The History Book Club discussion

Hello,

Welcome to the group discussion of the book HMS Surprise by Patrick O'Brian. This discussion is being led by Assisting Moderator - Christopher Tolley.

During the week of May 9 – May 15th we are reading:

Week Seven - May 9 - May 15 - Chapter 7 - p. 190-238


This thread will discuss the following:

Week Seven - May 9 - May 15 - Chapter 7 - p. 190-238



Remember, these weekly non spoiler threads are just that - non spoiler. There are many other threads where "spoiler information" can be placed including the glossary and any of the other supplemental threads.

We will open up a thread for each week's reading. Please make sure to post in the particular thread dedicated to those specific chapters and page numbers to avoid spoilers. We will also open up supplemental threads as we have done for other spotlighted reads.

We look forward to your participation. Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other noted on line booksellers do have copies of the book and shipment can be expedited. The book can also be obtained easily at your local library, on iTunes for the ipad, Audible etc. There are also downloadable eBook versions available. However, be careful, if you do go for an audible version that some audible formats are abridged and not unabridged.

There is still time remaining to obtain the book and get started. There is no rush and we are thrilled to have you join us. It is never too late to get started and/or to post.

Welcome,

Bentley

by Patrick O'Brian

Attached is the link to the full TOC and Syllabus:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

Here is a link to the Introduction Thread for this book:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

And here is the link to the glossary which is a spoiler thread where anything can be discussed regarding the book including historical events, famous people, locations, naval history depicted in the novel and the like.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

I'm thinking back to Chapter 1 when O'Brian tells us how Stephen knows just about everything there is to know about Diana Villiers. (p. 15) Sophia's perception of Stephen's reaction to her merely mentioning the pagoda tree, makes it clear Stephen has a special, even extreme, sensitivity when it comes to Diana. This time around reading the book I found the whole thing a little creepy. The sequel to that appears in Chapter 7. Over 12,000 miles, months of sailing, storms, scurvy, nearly dying of thirst on St. Paul's Rock's, when they reach India, Stephen makes straight for Diana and, in the house of the man with whom she is cohabiting, asks her to marry him. This is not a healthy relationship.

What did you think? As crazy as it is, O'Brian does such a wonderful job that it is enthralling(to me, anyway) rather than repellent. I thought Dil's appearance was solely as a plot device to provide a foil for Diana and show how Stephen really had this self-destructive, or masochistic streak. While there is no chance Stephen will end up with Dil, she is doting, nurturing, friendly and kind - everything Diana is not. I thought Dil's being killed when the bracelets Stephen gave her were stolen was really O'Brian's way of saying Stephen was killing his own chances of being someone who would actually care about his happiness.

My other favorite part of this chapter was the burning, ferocious power of friendship in Jack's driving the Surprise's crew beyond the bounds of all reason to get the ship back in shape so he could get Stephen out of town before Diana arrived. It seemed to me part of the reason Jack was so hard on the crew was that he was mad with despair over Stephen. Jack was mistaken, of course, Diana was already there. I felt Jack was shown to be two things. One, a demanding, but never brutal or unfair navy captain, and two, someone who would push very hard and risk quite a lot for a friend.

What did you think of Chapter 7? Please feel free to comment on the above or anything interesting in the book so far.

Stephen has quite an addictive personality. He has liked his drugs and I suspect Diana in some ways shows or exemplifies his addictive nature; not being able to shake her even though at some level he knows that she is careless about his welfare.