed English spy in the pay of Napoleon's intelligence service.
In a thrilling finale, Patrick O'Brian delivers all the excitement his many readers expect: Aubrey and the crew of the Surprise impose a brutal pax Britannica on the islanders in a pitched battle against a band of headhunting cannibals.
278 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
360 people are currently reading
2919 people want to read
About the author
Patrick O'Brian
207 books2,408 followersPatrick O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series of historical novels has been described as "a masterpiece" (David Mamet, New York Times), "addictively readable" (Patrick T. Reardon, Chicago Tribune), and "the best historical novels ever written" (Richard Snow, New York Times Book Review), which "should have been on those lists of the greatest novels of the 20th century" (George Will).
Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, O'Brian's twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician (and spy) Stephen Maturin. The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. The books are now available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book format.
In addition to the Aubrey-Maturin novels, Patrick O'Brian wrote several books including the novels Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, and The Unknown Shore, as well as biographies of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He translated many works from French into English, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir, the first volume of Jean Lacouture's biography of Charles de Gaulle, and famed fugitive Henri Cherriere's memoir Papillon. O'Brian died in January 2000.
The Aubrey-Maturin Series on Goodreads
Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, O'Brian's twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician (and spy) Stephen Maturin. The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. The books are now available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book format.
In addition to the Aubrey-Maturin novels, Patrick O'Brian wrote several books including the novels Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, and The Unknown Shore, as well as biographies of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He translated many works from French into English, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir, the first volume of Jean Lacouture's biography of Charles de Gaulle, and famed fugitive Henri Cherriere's memoir Papillon. O'Brian died in January 2000.
The Aubrey-Maturin Series on Goodreads
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 351 reviews
September 10, 2020
'Clarissa Oakes' is a rather odd installment in the Aubrey/Maturin series, or so it seemed to me. It covers a single voyage with no naval battles until the end, and only brief skirmishes at that. Most of the novel is taken up with the general awkwardness of a voyage with a depressed and sexually frustrated captain, a mysterious woman who has sneaked aboard, and officers who have severely fallen out with each other. In a word, the ecosystem of the Surprise is out of kilter and this makes for an unusually sombre book. Previous volumes in the series have explored Stephen's depression, however this is the first examination of Jack's. Given some of the dangerous and unpleasant adventures Aubrey has been through, it is striking to find him ground down by the mundanity of his crew not getting on well enough. Central to these personnel problems and to the book in general is Clarissa Oakes, a convict sneaked onto the ship by a crew member. Once she emerges from disguise as a boy, her presence disrupts the homosocial dynamics apparently vital to the ship's functioning. This is conveyed with some subtlety, as Jack and Stephen have incomplete knowledge of what's happening. Clarissa eventually confides in Stephen about her past, in a scene that proves quite shocking. She is certainly a tragic and enigmatic figure.
Having a woman on board results in various conversations about men at sea being lonely and sexually frustrated. Sodomy is of course forbidden by the Articles, which seems very short-sighted. Notably, it's highly unfortunate that Jack and Stephen aren't sleeping together, as basically the entire months-long bad mood that Jack was in could have been avoided. Someone (Martin?) comments that Stephen provides Jack with companionship like that of a wife, as they talk as equals and have an affectionate relationship. With the notable exception of banging. Other than worrying about Diana and his new daughter, Stephen is in pretty good humour and does his best to console Jack with music, conversation, and medical advice. Although the characterisation is as strong as ever, the unhappy mood pervading the book inevitably made it less enjoyable than the rest of the series. There is very little in the way of puns, farce, or encounters with wildlife. Instead there is a great deal of social awkwardness, bad temper, and a near miss with cannibalism. I hope the mood is a little less gloomy in The Wine-Dark Sea.
Having a woman on board results in various conversations about men at sea being lonely and sexually frustrated. Sodomy is of course forbidden by the Articles, which seems very short-sighted. Notably, it's highly unfortunate that Jack and Stephen aren't sleeping together, as basically the entire months-long bad mood that Jack was in could have been avoided. Someone (Martin?) comments that Stephen provides Jack with companionship like that of a wife, as they talk as equals and have an affectionate relationship. With the notable exception of banging. Other than worrying about Diana and his new daughter, Stephen is in pretty good humour and does his best to console Jack with music, conversation, and medical advice. Although the characterisation is as strong as ever, the unhappy mood pervading the book inevitably made it less enjoyable than the rest of the series. There is very little in the way of puns, farce, or encounters with wildlife. Instead there is a great deal of social awkwardness, bad temper, and a near miss with cannibalism. I hope the mood is a little less gloomy in The Wine-Dark Sea.
November 28, 2017
“I am in favour of leaving people alone, however imperfect their polity may seem. It appears to me that you must not tell other nations how to set their house in order; nor must you compel them to be happy.”
- Patrick O'Brian, the Truelove
When originally published, O'Brian's 15th installment in his Aubrey-Maturin series was originally titled Clarissa Oakes. I'm not sure why the title was changed, but perhaps it is because the focus of this novel is less about Clarissa (Harvill) Oakes (the convict stowaway from New South Wales who marries Oakes, one of Captain Aubrey's Midshipman) than the events that surround her introduction onto the Surprise. Clarissa on the Surprise allows O'Brian to wax on a bit about sexual mores in the Navy and in England in the early 19th century. She also carries forward the series plot a bit.
It isn't the most exciting book in the series, but it is fascinating to watch the discipline aboard the Surprise deteriorate and Captain Aubrey's efforts to regain control. It is also provides O'Brian the space, with the introduction of Clarissa Oakes, to discuss sex (both gender and the act) in the early 19th century.
- Patrick O'Brian, the Truelove
When originally published, O'Brian's 15th installment in his Aubrey-Maturin series was originally titled Clarissa Oakes. I'm not sure why the title was changed, but perhaps it is because the focus of this novel is less about Clarissa (Harvill) Oakes (the convict stowaway from New South Wales who marries Oakes, one of Captain Aubrey's Midshipman) than the events that surround her introduction onto the Surprise. Clarissa on the Surprise allows O'Brian to wax on a bit about sexual mores in the Navy and in England in the early 19th century. She also carries forward the series plot a bit.
It isn't the most exciting book in the series, but it is fascinating to watch the discipline aboard the Surprise deteriorate and Captain Aubrey's efforts to regain control. It is also provides O'Brian the space, with the introduction of Clarissa Oakes, to discuss sex (both gender and the act) in the early 19th century.
May 13, 2022
It was an unhappy visit to an unhappy, desolate land.
But now the odious penal shores had sunk in the west; now the horizon ran clean round the sky and Jack was in his old world again, aboard his own beloved ship.
The journey of the frigate ‘Surprise’ around the globe continues after the stop in Sidney Cove for refurbishment and supplies. Captain Jack Aubrey is content to leave that shore behind, after the numerous unfortunate incidents with the authorities and after the struggle to keep his own crew from misbehaving. His best friend Stephen Maturin is also recovering from a poisonous encounter with a native platypus. Jack is looking forward to an uneventful voyage towards the Norfolk Islands, followed by a visit to Easter Island before setting out across the Pacific towards the Spanish Colonies in South America, where his friend Stephen is supposed to encourage revolutionary and independence parties.
