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Richard Temple
The protagonist of this World War II novel is a prisoner of the German army in France. In order to keep himself sane while denying the charges and absorbing the beatings of his captors, Richard Temple conducts a minute examination—one might almost call it a prosecution—of his own life.
Temple escapes from a blighted childhood and his widowed, alcoholic mother thanks to an artistic gift, the one thing of value he has to his name. His life as a painter in London of the '30s is cruelly deprived. In order to eat, he squanders this one asset by becoming a forger of art, specializing in minor works by Utrillo. He is rescued by the love of a beautiful and wealthy woman, and it is the failure of this relationship and the outbreak of war that propel him into the world of espionage.
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First published January 1, 1962
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About the author
Patrick O'Brian
208 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 33 reviews
September 16, 2013
Patrick O'Brian's Richard Temple is a nice character study, but the storyline is not engaging enough. Hell, I can hardly remember what the story is about now!
I love O'Brian and think he's a great writer, but this needed to move more. It reminded me Camus's starkness (if I'm recalling correctly, it's been a while) of story, while being terribly English in emotion. Still, the language is beautiful and the characterization fantastic. In no way does this book deter me from wanting to read more of O'Brian's work, however if it had been my first of his I would not rush to read another so quickly.
July 21, 2011
I love his Aubrey / Maturin series but this early work dealing with a man in WW II couldn't induce me to finish it. Having said that, let me add that the opening dealing with how the protagonist works to survive Gestapo torture/interrogation is fascinating.
August 6, 2013
I struggled to finish this book. It is, fundamentally, about an individual who grows into someone bigger and better than he was; he 'finds himself'. It starts well, and the under-lying idea is a good one but most of the book is about the 'man who used to be' - and that man (like nearly all the other characters) is so unsympathetic that I found myself uninterested in what he did, and cared little about what happened to him. This is not helped by the style of writing in this book: here Patrick O'Brian has not yet found the clarity that he uses to tell the Aubrey-Maturin story. As background to the tale, O'Brian examines what it is to be an artist living by what he paints, but that was not enough to keep my interest. The only thing that kept me going was to find out how the 'man-who-was' came to be the 'man-who-became' - only to find that at the end, that story is not well told.
October 20, 2008
One of the last Patrick O'Brians left to me.
I think this is the one he wrote when he was living in France, certainly a certain influence from his friendship with Picasso seems to have seeped in, and a hint about his war past, but not much.
With every book I read of his I love him more. What a disturbingly intelligent man he is.
I think this is the one he wrote when he was living in France, certainly a certain influence from his friendship with Picasso seems to have seeped in, and a hint about his war past, but not much.
With every book I read of his I love him more. What a disturbingly intelligent man he is.
August 17, 2023
Probably for O’Brian nuts only. Does have one memorably terrible dinner party that will please A-M fans
November 29, 2016
This novel confounded my expectations. I’ve read and delighted in the former part of the Aubrey & Maturin series, so I rather assumed that this novel would have a similar tone. In fact, it reminded me of a combination of ‘Brideshead Revisited’, ‘The Spy Who Came In From the Cold’, and ‘Down and Out in Paris and London’. Waugh, le Carré, and Orwell, quite a mixture. The novel is structured as a flashback - the eponymous protagonist is a prisoner of war, revisiting his life so far as he recovers from the latest interrogation.
The tone struck me as fairly dreamlike; seemingly important happenings were only ever alluded to vaguely. Something about a fire, for instance. Richard Temple remained quite elusive as a character, considering the reader is inside his head. I suspect this to be because he seemed to be perpetually reacting to events, without ever seeming sure of what he wanted. Indeed, painting appeared to be the only thing that he was sure of. I don’t object to this and I was sympathetic to Temple much of the time, but it made the novel feel meandering.
As it was the library’s only copy, I ended up reading a large print version of this book, which was initially odd, although I don’t think it altered my experience to any notable extent. I take issue with the blurb, however, which claims that, ‘Temple is rescued by the love of a beautiful and wealthy woman’. I think it is more that he acquires her friendship and patronage; love is a mysterious and elusive notion in this book. At various times Temple is rescued by various different people. Moreover, this is not 'a tale of espionage' and the Second World War is only mentioned at the end.
What I definitely appreciated in this book was O’Brian’s beautiful writing. Every paragraph had an elegance to it, with never a word out of place. ‘Richard Temple’ also taught me a the delightful phrase, ‘agenbite of inwit,’ which means a prick of conscience.
The tone struck me as fairly dreamlike; seemingly important happenings were only ever alluded to vaguely. Something about a fire, for instance. Richard Temple remained quite elusive as a character, considering the reader is inside his head. I suspect this to be because he seemed to be perpetually reacting to events, without ever seeming sure of what he wanted. Indeed, painting appeared to be the only thing that he was sure of. I don’t object to this and I was sympathetic to Temple much of the time, but it made the novel feel meandering.
