I, Horatio: A Novel of Historical Fiction

by Donald A. Tortorice

This book is the first presentation of the life of Horatio Nelson to be narrated in the first person, a recounting of his life in his own words. It begins with Nelson as a young 21-year-old captain in the Caribbean and goes to his death at the Battle of Trafalgar. Along the way his experiences in carrying out the vision of his duty in the Caribbean, Corsica, Tenerife, the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar cost him his eye, his right arm, and ultimately his life, all because he was blessed and cursed with a nature that was blind to the spectre of failure and deaf to anything other than the call of duty, the clamour of battle, and victory. He was also a mortal man whose attraction to women brought pleasure, frustration, infatuation, and ultimately lifelong satisfaction. This is his story as he would tell it.

Genres: Historical Fiction

428 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 2014

Reviews

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novel received courtesy of Goodreads.com giveaway

Donald Tortorice wrote this book as if Horatio Nelson himself were talking. I've never read a book written in such a way and I absolutely loved it! Tortorice really occupied Horatio Nelson's mind as it must have worked 200 years ago. I felt as if I were on every warship with him, planning every battle and feeling every joy and sorrow of his life. I must admit that I didn't know anything about Horatio Nelson before reading this book but I now feel that I know the character and actions of the man rather than a mere textbook reading of him. The details of the sails were largely lost on me due to my lack of knowledge but everything was described in detail as if the Admiral himself was seeing it.

I found this book to be beautifully written.

[Nese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads for a fair review.
Since I had wanted to learn more about this amazing man for the longest time, I was so happy to get this book. The author mentions that Lord Nelson has been his role model throughout his life, and this book took fifty years to complete. While reading the book, how much research and work it must had taken to write it really shows.

This is not a historical fiction written to entertain, or one can breeze through because of the amazingly detailed information about historical events, people, and naval battles for over four hundred pages. Although the beginning and the end of the books are about his interpersonal relationships, most of the book is dedicated describing naval battles to the most minor details that they were so hard for me to understand, not having any military background. Learning so much about the courageous soldier while reading this book, the reader really doesn’t get to know the inner world of this this exceptional soldier. I don’t know if this book will have commercial success, but I know it will appeal possibly to military personnel and history buffs who may enjoy studying this hero and his brilliant naval battle strategies mentioned in this book.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads . I enjoyed reading this book .I will be looking for more books from the author in the future , Great book !!

[Tom Trumpet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pseudo historical sexual drivel