‘Sea-going life: none better.’ reflected Jack; and certainly at this point in time he had something like the cream of it, with a good, tolerably well-found ship, an excellent crew of former Royal Navy hands, privateersmen and smugglers, professional from clew to earing, with his course set for Easter Island, and many thousands of miles of blue-water sailing before him.
Despite Captain Jack’s initial optimism, this voyage will be as eventful and unpredictable as the previous ones, in which the name of his frigate will bear witness to the true nature of the sea: breathtakingly beautiful and peaceful one morning, turbulent in the evening. The first notice of the gathering storm for Jack is the odd behaviour of his crew, who seems to be laughing behind his back at something everybody else but him knows about. Turns out the ’Surprise’ picked more than regular supplies in Sidney, since Midshipman Oakes has hidden a stowaway aboard ship: a young woman convict named Clarissa.
Circumstances at sea make it extremely difficult to put Oakes and his mistress ashore on the desolate Norfolk Islands, so a reluctant and angry Jack marries Clarissa and Oakes and allows them to remain on board until they reach civilization. Jack Aubrey’s temper is not as easily tamed, despite sage advice from his friend Stephen.
You are to consider that a certain melancholy and often a certain irascibility accompany advancing age: indeed, it might be said that advancing age equals ill-temper. On reaching the middle years a man perceives that he is no longer able to do certain things, that what looks he may have had are deserting him, that he has a ponderous great belly, and that however he may yet burn he is no longer attractive to women; and he rebels. Fortitude, resignation and philosophy are of more value than any pills, red, white or blue.
Further complications arise when a fast ship from Sidney catches up with the ‘Surprise’ bringing fresh orders to change course and head towards the Tonga archipelago, where a French-American privateer ship is fomenting civil war among the natives. Aubrey is sent to annex the island of Moahu under the authority of the British monarch, to defeat the privateers and to support the local queen, allegedly loyal to the Crown. The naturalists aboard, Stephen and the pastor Martin, are disappointed to miss the chance to visit Easter Island, despite dire warnings from some of the more experienced and well-travelled sailors. They will be rewarded instead with a study of Annamooka and Moahu.
‘How did the Easter Islanders use you?’ asked Stephen.
‘Oh, pretty well, sir, on the whole; they are not an ill-natured crew, though much given to thieving: and I must admit they ate one another more than was quite right. I am not over-particular, but it makes you uneasy to be passed a man’s hand. A slice of what might be anything, I don’t say no, when sharp-set; but a hand fair turns the stomach. Howmsoever, we got along well enough.’
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Despite not having any important naval engagement between ships of the line or any devastating hurricane to deal with, this volume is one of the best written episodes in the whole series. The fascination with the age of sailing shines through every page, turning even the days becalmed in the tropics into chances for introspection and wonderment. Whether it is a conversation about wind direction and trigonometry, or a dinner boast about famous battles in the Channel, the dissection of a giant swordfish with a little help from the two native girls they have rescued in the previous volume or an encounter with a flying squid – I was glued to the page and wishing the voyage will go on and on and on. The best scene is the day of saluting the flag on the day of the King’s birthday, a celebration of Navy tradition and heritage.
The character and social study is the equal to any sailing story in the world imagined by Patrick O’Brian. The friendship between Jack and Stephen is an enduring one, the backbone of the whole series with its dynamic tension between the man of action and the natural philosopher. The years that have passed since their initial encounter in Malta have left their mark on both of them, but in particular on Jack, who struggles to accept the realities of getting on in years. The presence of a beautiful young woman aboard is exacerbating his midlife crisis. But not all Jack’s troubles can be blamed on his age and inherent irascibility. The rest of the crew, in particular the officers, is affected by this mysterious and apparently libertine woman, until finally the efficiency of the ship is compromised and Jack is forced to come down hard on discipline, no matter how much he hates to use the whipping post.
And perhaps, Stephen reflected as they rolled their pills and Padeen wound the bandages, this was one of the effects of bringing a woman into a celibate community. He was no chemist, but some of his friends were and he had seen a Swedish savant let a single catalysing drop fall into a clear untroubled liquid that instantly grew turbid, separated, and threw down fire-red crystals.
While Jack is finding heavy labour in the rigging for the idle hands, Stephen uses a more delicate approach for uncovering the mystery of Clarissa Oakes. Long conversations on deck under the tropical night skies and a detached medical manner finally unlock her reservations and reveal a tragic tale of serial abuse from figures of authority that led her from a brothel in London to the penal colony.
‘It is an odd thing, living in a brothel,’ said Clarissa, ‘and it has a certain likeness to being at sea: you live a particular life, with your own community, but it is not the life of the world in general and you tend to lose touch with the world in general’s ideas and language – all sorts of things like that, so that when you go out you are as much a stranger as a sailor on shore.’
Stephen is even more surprised when one of Clarissa’s confessions reveal something about the master spy that has plagued the secret services in London for years. He resolves to help the young woman, both with advice about the true nature of men and with re-entering polite society after her exile. Before that though, the ‘Surprise’ and her crew have a job to do on Moahu Island. Stephen, with his Irish Republican upbringing, is against direct colonial action, but his secret agent training has taught him that non-intervention brings its own set of complications. He defers to Jack Aubrey’s military know-how for now.
‘As you know very well,’ said Stephen, ‘I am in favour of leaving people alone, however imperfect their polity may seem. It appears to me that you must not tell other nations how to set their house in order; nor must you compel them to be happy.’
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As usual for the series, the finale is both spectacular and open-ended, with some of the plot threads closed, but with the journey still unfinished, still with the next adventure waiting just beyond the horizon. The ‘Surprise’ sails on into the East, across the vast expanse of the Pacific, leaving the young woman and her fresh husband to sail back to England on a prize ship taken in battle, while Jack and Stephen retire to the master’s cabin for one more evening of classical music in a dialogue between violin and cello.
Her deck sloped, she leant her larboard bow well down, overtaking the swell and splitting it with a fine broad slash of white. All the tones of the rigging – quite different for the various sets of stays, shrouds and backstays and of course for all the cordage – rose and rose, and by the first dog-watch the resultant voice of all these sounds combined and sent forth by the hull reached the triumphant pitch that Stephen associated with ten knots. The wind, blowing under a sky beautifully mottled with white and an even purer blue, brought with it flying spray, and an uncommon freshness. At two bells the log was heaved and to his intense satisfaction Stephen heard Oakes report ‘Ten knots and one fathom, sir, if you please.’
December 20, 2025
Patrick O'Brian's The Truelove is ostensibly centered around warring islanders and diplomatic intervention by the British and French, each vying for control over the island's sympathies. However, the real story is a stowaway, who escaped the awful penal colony at New South Wales and manages to ingratiate herself with the crew aboard HMS Surprise.