As it was the library’s only copy, I ended up reading a large print version of this book, which was initially odd, although I don’t think it altered my experience to any notable extent. I take issue with the blurb, however, which claims that, ‘Temple is rescued by the love of a beautiful and wealthy woman’. I think it is more that he acquires her friendship and patronage; love is a mysterious and elusive notion in this book. At various times Temple is rescued by various different people. Moreover, this is not 'a tale of espionage' and the Second World War is only mentioned at the end.
What I definitely appreciated in this book was O’Brian’s beautiful writing. Every paragraph had an elegance to it, with never a word out of place. ‘Richard Temple’ also taught me a the delightful phrase, ‘agenbite of inwit,’ which means a prick of conscience.
August 9, 2011
I love O'Brian. This particular novel was somewhere between what I'm used to from him and mingled with Chaim Potok. A very, very fascinating character study about a man who has had to reinvent himself to survive and now, with salvation at hand, is trying to remember. It is an interesting look not only at the man, but also at changing British society from the close of the Edwardian era and the movement into modern times (a common O'Brian theme).
April 3, 2012
An odd and intriguing book, told almost entirely in flashback as a tortured prisoner in WWII, with freedom near at hand (the war is ending) thinks back along the events that have brought him to this place. Written with slight and bitter humor and stunning powers of observation.
August 21, 2019
As every review will tell you, this book is unlike anything else Patrick O'Brian ever wrote (although of all his other works it is most similar to Testimonies, as both are slow-paced and deeply contemplative). Our title hero begins the novel in German detention near the end of the second world war. He has been captured for espionage, and the harrowing interrogation forces him to reflect and ruminate on his life up to that point.
Thus the rest of the story is a flashback, beginning in Temple's childhood and ending just as he is about to join the war effort (interestingly, and probably rightly, he totally skip the actual espionage itself; although the reader is dying to know what Temple was seeking to accomplish when he was captured by the Spanish and handed to the Germans, that is not the point of the novel). We see Temple's difficult childhood and wildly varying career, from near starvation on the streets of London to the upper echelon of arts and nobility.
The focus of the book is Temple's inner disposition and maturation. Although always sympathetic, he is clearly a flawed character, and we see those flaws challenged and softened in real time. Temple is an artistic, and yes he has the "artistic temperament," which is the source both of many of his flaws and many of his successes.
This is a book worth reading slowly, kind of on the lines many times of Alan Furst, in fact. It starts slow and never really "heats up," but the reader will be rewarded for making it all the way through.
Thus the rest of the story is a flashback, beginning in Temple's childhood and ending just as he is about to join the war effort (interestingly, and probably rightly, he totally skip the actual espionage itself; although the reader is dying to know what Temple was seeking to accomplish when he was captured by the Spanish and handed to the Germans, that is not the point of the novel). We see Temple's difficult childhood and wildly varying career, from near starvation on the streets of London to the upper echelon of arts and nobility.
The focus of the book is Temple's inner disposition and maturation. Although always sympathetic, he is clearly a flawed character, and we see those flaws challenged and softened in real time. Temple is an artistic, and yes he has the "artistic temperament," which is the source both of many of his flaws and many of his successes.
This is a book worth reading slowly, kind of on the lines many times of Alan Furst, in fact. It starts slow and never really "heats up," but the reader will be rewarded for making it all the way through.
December 4, 2017
This one is very different from the adventuring Aubrey/Maturin novels that O'Brian was best known for - here much of the action is internal as the title character ponders his life while imprisoned by the Germans during WW2.
We get to know Temple as he reflects on his life, its difficulties, the good times and his mistakes as a way of coping with a captivity that he might not escape. Being in such a situation is forcing him to face up to things and perhaps gain a new maturity in the process.
While the subject matter is very different from O'Brian's more famous sea-faring novels, there are times when characters speak in a reassuringly Aubrey-esque fashion and the style of writing is also familiar to anyone who's read his other work. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is well worth reading.
We get to know Temple as he reflects on his life, its difficulties, the good times and his mistakes as a way of coping with a captivity that he might not escape. Being in such a situation is forcing him to face up to things and perhaps gain a new maturity in the process.
While the subject matter is very different from O'Brian's more famous sea-faring novels, there are times when characters speak in a reassuringly Aubrey-esque fashion and the style of writing is also familiar to anyone who's read his other work. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is well worth reading.
