This is yet another cracking Hornblower book.
Following on from The Happy Return, it is 1810 and Hornblower is now in command of a 74-gun ship of the line. We follow his grave difficulties in manning his ship, his thrilling exploits on his commission near Toulon and an absolutely thrilling and devastating naval battle at the climax.
C.S. Forester gives us a fine insight into the workings of the Navy at the time without ever making it ponderous or didactic. He also develops Hornblower’s character very well here, with his self-excoriation, periods of depression and puzzlement at the esteem and affection in which he is held. It’s a winning combination and yet again I found myself wholly engrossed in the story and characters.
(It should be said that, written in 1938, the language used by some characters does occasionally include insulting names for the French and Spanish, for example, and even one use of the n-word. It is the way seamen of the time would have spoken, of course, but it may grate on the modern ear. It often happens when reading historical fiction, but you may like to be warned.)
This must be my fifth or sixth reading of these books and they have lost none of their sparkle and allure. Very warmly recommended.
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