Captain Aubrey of the Royal Navy may be in charge of the ship, the setting for nearly the entire novel, but it's his friend surgeon Stephen Maturin who has true command over the book's themes of crime and redemption, as well as love, lust, and jealousy. It is Maturin who befriends the stowaway and in the course of conversation, discovers important counter intelligence information regarding a double agent within Napoleon's spy network workin at Whitehall.
Aside from a climactic finish in the final chapter, there isn't a lot of naval action within The Truelove. The book is mostly a study of human nature. Any fan of the series will be just fine with this. After all, our favorite characters get plenty of time on the page doing more of what they've done to make us love them. But those who come to these books for their usual dose of action will be sorely disappointed. Even the battle in the final chapter could barely be called a battle and is never actually shown.
Having said that, this is still damn good writing: the prose is a delight; he subtly drops plot points with the air of an illusionist; and even when the story is mired in countless, stuffy dinners in the gunroom, O'Brian's skill keeps you eagerly turning pages.
My review of book 14, The Nutmeg of Consolation: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of book 16, The Wine-Dark Sea: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Captain Aubrey of the Royal Navy may be in charge of the ship, the setting for nearly the entire novel, but it's his friend surgeon Stephen Maturin who has true command over the book's themes of crime and redemption, as well as love, lust, and jealousy. It is Maturin who befriends the stowaway and in the course of conversation, discovers important counter intelligence information regarding a double agent within Napoleon's spy network workin at Whitehall.
Aside from a climactic finish in the final chapter, there isn't a lot of naval action within The Truelove. The book is mostly a study of human nature. Any fan of the series will be just fine with this. After all, our favorite characters get plenty of time on the page doing more of what they've done to make us love them. But those who come to these books for their usual dose of action will be sorely disappointed. Even the battle in the final chapter could barely be called a battle and is never actually shown.
Having said that, this is still damn good writing: the prose is a delight; he subtly drops plot points with the air of an illusionist; and even when the story is mired in countless, stuffy dinners in the gunroom, O'Brian's skill keeps you eagerly turning pages.
My review of book 14, The Nutmeg of Consolation: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of book 16, The Wine-Dark Sea: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December 10, 2014
This entry in the Aubrey-Maturin series (which is essentially one very long novel) is mostly a character study as the officers of the Surprise cope with the presence on board of a desirable and not completely inaccessible young woman, surreptitiously rescued from the penal colony at New South Wales and possessing an enigmatic past.
Some of my favorite scenes in these books are the dinner parties at sea: the obsessive polishing of silver (Killick's joy); the donning of formal dress no matter how great the heat; the host's anxiety over the variable quality of the food; the feat of timing the courses ("Sir, cook says if we don't eat our swordfish steaks this selfsame minute he will hang himself"); the prepared anecdotes to prevent a dreaded silence from falling over the table; the vast quantities of alcohol consumed ("The bottle stands by you, sir").
ETA 2014 after my third pass, listening to the audiobook this time:
Clarissa Oakes reminds me of one of my college roommates, who slept with several members of a single fraternity and then was bewildered to find that none of them liked or esteemed her. While I can understand that Clarissa herself would be immune to jealousy and indifferent to sex, it’s harder to believe she would be so ignorant of the more typical reactions.
Some of my favorite scenes in these books are the dinner parties at sea: the obsessive polishing of silver (Killick's joy); the donning of formal dress no matter how great the heat; the host's anxiety over the variable quality of the food; the feat of timing the courses ("Sir, cook says if we don't eat our swordfish steaks this selfsame minute he will hang himself"); the prepared anecdotes to prevent a dreaded silence from falling over the table; the vast quantities of alcohol consumed ("The bottle stands by you, sir").
ETA 2014 after my third pass, listening to the audiobook this time:
Clarissa Oakes reminds me of one of my college roommates, who slept with several members of a single fraternity and then was bewildered to find that none of them liked or esteemed her. While I can understand that Clarissa herself would be immune to jealousy and indifferent to sex, it’s harder to believe she would be so ignorant of the more typical reactions.
December 20, 2021
Read this book in 2009, and its the 15th amazing volume of the wonderful "Aubrey/Maturin" series.
In this tale Captain Jack Aubrey, RN, and his crew on board ship "Surprise" are setting sail towards the Sandwich Islands to help a British whaler who has been captured by thew chief on those Islands at French instigation.
Not knowing at first, but later on they will find an escaped female convict and now stowaway in the cable-tier, and her name is Clarissa Harvill.
Clarissa will not speak of her past to Aubrey and any other of his crew, but it will be Dr. Stephen Maturin, ship's Surgeon and spy who will make Clarissa reveal her dangerous secrets.
Maturin will not only unravel Clarissa's crime, passions, but most importantly her information about a highly placed English spy in the pay of Napoleon Bonaparte's intelligence service.
What is to follow is a terrific seafaring tale, and also the exposure of the English spy due to the cunning and determination by Maturin, and all this is brought to us in his own authentic and masterful way by the author.
Highly recommended, for this is another splendid addition to this great series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Magnificent Truelove"!
In this tale Captain Jack Aubrey, RN, and his crew on board ship "Surprise" are setting sail towards the Sandwich Islands to help a British whaler who has been captured by thew chief on those Islands at French instigation.
Not knowing at first, but later on they will find an escaped female convict and now stowaway in the cable-tier, and her name is Clarissa Harvill.
Clarissa will not speak of her past to Aubrey and any other of his crew, but it will be Dr. Stephen Maturin, ship's Surgeon and spy who will make Clarissa reveal her dangerous secrets.
Maturin will not only unravel Clarissa's crime, passions, but most importantly her information about a highly placed English spy in the pay of Napoleon Bonaparte's intelligence service.
What is to follow is a terrific seafaring tale, and also the exposure of the English spy due to the cunning and determination by Maturin, and all this is brought to us in his own authentic and masterful way by the author.
Highly recommended, for this is another splendid addition to this great series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Magnificent Truelove"!
March 8, 2021
Il quindicesimo episodio si discosta in maniera significativa dallo schema solito di O'Brian. E' un episodio quasi completamente actionless, e anche quella poca azione è impostata su presupposti narrativi abbastanza maldestri quindi non l'ho tenuta in gran conto.
Ma il lavorìo psicologico è sviluppato con tale e tanta maestria da essere avvincente quanto le battaglie più avvincenti fin qui narrate. La presenza di Clarissa Oakes scatenerà una specie di tempesta a bordo, non tanto (o comunque non soltanto) tempesta ormonale ma principalmente tempesta di ricordi, di riflessioni, di sensazioni, di gelosie e di ripicche per tutto l'equipaggio: dal comandante al quadrato all'infermeria fino all'ultimo dei marinai.
Altri aspetti psicologici della navigazione e della vita dei protagonisti vengono sottolineati in relazione con lo scorrere del tempo, anzi più precisamente direi con l'amarezza dello scorrere del tempo. O'Brian ha attentamente posto le basi del suo ragionamento nei volumi precedenti, e così arriva qui a sviluppare ed esporre in maniera compiuta tutto quanto riguarda l'anzianità della nave e del suo comandante: anzianità sia in senso positivo, come sinonimo di esperienza e di meccanismi collaudati; ma anche anzianità in senso negativo, come amarezza per la gioventù ormai trascorsa e che ovviamente non può tornare. La Surprise e il suo comandante si rispecchiano, si identificano l'uno nell'altra e viceversa, non sono decrepiti eppure gli anni migliori sono ormai andati; e così come qualcosa sembra essersi irrimediabilmente spezzato nell'animo fino a qui sempre gaio e solare del protagonista, allo stesso modo qualcosa sembra essere andato a male nell'atmosfera di una nave che fino ad ora aveva sempre goduto di una sorta di magia per tutto ciò che concerneva la vita di bordo.
Un romanzo che si svolge su pochi metri di natante e tutto fatto di emozioni e riflessioni e qualche lievissimo tocco di ironia, in teoria dovrebbe essere un mappazzone dei più indigesti, e invece nella pratica vola direttamente sul podio dei miei preferiti della serie. Un'altra eccellente prova per un eccellente autore: se un qualcuno fosse convinto sostenitore della teoria della reincarnazione, qui troverebbe ulteriori e pesantissime prove per sostenere e dimostrare che O'Brian altri non è se non una reincarnazione di Jane Austen.
Faccio una pausa per dovere di decenza, ma non vedo già l'ora di leggere il prossimo, che del resto è già pronto nello scaffale.
Ma il lavorìo psicologico è sviluppato con tale e tanta maestria da essere avvincente quanto le battaglie più avvincenti fin qui narrate. La presenza di Clarissa Oakes scatenerà una specie di tempesta a bordo, non tanto (o comunque non soltanto) tempesta ormonale ma principalmente tempesta di ricordi, di riflessioni, di sensazioni, di gelosie e di ripicche per tutto l'equipaggio: dal comandante al quadrato all'infermeria fino all'ultimo dei marinai.
Altri aspetti psicologici della navigazione e della vita dei protagonisti vengono sottolineati in relazione con lo scorrere del tempo, anzi più precisamente direi con l'amarezza dello scorrere del tempo. O'Brian ha attentamente posto le basi del suo ragionamento nei volumi precedenti, e così arriva qui a sviluppare ed esporre in maniera compiuta tutto quanto riguarda l'anzianità della nave e del suo comandante: anzianità sia in senso positivo, come sinonimo di esperienza e di meccanismi collaudati; ma anche anzianità in senso negativo, come amarezza per la gioventù ormai trascorsa e che ovviamente non può tornare. La Surprise e il suo comandante si rispecchiano, si identificano l'uno nell'altra e viceversa, non sono decrepiti eppure gli anni migliori sono ormai andati; e così come qualcosa sembra essersi irrimediabilmente spezzato nell'animo fino a qui sempre gaio e solare del protagonista, allo stesso modo qualcosa sembra essere andato a male nell'atmosfera di una nave che fino ad ora aveva sempre goduto di una sorta di magia per tutto ciò che concerneva la vita di bordo.
Un romanzo che si svolge su pochi metri di natante e tutto fatto di emozioni e riflessioni e qualche lievissimo tocco di ironia, in teoria dovrebbe essere un mappazzone dei più indigesti, e invece nella pratica vola direttamente sul podio dei miei preferiti della serie. Un'altra eccellente prova per un eccellente autore: se un qualcuno fosse convinto sostenitore della teoria della reincarnazione, qui troverebbe ulteriori e pesantissime prove per sostenere e dimostrare che O'Brian altri non è se non una reincarnazione di Jane Austen.
Faccio una pausa per dovere di decenza, ma non vedo già l'ora di leggere il prossimo, che del resto è già pronto nello scaffale.
May 31, 2011
All but the most dedicated Aubrey-Maturin will want to skip this one. A lot of running in place--or, rather, dog paddling--with very little forward motion. It's as if the series became becalmed in the South Pacific. It's fun to read only if it isn't the same stuff we've read in the last fourteen novels.
For example, instead of peppering back story review over the first few chapters, O'Brian dumps twelve--no twenty--pages of narrative on us in the opening scene of the book, semi-disguised as Aubrey's musings over the taffrail of Surprise. Not a single ship-to-ship engagement, and the land battle is "off scene".
Read the summary in Wikipedia and get on with your life.
For example, instead of peppering back story review over the first few chapters, O'Brian dumps twelve--no twenty--pages of narrative on us in the opening scene of the book, semi-disguised as Aubrey's musings over the taffrail of Surprise. Not a single ship-to-ship engagement, and the land battle is "off scene".
Read the summary in Wikipedia and get on with your life.
October 17, 2013
I've mentioned before that a series of naval tales stuck in a perpetual 1812 and following the exploits of two individuals that is staggering on past double figures in terms of volumes must run in to problems of repetition and consequently risk dullness.
THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY
See the complete review here:
http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/33...
THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY
See the complete review here:
http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/33...
August 21, 2020
3 - 3.5 stars
On their way home from their less than satisfactory visit to New South Wales Aubrey discovers an unexpected stowaway who proves to be the secret source of growing unrest and conflict among the crew. To add to this, a cutter sent from Australia gives Aubrey new orders from the Governor, sending him on a mission to aid some British merchant vessels that have been attacked by an American-French frigate and to hopefully stop a possible coup on a remote island nominally under British 'protection' at the hands of these same American-French privateers.
The journey to their destination proves to be an arduous one, though this time it is not due to weather, sea, or enemy harassment, but to the unrest of the crew that is creating a factional conflict that threatens to grow to unmanageable proportions...perhaps even mutiny. Aubrey chooses to take a high hand with his men, working them to the bone under an ominous eye, in the hopes of whipping them back into shape. While the stowaway, the titular Clarissa Oakes, proves to be the eye of the storm for all of Aubrey's problems, she may also hold the key to the solution for a significant problem that Maurin has been dealing with in his espionage work as the latter discovers when he forms a close connection with her and in their conversations stumbles upon a pivotal piece of information regarding a possible mole in the British secret service.
Several tropical islands provide an exotic backdrop for the story, and help the crew to release some pent up steam, with the final providing the stage for Aubrey's conflict with the forces arrayed against the British protectorate of Moahu. The key conflicts in this volume, however, are all personal: key members of the crew come to blows and unrest proves to be the abiding atmosphere aboard the Surprise. Even Aubrey and Maturin are not immune to this as the former finds himself dealing with discontent and frustration in the wake of his less than successful endeavours in New South Wales, while the latter is beginning to find his naturalist compatriot Nathaniel Martin something of a bore and an annoyance, especially given the way the clergyman responds to Clarissa's presence on the ship.
A good volume in the series, though not my favourite.
On their way home from their less than satisfactory visit to New South Wales Aubrey discovers an unexpected stowaway who proves to be the secret source of growing unrest and conflict among the crew. To add to this, a cutter sent from Australia gives Aubrey new orders from the Governor, sending him on a mission to aid some British merchant vessels that have been attacked by an American-French frigate and to hopefully stop a possible coup on a remote island nominally under British 'protection' at the hands of these same American-French privateers.
The journey to their destination proves to be an arduous one, though this time it is not due to weather, sea, or enemy harassment, but to the unrest of the crew that is creating a factional conflict that threatens to grow to unmanageable proportions...perhaps even mutiny. Aubrey chooses to take a high hand with his men, working them to the bone under an ominous eye, in the hopes of whipping them back into shape. While the stowaway, the titular Clarissa Oakes, proves to be the eye of the storm for all of Aubrey's problems, she may also hold the key to the solution for a significant problem that Maurin has been dealing with in his espionage work as the latter discovers when he forms a close connection with her and in their conversations stumbles upon a pivotal piece of information regarding a possible mole in the British secret service.
Several tropical islands provide an exotic backdrop for the story, and help the crew to release some pent up steam, with the final providing the stage for Aubrey's conflict with the forces arrayed against the British protectorate of Moahu. The key conflicts in this volume, however, are all personal: key members of the crew come to blows and unrest proves to be the abiding atmosphere aboard the Surprise. Even Aubrey and Maturin are not immune to this as the former finds himself dealing with discontent and frustration in the wake of his less than successful endeavours in New South Wales, while the latter is beginning to find his naturalist compatriot Nathaniel Martin something of a bore and an annoyance, especially given the way the clergyman responds to Clarissa's presence on the ship.
A good volume in the series, though not my favourite.
September 2, 2023
As mentioned in my shorthand review, I don't think there's much going on here. We make landfall in some Polynesian islands which I'm guessing from the names are probably close to Hawaii (Moahu?), so we're steadily working our way around the circumnavigation, having hit about 3/4 of the way.
The battle : No sea battles really, except for one brief cutting out expedition of a captured whaler. There's an American/French frigate in the area making mischief, but they end the book sailing after it without having encountered it, which is meh. Instead, we are treated to a land battle where Aubrey dismounts his carronades and loans them to a local chieftain to fight a rival chieftain who is being assisted by the French. Great slaughter ensues (regardless of tactics, sighting a gun is apparently fairly similar on land as it is on water), and at the victory feast they are served soup with the French and American commander's bits and bobs in them (literally cannibalism), which uh...well that was dark.
The scientific : Not too terribly much. At one point a swordfish stabs through the hull of the ship and can't get free, so they butcher it. I didn't know that was possible, but I guess if you've got a sword for a nose you can stab whatever you want, much like the joke about "where does an 800lb gorilla sit? Wherever it wants to."
The relationships : Not much development here, except off-page there's some concerning hints about Stephen's daughter (whom he hasn't seen). My suspicion is that she was born autistic or with some other kind of learning disability, which is heartbreaking especially at this time when care for such people was not the best. I hope I'm wrong, but I suspect I may not be. The name of the book (well, not mine, which is called 'The Truelove', but I believe in other countries' printings it is called 'Clarissa Oakes') stems from a female stowaway from Australia, who despite behaving fairly properly and marrying one of the midshipmen to avoid being sent back, causes many of the men to go ba-nay-nay and get in disagreeable fights with each other. It also doesn't help that the husband beats her (at least once? possibly more, it's unclear). Stephen makes an interesting point about the complexities of relationships on the ship and why the episode caused so much drama. There were those who thought he was right to hit her, and those who didn't; those who supported Oakes because he was of their class, and those who didn't; those who supported whatever their guncrew thought, or were opposed solely because of what a different gun crew thought with whom they were in competition, and that all of these things overlap and interact in very complex ways. I can understand that after being at sea with the same people for this extended length of time, the harmony of the ship is in very delicate balance and that tempers would be easily frayed, long-simmering disputes liable to blow up, etc., but I wish O'Brian hadn't resorted to the stereotype of "A Womyn On Board A Ship" to demonstrate it.
It's also interesting that since we've been with the same crew for several books now without a break, you do begin to get a little more invested in some of the side characters then you usually would, since usually Jack & Stephen get jumped to a new ship/crew every book. Despite a lack of page-time, I was beginning to root for some of the currently-privateersmen-but-ex-naval folks to get their commissions back as they were desperately angling to do, and was actually quite sad when Davidge (the first lieutenant) was killed during the battle displaying a probably-excessive amount of bravery in an attempt to prove he was worthy of reinstatement. RIP.
The medical / spywork : I don't remember anything particularly important happening in this one, medically. Stephen does discover courtesy of Mme Oakes (who used to work in a high-end London brothel) some further clues about the highly placed traitor in the government. He's apparently a Duke, and has a limp, which seems like it would narrow it down pretty close. Stephen aranges for Clarissa to be shipped back to Britain and Stephen's bosses over in intelligence, so as long as nothing happens to her (*knock on wood*), hopefully we can get that knot untangled later.
Today's malapropism : NO MALAPROPISM. BAD PATRICK, VERY BAD INDEED OF YOU. MAKE IT UP TO ME NEXT TIME, OR SUFFER MY WRATH.
This was perfectly serviceable, but also I think perfectly skippable. It's like putting on a nice pair of slippers with people you enjoy spending time with, but the casual after-dinner conversation on the porch doesn't actually go anywhere important. Just spending time with friends...which is fine now that we've had 15 books with these people, but rated on its own merits it's just not as good as some of the others.
And we're 3/4 of the way done! I can't believe there's only five left!
The battle : No sea battles really, except for one brief cutting out expedition of a captured whaler. There's an American/French frigate in the area making mischief, but they end the book sailing after it without having encountered it, which is meh. Instead, we are treated to a land battle where Aubrey dismounts his carronades and loans them to a local chieftain to fight a rival chieftain who is being assisted by the French. Great slaughter ensues (regardless of tactics, sighting a gun is apparently fairly similar on land as it is on water), and at the victory feast they are served soup with the French and American commander's bits and bobs in them (literally cannibalism), which uh...well that was dark.
The scientific : Not too terribly much. At one point a swordfish stabs through the hull of the ship and can't get free, so they butcher it. I didn't know that was possible, but I guess if you've got a sword for a nose you can stab whatever you want, much like the joke about "where does an 800lb gorilla sit? Wherever it wants to."