October 8, 2022
I wound up not being able to finish this book. I read the entire "Master and Commander" series back-to-back-to-back and was sorry there weren't more to read, so I was hoping that Richard Temple would be just as compelling. Alas. It started off promisingly enough and I gave it 125 pages, but couldn't make it any further than that. It's an interesting character study and there are elements of young Richard Temple's life that are kind of... fun, I guess, but yeah... Just not enough to hold my attention.
August 14, 2017
The novel traces the history of the title character, a prisoner of war and of his own self-loathing, through the painful progress of growing up and his desperate search for love and recognition. Published in 1962, before O'Brian found success with the first Aubrey-Maturin novel, it is a meditation on the human condition:" he could put up with a great deal, poverty and cold and noise and irregularity, as well as discouragement and hope deferred..."
December 28, 2017
A disappointment. Really not up to other Patrick O'Brian books. It started strong, with an English spy in WWII, reflecting back on his life as he resisted his captors. I kept expecting it to detail how he became a spy, but it virtually skipped over that. Took him up to the point where a girlfriend nudged him into serving his country in some capacity and then, boom he's captured. Good writing and interesting, but never really grabbed me.
October 30, 2019
An insightful book that really gets under the skin. It showcases O'Brian's skill as a writer of psychological depth as well as his knowledge of art and art history. It also contains one of the most realistic and pitiful descriptions of homelessness I've ever read, as well as the subtle and not-so-subtle cruelties of the English class system. Those who want lots of action or even something in the vein of the Aubrey-Maturin series will be disappointed, but for what it is, it's excellent.
April 29, 2019
O'Brian tries to be more literary than his later work. It did not quite work for me. Nevertheless, I got to the end and found it worth the effort. Some of the story is autobiographical; I wonder how much - O'Brian was always reluctant to say much about himself, but he was involved in covert operations during WWII.
March 14, 2020
Feels like a very personal book (elements of autobiography), but the framing device is shaky.
January 17, 2021
I wanted to enjoy this book as much as I enjoy so many other novels by Patrick O’Brian, but I found it to be a tough read. Admittedly, the opening was excellent and like always, his language is beautiful, but as a story, it did little to engage.
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June 25, 2021O’Brian at his most Hemingway. Ish.
December 11, 2021
I didn’t finish this book….. it started out really raw and went downhill from there. Tedious is the word that comes to mind.
July 22, 2024
Nothing by O'brian can be badly written, but it can be a fairly dull story about a selfish and unengaging person.
January 27, 2016
For such an accomplished writer, universally acclaimed and accepted as being the greatest author of historical novels, I found this book a tedious, hard slog; boring at times, dull and slow. Perhaps it is my fault for I thoroughly enjoyed/enjoy his Aubrey-Maturin novels thereby my expectations were high based on those excellent, inspiring fictions.
The premise behind the story is good: an English prisoner of war, locked away in a dark cell, reflects upon his life in stolen moments between beatings. The problem I found was a distinct lack of tension with no cohesion to the plot. The pace is pedestrian, monotonous at times lacking any real drive.
For someone so highly regarded this is at best so-so.
The premise behind the story is good: an English prisoner of war, locked away in a dark cell, reflects upon his life in stolen moments between beatings. The problem I found was a distinct lack of tension with no cohesion to the plot. The pace is pedestrian, monotonous at times lacking any real drive.
For someone so highly regarded this is at best so-so.
September 3, 2012
I really like Patrick O'Brian's historical fiction series about the British navy (Master and Commander is the first book of the series), so I had high hopes for this unknown title. I found the main character, Richard Temple, to be whiny and unappealing. After the first 5 chapters, I am giving up on this one....
June 29, 2012
This book was not the romp through the turn-of-the-century La Vie Boheme that I thought it would be (or that the back cover copy led me to believe). In fact, despite good prose and intentions, it was: Just. Plain. Boring.
June 5, 2016
I took it out of the library and liked it so much I am going to buy my own copy and reread it. Richard Temple is an artist who becomes a spy who is captured by the Germans. Sitting in the cell, he revisits his life and how he ended up there. Interesting.
August 17, 2016
I love Patrick O'Brian. I'm half way through the Jack Aubrey series for the 2nd time but this book, for me, is unreadable. He went on and on about nothing and after 150 pages, I could never understand what or why things were happening.
August 28, 2012
I couldn't get interested in this book because I didn't like the author's writing style.
August 1, 2009
Not a maritime novel - got stuck on page 30 or so and haven't picked it up again.
September 19, 2011
Somewhere between a four and five, but this story of a failed painter, a failed man, and withal a successful Nazi fighter unfolds in the soul like the Holy Ghost.
January 21, 2015
I found it almost unreadable. Far too showy off clever language, and not enough story.
February 27, 2016
One of the best descriptions I have ever read of what it is to lead the life of an artist. Subtle and thought-provoking.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews