The book in question is Patrick O'Brian's Master & Commander. Since I cannot think of much better to do in life than lose myself in an Aubrey/Maturin novel, it seemed to make sense to see if a full 15 CD reading can fit somewhere into my routines. (I'm thinking of listening in the car.)
This morning things got off to the best possible start with the magical meeting for the first time of our protagonists at the fateful (and hilarious) concert on Gibraltar. What's so remarkable about this is that O'Brian seems utterly certain about where the relationship is going from the beginning. The writing manages to be broad yet extraordinarily subtle at one and the same time.
And in the evening I found myself serenaded at the piano by my niece to make it a musical Happy Birthday to remember.
5 comments:
Happy birthday, Mr Connor! It just so happens that I left a complete Aubrey/Maturin set behind at the Boarding School. Fortunately, I had a backup copy... wonderful stuff. A guide to the whole series was written by the late lamented Benjamin Batson, who came over to our shores and stayed till his death.
Oops, last comment had an academic error. The right academic is John Hattendorf, who wrote a lot about naval matters.
Many thanks for the greetings and the links.
By the way, were you aware that Parkinson (of Parkinson's Law which I seem to recall you writing about) wrote a sort of biography of Jack Aubrey's great precursor Harotio Hornblower?
That should be Horatio, methinks.
Yes, I remember that one; I grew up on the stuff, Dad being a military historian and that. *grin*
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