The relationships : Not much development here, except off-page there's some concerning hints about Stephen's daughter (whom he hasn't seen). My suspicion is that she was born autistic or with some other kind of learning disability, which is heartbreaking especially at this time when care for such people was not the best. I hope I'm wrong, but I suspect I may not be. The name of the book (well, not mine, which is called 'The Truelove', but I believe in other countries' printings it is called 'Clarissa Oakes') stems from a female stowaway from Australia, who despite behaving fairly properly and marrying one of the midshipmen to avoid being sent back, causes many of the men to go ba-nay-nay and get in disagreeable fights with each other. It also doesn't help that the husband beats her (at least once? possibly more, it's unclear). Stephen makes an interesting point about the complexities of relationships on the ship and why the episode caused so much drama. There were those who thought he was right to hit her, and those who didn't; those who supported Oakes because he was of their class, and those who didn't; those who supported whatever their guncrew thought, or were opposed solely because of what a different gun crew thought with whom they were in competition, and that all of these things overlap and interact in very complex ways. I can understand that after being at sea with the same people for this extended length of time, the harmony of the ship is in very delicate balance and that tempers would be easily frayed, long-simmering disputes liable to blow up, etc., but I wish O'Brian hadn't resorted to the stereotype of "A Womyn On Board A Ship" to demonstrate it.
It's also interesting that since we've been with the same crew for several books now without a break, you do begin to get a little more invested in some of the side characters then you usually would, since usually Jack & Stephen get jumped to a new ship/crew every book. Despite a lack of page-time, I was beginning to root for some of the currently-privateersmen-but-ex-naval folks to get their commissions back as they were desperately angling to do, and was actually quite sad when Davidge (the first lieutenant) was killed during the battle displaying a probably-excessive amount of bravery in an attempt to prove he was worthy of reinstatement. RIP.
The medical / spywork : I don't remember anything particularly important happening in this one, medically. Stephen does discover courtesy of Mme Oakes (who used to work in a high-end London brothel) some further clues about the highly placed traitor in the government. He's apparently a Duke, and has a limp, which seems like it would narrow it down pretty close. Stephen aranges for Clarissa to be shipped back to Britain and Stephen's bosses over in intelligence, so as long as nothing happens to her (*knock on wood*), hopefully we can get that knot untangled later.
Today's malapropism : NO MALAPROPISM. BAD PATRICK, VERY BAD INDEED OF YOU. MAKE IT UP TO ME NEXT TIME, OR SUFFER MY WRATH.
This was perfectly serviceable, but also I think perfectly skippable. It's like putting on a nice pair of slippers with people you enjoy spending time with, but the casual after-dinner conversation on the porch doesn't actually go anywhere important. Just spending time with friends...which is fine now that we've had 15 books with these people, but rated on its own merits it's just not as good as some of the others.
And we're 3/4 of the way done! I can't believe there's only five left!
August 8, 2018
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.
Clarissa Oakes/The Truelove sees the Surprise in the South Seas and finds the eponymous Clarissa aboard as a stowaway from the penal colonies. There are the fine naval and intelligence development s we have come to expect, but the chief underlying theme of the book is the effect of a young woman on the closed, celibate male community of a man of war, which O’Brian does superbly, along with a fine, nuanced portrait of Clarissa herself. This is for me one of his finest psychological studies – but the narrative and action are as gripping as ever.
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.
Clarissa Oakes/The Truelove sees the Surprise in the South Seas and finds the eponymous Clarissa aboard as a stowaway from the penal colonies. There are the fine naval and intelligence development s we have come to expect, but the chief underlying theme of the book is the effect of a young woman on the closed, celibate male community of a man of war, which O’Brian does superbly, along with a fine, nuanced portrait of Clarissa herself. This is for me one of his finest psychological studies – but the narrative and action are as gripping as ever.
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.
July 15, 2023
“Question and answer is not a civilized form of conversation” - tells Stephen to Clarissa in this book - as their friendship deepens. In fact, the title of this book seems to refer to these two characters and their feelings, and not to the recaptured ship “Truelove”. As a convicted criminal and as an absconder from South New Wales, Clarissa carries with her all that violence and brutality into HMHS Surprise. A young and attractive woman on board a man-of-war is going to create trouble; in fact so much trouble that the crew almost falls apart completely. The final victory and violence (indirectly suggested by O'Brian here) on Moahu and the final departure of Clarissa eventually restore order, efficiency, and tranquility to Jack's ship.
April 13, 2025
Possibly my least favourite of the series so far; it just felt like not much happened and that none of the action was immediate.
June 22, 2023
Another masterpiece, and this time featuring a prominent female character of admirable complexity and importance to the continuing denouement of the Wray/Leadwood treason plot stretching back several volumes.
As for our increasingly ageing and dyspeptic Captain...
Oh but he's a saucy one, ain't he?
As for our increasingly ageing and dyspeptic Captain...
Oh but he's a saucy one, ain't he?
Read
September 20, 2009I’ve been rereading Patrick O’Brien’s novels in the last few months and a few novels ago (I think it happens around number 12 or 13 in the Aubrey Maturin series) I reached the point at which “novel” stopped actually being a reasonable description of the books. I really enjoy these books, so don’t get the impression that I’m putting them down when I say this. It’s simply that all pretense of being individual, novel length, plots is, by the point, firmly abandoned. The book starts where the previous one left off, and ends where the succeeding one begins (roughly). Actually the whole effect is charming – something like reading a really, really long novel or watching a television series. Aside from this I’m not sure what exactly to say about it – the normal odd features that are in most of these books are here as well. Patrick O’Brien has an odd aversion to significant plot events, which is not to say that they don’t *happen* (the books aren’t boring), but that as often as not they happen either as quickly as possible or, often, while the narrative is off somewhere else. For example, the battle at the end of the novel, ostensibly the point of the mission that Cpt Aubrey is on, is described from the perspective of someone half a mile away, and in the space of, roughly, a paragraph. (It sounds like a brief succession of bangs.)* The details are filled in by what all the characters have to say to each other, later on. Once you get used to this feature it can be perfectly reasonable – though I admit the first time I read some of the earlier novels he wrote I was left entirely in the dark about what had happened (this is a mild example – sometimes the narrative simply jumps forward a few days to the aftermath of whatever-it-is).
*Seriously – here it is. “He” is Stephen Maturin, the doctor, who is sitting at the medical outpost waiting for what casualties might show up, and trying not to imagine the battle.
“In his harsh unmusical voice he chanted plainsong, which had a better covering effect: he had reached a Benedictus in the Dorian mode and he was straining for a high qui venit when the clear sharp voice of gunfire – carronade-fire – cut him short. Four almost at once, it seemed to him, and then two; but the echoes confused everything. Then four quick hammer-strokes again. The silence.
Padeen and he stood staring up at the mountain. They could make out a vague roaring, but nothing more; and the birds that had started from the trees below all settled again. Perhaps battle had been joined: perhaps the carronades had been overrun.
Time passed, though less slowly now, and presently steps could be heard on the path. A young long-legged man raced down past them, a messenger of good news, his whole face alive with joy. He shouted something as he passed: victory, no doubt at all.”
January 11, 2018
This volume in Patrick O’Brian’s series of historical novels may seem at first to be a study of the influence of a woman’s presence on a sailing ship full of men. It is that, but it proves to be more.
