C.S. Forester - Brown On Resolution

 

Rating: 5/5

 

Review:

A little masterpiece

 

I think Brown On Resolution is a little masterpiece. Not everyone will agree because it is a mixture of character study, a bit of social history and war story so it doesn’t readily fit a genre. Also, it’s getting on for 100 years old now so some of the prose may seem a bit dated to some modern ears, but I think it reads very well. It is beautifully crafted, it’s a superb piece of storytelling and it has left a mark on me for well over 40 years since I first read it. To me, it seems to have aged very well.

This is the story of Albert Brown, but it begins with his mother. Forester gives us in some detail her circumstances in the late 19^th Century, the affair which leads to Brown’s birth and the origin of her devotion to the Navy. All this is relevant to Brown’s character and subsequent actions, and although the story doesn’t really switch to him until nearly half way through the book, I found it fascinating social history and a rather penetrating character analysis.

The latter part of the book sees Brown in the Navy during the First World War, eventually on the waterless and deserted Resolution Island in the Galapagos, where a German cruiser has taken refuge to repair damage. It becomes the story of one man doing his duty against the enemy no matter what the cost, and of the profound consequences seemingly small actions may have. This is a theme which occurred more than once in Forester’s subsequent books – especially Hornblower – and he paints the picture brilliantly. He also has a profound understanding of tactics and of how terrain, weather and so on may play a vital role in determining what is and is not feasible.

The book is only about 150 pages long, but says more and had more impact on me than amny books of twice the length and more. Brown On Resolution is well worth a try; not everyone will like it but if you do find it’s for you, you’ll never forget it.