Relatively early, Clarissa Harvill is found to have been smuggled aboard when the ship was in Sydney, thus violating Captain Aubrey’s well-known prohibition against women; what’s more, she’s an escaped convict from the British penal colony there (not a pretty place as depicted by O’Brian). So there’s a mystery about her past as well as a question about her present and future: what did she do back in England to get transported, and what will Aubrey do with her and the sailor who brought her aboard? The situation is complicated by many things; on the one hand, Aubrey has made an exception to his rule before (and will do so later in the series), while on the other, Clarissa’s presence becomes disruptive.
Suffice it to say that she proves to be another of O’Brian’s many well-developed supporting characters. She’s central not only to this novel, whose plot mainly concerns the pursuit of a French frigate and the forging of a new diplomatic alliance near the Hawaiian islands, but also to a longer thread running through other tales in the series. Clarissa’s developing friendship with Maturin, the ship’s doctor, may conform to the conventional use of doctors in narratives, as a confidant, but it goes far beyond convention.
Relatively early, Clarissa Harvill is found to have been smuggled aboard when the ship was in Sydney, thus violating Captain Aubrey’s well-known prohibition against women; what’s more, she’s an escaped convict from the British penal colony there (not a pretty place as depicted by O’Brian). So there’s a mystery about her past as well as a question about her present and future: what did she do back in England to get transported, and what will Aubrey do with her and the sailor who brought her aboard? The situation is complicated by many things; on the one hand, Aubrey has made an exception to his rule before (and will do so later in the series), while on the other, Clarissa’s presence becomes disruptive.
Suffice it to say that she proves to be another of O’Brian’s many well-developed supporting characters. She’s central not only to this novel, whose plot mainly concerns the pursuit of a French frigate and the forging of a new diplomatic alliance near the Hawaiian islands, but also to a longer thread running through other tales in the series. Clarissa’s developing friendship with Maturin, the ship’s doctor, may conform to the conventional use of doctors in narratives, as a confidant, but it goes far beyond convention.
March 11, 2010
Following on the heels of the "five-star" "The Nutmeg of Consolation," I am giving this, the 15th volume in the Aubrey-Maturin series, a solid 4.5 stars. This 'chapter' of the canon continues the voyage of HMS Surprise in the Pacific Ocean following her departure from New South Wales, Australia. We meet the beautiful and mysterious Clarissa Harvill, and become aware of the influence and affects that her presence aboard the ship have on her crew. Miss Harvill helps Stephen Maturin clear up a mystery that has played such an important role in the preceding four or five volumes too. Finally, the reader accompanies Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin as they visit the Hawaiian Islands to deal with French and American intrigues. A wonderful, erudite, and eminently readable addition from the pen of Patrick O'Brian.
May 27, 2017
As always, I love reading the further adventures of Jack, Stephen, Killick, Bonden,Pullings etc, but like Captain Roddy, I'll give this one 4 and a half stars - not quite as thrilling as some. Now I am with child to find out what's happening back at the ranch with Diana, but I'll have to wait - only 5 books left, and I'll have to eke them out! (though there's always re-reading. I'm not a habitual re-reader, but I have read these books several times, and no doubt, should I reach old age, I shall do so again!).
Reader, if you've not read these wonderful books, I wish you joy of them!
Reader, if you've not read these wonderful books, I wish you joy of them!
September 16, 2017
The one with Clarissa Oakes and the Polynesian Queen. I'm still deciding what I think about the deeply pragmatic Clarissa Oakes, which is somewhat surprising given her pronounced position aboard Jack's ship and in a large portion of the story. I am hoping that there will be some closure in the next installment of the series.
October 31, 2022
Grand. ABSOLUTELY fucking grand.
December 29, 2014
Book 15 continues to stretch Aubrey and Maturin's voyage into one of their longest yet. This is mostly fine with me, though I do enjoy the return to domestic scenes occasionally. In this case, one of the disappointments is the off-stage nature of Stephen's coming to terms with having a child. He has been so vehemently opposed to children in the past that even though there is some of his wrestling with the implications of becoming a father, I feel slighted that this plot thread has developed mostly away from the narrative of the book.
The central mystery of this story is: Who is Clarissa Oakes? O'Brian does a really nice job of slowly drawing out her history. Even by the end of the book, her chronology and past are not precisely known. It's like the author is bound by the same "I don't like people asking me personal questions" rule that the character imposes on everyone around her. Clarissa is by far one of the most intriguing and satisfying (and tragic) characters in the whole series. For that reason, I am puzzled why Norton chose to change the original title from Clarissa Oakes to the nearly nonsensical title The Truelove for the American edition. Yes, there is a Truelove in the story, but it doesn't make much of an appearance until the final act, and it's not a pivotal element (though it does have something significant to do with Clarissa's path).
The non-Clarissa plot strands in this book feel a bit tired--similar to events that have already happened, but without quite the investment of other volumes. Islands come and go, but without a lot of weight. Martin becomes so tiresome that even Jack writes home to Sophie about how tiresome he is. But then by the end, I guess he's become not so tiresome (to Jack, anyway).
As usual, this book makes me want a pot of coffee, almost constantly. I'm sure someone has tallied how many pots of coffee Jack and Stephen drink together in the cabin. It must be hundreds.
My reviews of the Aubrey/Maturin series:
Master and Commander
Post Captain
H.M.S. Surprise
The Mauritius Command
Desolation Island
The Fortune of War
The Surgeon's Mate
The Ionian Mission
Treason's Harbour
The Far Side of the World
The Reverse of the Medal
The Letter of Marque
The Thirteen-Gun Salute
The Nutmeg of Consolation
Clarissa Oakes
The Wine-Dark Sea
The Commodore
The Yellow Admiral
The Hundred Days
Blue at the Mizzen
21
September 11, 2017
This book is perhaps the point where the series starts going downhill. Sure, the installments started running into each other way earlier: the last book that can be read on its own is perhaps The Fortune of War. But we enjoyed that, didn't we, dear fellow readers? Why shouldn't a good book be endless, or seemingly endless? - so are the periods of sweet sailing, repeatedly described by O'Brian as taken out of time, self-sufficient and fulfilling.
However, while this book is perhaps as rich in tension as many of the earlier ones, I found both the set-up and the resolution almost incoherent. Maybe the problem is my failure to understand the titular Clarissa? She seems to me very nearly sociopathic, and childhood abuse isn't actually a trump card that would explain anything and everything. In any case, I don't find her character realistic the way it's written, and as the whole plot turns on her, there's nothing for it but label this just OK.
However, while this book is perhaps as rich in tension as many of the earlier ones, I found both the set-up and the resolution almost incoherent. Maybe the problem is my failure to understand the titular Clarissa? She seems to me very nearly sociopathic, and childhood abuse isn't actually a trump card that would explain anything and everything. In any case, I don't find her character realistic the way it's written, and as the whole plot turns on her, there's nothing for it but label this just OK.
May 13, 2021
worse than that for our purposes was his case-book showing long-drawn-out histories of general bilious indisposition, melancholy, taedium vitae sometimes reaching mere despair, extreme irascibility: all this with no known agent, though autopsy showed an enlarged quadrate lobe studded with yellow nodules the size of a pea. He calls it Botany Bay liver, and it is this or some one of the other New Holland diseases that I fear our patient may have caught. The vexation and more than vexation of spirit is certainly present.'
'It is deeply saddening to see what disease can do to a whole cast of mind, to a settled character,' said Martin. 'And sometimes our remedies are just as bad. How it appears to draw in the boundaries of free-will.’
—
'I am told he has not cruised before; and is a somewhat philosophical, theoretical gent.'
'Then the sooner his capers are cut short the better. Let us have no benevolent revolutions, no humanitarians, no Goddamned systems, no panaceas. Look at that wicked fellow Cromwell, and those vile Whigs in poor King James's time, a fine seaman as he was, too.'
—
“A man could not speak chuff to such a girl, without he was a very mere Goth. Old Jarvey could not speak chuff to such a girl.'
'It is my belief, brother, that your misogyny is largely theoretical.'
'Ay,' said Jack, shaking his head. 'I love a wench, it is true; but a wench in her right place”
—
At different times I had tried to explain the violent male desire for exclusive possession—the standard by which a wide variety of partners if not promiscuity is laudable in oneself, vile in women—the want of sequence or even common honesty of mind coupled with unshakable conviction—the unreasonable yet very strong and very painful emotions that arise from jealousy (a feeling to which she is almost entirely a stranger)—and the very great force of rivalry.
—
When the cutter was within hail a man stood up, fell down, stood up again holding the coxswain's shoulder and called 'What ship is that?' in an approximately American voice, drawing his face in a sideways contortion to do so.
—
I catch Maturin in some more bullshit:
‘Do I agree? I do not. Your premises are mistaken and so necessarily is your conclusion.’
(That’s not how logic works.)
This is one of the great ironies of the series: Stephen and his colleagues, so enormously educated, so vastly respected are not doing much for their patients, except when they whack off something gangrenous. The most celebrated of Stephen’s surgeries, trepanation, is no treatment at all for head trauma (except maybe for extracting shards). He constantly lets blood. He pours mercury into syphilitics. Regression to the mean and placebo can explain all of his middling success. In this book at least we see a little bit of the truth, therapeutic nihilism:
We swim in ignorance. Where these diseases are not wholly characteristic, sharply marked and obvious, they are difficult to detect; and when we have detected them there is still little we can really do. Apart from general care our only real resource is mercury in its various forms, and sometimes the remedy is worse than the disease.
But in general he has a doctor’s arrogance without a modern doctor’s powers. When was the turning point, when a visit to the doctor became more likely than not to improve your health? 1940?
September 2, 2024
Si, sono sempre loro. Con i loro lustrini, le ceste di vimini per raccogliere insetti, il laudano, poco però perché Padeen è tornato a bordo. Può sembrare lento ma si muove come il moto delle onde, inesorabile e costante. Mi accompagna dal 2014, ad ogni viaggio un suo romanzo. Una data e una meta segnate sul retro di copertina. Ne mancano cinque, già non so come farò poi.
May 31, 2025
The Surprise continues its long Pacific cruise after departing Botany Bay. A stowaway woman on board leads to some interesting character studies as Stephen becomes amateur (perhaps?) psychologist. The ship and crew make contact with Polynesians caught between France and Britain. Some lovely writing, even while the story is a bit uneven and the conclusion is underwhelming.
February 1, 2020
Clarissa Oakes might not be a bad person but I didn't like this woman aboard the Surprise.
May 23, 2020
People either love this one or hate it. Ho hum. I fell closer to the latter camp though mostly I wasn't interested enough to flare into hate for it. I simply didn't care about Clarissa Oakes (and the uneventful sailing and the crew dynamics) nearly as much as the story did. I'm not reading these books for character studies, although the author usually manages those while also maintaining a level of interesting action. If I want a character study I'll reread Middlemarch.
However, at the end the pace picked up and sent us haring after an American ship of war ... so that redeemed it for me.
However, at the end the pace picked up and sent us haring after an American ship of war ... so that redeemed it for me.
February 24, 2020
huzzay, huzzay, huzzay!
Spero che stiate bene, io sto bene ... «Eheu nos miseros, quam totus homuncio nil est. Sic erimus cuncti, postquam nos auferet Orcus. Ergo vivamus, dum licet esse bene».(*)
Jack Lucky Aubrey e The doctor Maturin sono ormai diventati vecchi amici, cui è sempre piacevole rendere visita, per poi levare gli ormeggi e salpare insieme verso mari lontani e nuove, prodigiose avventure. Magari accompagnati dalla magia di Bare Bones, Instead e le altre deliziose canzoni della petite Madeleine Peyroux ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgccdI...
«Signore – bisbigliò il famiglio all’orecchio di Pullings – se non si mangiano i filetti di pesce tra un secondo, il cuoco dice che s’impicca. E’ da molto che sto facendo segni a vostra signoria.»
(*) «Ahi! Come siamo miseri, che nullità è il piccolo uomo! Così saremo tutti, dopo che l'Orco ci porterà via. Quindi viviamo finché è possibile stare bene» Petronio (Massilia, 27 –Cuma,66) - Satyricon 34, 9
Spero che stiate bene, io sto bene ... «Eheu nos miseros, quam totus homuncio nil est. Sic erimus cuncti, postquam nos auferet Orcus. Ergo vivamus, dum licet esse bene».(*)
Jack Lucky Aubrey e The doctor Maturin sono ormai diventati vecchi amici, cui è sempre piacevole rendere visita, per poi levare gli ormeggi e salpare insieme verso mari lontani e nuove, prodigiose avventure. Magari accompagnati dalla magia di Bare Bones, Instead e le altre deliziose canzoni della petite Madeleine Peyroux ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgccdI...
«Signore – bisbigliò il famiglio all’orecchio di Pullings – se non si mangiano i filetti di pesce tra un secondo, il cuoco dice che s’impicca. E’ da molto che sto facendo segni a vostra signoria.»
(*) «Ahi! Come siamo miseri, che nullità è il piccolo uomo! Così saremo tutti, dopo che l'Orco ci porterà via. Quindi viviamo finché è possibile stare bene» Petronio (Massilia, 27 –Cuma,66) - Satyricon 34, 9
May 7, 2014
This book kept me interested but all in all I'm afraid that not much really happened in the story. This book is different from others in the cannon I've read so far in that there is a woman on board ship. While this was a new element to introduce, I really couldn't get a grasp on why she was the 'main' character of the story (one edition - don't know if it was American or British - called this book the Clarissa Oakes).
Through it all, I got to see the continuing good relationship between Jack and Stephen which is always a treat. And noticed some dialogue and situations were incorporated into the Master & Commander movie.
Once again, any time spent with Jack and Stephen is never time wasted, IMHO. Love those guys!
Through it all, I got to see the continuing good relationship between Jack and Stephen which is always a treat. And noticed some dialogue and situations were incorporated into the Master & Commander movie.
Once again, any time spent with Jack and Stephen is never time wasted, IMHO. Love those guys!
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