Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
W. W. Norton & Company (1992), Edition: 1st, 382 pages
Description
Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are ordered home by dispatch vessel to bring the news of their latest victory to the government. But Maturin is a marked man for the havoc he has wrought in the French intelligence network in the New World, and the attention of two privateers soon becomes menacing. The chase that follows through the fogs and shallows of the Grand Banks is as tense, and as unexpected in its culmination, as anything Patrick O'Brian has written.
User reviews
LibraryThing member myfanwy
The Surgeon's Mate is number seven after Master and Commander, Post Captain, H.M.S. Surprise, The Mauritius Command, Desolation Island, and The Fortune of War.
Last we left our friends Aubrey and Maturin, they were in the New World having just escaped Boston and succeeded in battle against an
As always, the writing is impeccable. Aubrey remains the commander with the perfect mind for making the most of the present and an abominable mind for understanding nuance and temptation and future consequences. Maturin is rational and cold but we see his heart bow yet again under the weight of Diana Villiers' presence. The characters are wonderfully fallible and the plot unpredictable. The battle may be won only to have the ship cast against a reef. An ordinary engagement between ships may change the face of the war by killing a general. You never know what will happen next!
Once again, all I can say is Bravo! or should I say Huzzah! All the best to the King's Navy!
Last we left our friends Aubrey and Maturin, they were in the New World having just escaped Boston and succeeded in battle against an
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American ship. This book focuses on the consequences of the previous book's exploits. We see two unwanted pregnancies, financial ruin, and of course plenty of danger and derring-do. Most of the book focuses on Maturin, acting as an intelligence agent for the British against the French. Being an officer prisoner of war is all fun and games until he is recognized and suddenly an inconvenient delay becomes a life-threatening danger.As always, the writing is impeccable. Aubrey remains the commander with the perfect mind for making the most of the present and an abominable mind for understanding nuance and temptation and future consequences. Maturin is rational and cold but we see his heart bow yet again under the weight of Diana Villiers' presence. The characters are wonderfully fallible and the plot unpredictable. The battle may be won only to have the ship cast against a reef. An ordinary engagement between ships may change the face of the war by killing a general. You never know what will happen next!
Once again, all I can say is Bravo! or should I say Huzzah! All the best to the King's Navy!
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LibraryThing member bragan
Book seven in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series features some complications in the personal lives of its characters on land and a delicate mission for them to carry out by sea.
I really enjoyed this one. Like many of them, it maybe gets a bit slow in the middle, but even during long passages
I really enjoyed this one. Like many of them, it maybe gets a bit slow in the middle, but even during long passages
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about doing things with sails, I never stopped thinking happily about how much I like these characters. And the ending is fantastic, full of engaging and unexpected developments. I swear, there was one moment when I actually exclaimed out loud as I was reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member DarthDeverell
The Surgeon’s Mate, Patrick O’Brian’s seventh book in his Aubrey-Maturin series, sees Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin sheltering in Halifax, Nova Scotia after their escape as prisoners of war in Boston at the end of the previous novel. Both eagerly await a return to England,
Like his previous novels, O’Brian perfectly recreates the world of the Napoleonic War in 1812, using Maturin’s intelligence connections to discuss much of the land war, such as Napoleon’s victory at Luetzen after his defeat in Moscow (pg. 100). The title, Surgeon’s Mate, serves as a triple entendre, referring to the ship’s surgeon’s mate, Maturin’s intelligence work (as in checkmate), and his relationship and eventual marriage to Diana Villiers, his mate. Similar to the second novel, Post Captain, this novel largely focuses on Maturin’s espionage work with he serving as the primary protagonist of the pair. This Folio Society edition reprints the original text with insets containing historical portraits and sketches to illustrate some of the scenes. A great contribution to the Aubrey-Maturin series and the first of twelve to focus on what O’Brian described as an extended 1812, with these dozen books taking place between the beginning of June 1813 and November 1813.
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Stephen worried about Diana Villiers’ legal troubles following her connection to the American, Mr. Johnson, and Jack troubled about the running of his estate back home, where a confidence man swindled Aubrey into investing in a lead smelting operation with promises of a fortune. After returning to England, Maturin enlists Jack to aid him in a mission to turn Catalan forces defending Grimsholm Island in the Baltic against their French allegiance and to the American side. Though they succeed, Aubrey’s ship, the Ariel, runs aground on French soil in the Channel, leading to their capture. From there, Maturin must work to protect his status as an intelligence agent and secure their quick escape back to England.Like his previous novels, O’Brian perfectly recreates the world of the Napoleonic War in 1812, using Maturin’s intelligence connections to discuss much of the land war, such as Napoleon’s victory at Luetzen after his defeat in Moscow (pg. 100). The title, Surgeon’s Mate, serves as a triple entendre, referring to the ship’s surgeon’s mate, Maturin’s intelligence work (as in checkmate), and his relationship and eventual marriage to Diana Villiers, his mate. Similar to the second novel, Post Captain, this novel largely focuses on Maturin’s espionage work with he serving as the primary protagonist of the pair. This Folio Society edition reprints the original text with insets containing historical portraits and sketches to illustrate some of the scenes. A great contribution to the Aubrey-Maturin series and the first of twelve to focus on what O’Brian described as an extended 1812, with these dozen books taking place between the beginning of June 1813 and November 1813.
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LibraryThing member rameau
A welcome return to form after the previous The Fortune of War. Aubrey and Maturin are chased through the Grand Banks, have to persuade the Catalan garrison on the island fortress on Grimsholm to defect, and attempt to escape from a French prison. Lots of great moments, especially Maturin's speech
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on coincidence. Show Less
LibraryThing member Larou
Continuing my travels with Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, I have now reached the seventh chapter in this ongoing novel. The Surgeon’s Mate seemed a bit rambling even by O’Brian’s standards (although I suppose one might see the opening – Jack returning to the sea and the command of
There is no lack of things happening in this volume, however – the book begins where the last one left off, in Halifax, then moves to London, from there to Scandinavia and finally to Paris. There are no naval battles (but another exciting chase) and no discovery of exotic flora or fauna (but more spy work by Stephen); indeed the various intelligence machinations during the Napoleonic Wars are very much in the foreground here, turning this at time almost into an 18th century version of a John le Carré novel. O’Brian never quite reaches (or indeed aims for) the dizzy heights of moral ambiguity where Le Carré places his novels, but something he shares with that author is the way he can even the most mundane everyday activities endlessly fascinating (placing both in sharp contrast to Neal Stephenson who can make them endlessly boring). After seven volumes, this is turning out more and more to be the second mark of greatness for the Aubrey-Maturin series, together with the characterisation and friendship of its protagonists: the incredibly vivid sense of detail Patrick O’Brian brings to bear on the world he describes.
The freshness of his colours, the fullness of his sounds, the immediacy of his smells, the intensity of his tastes and sensations would already be remarkable in a novelist who transmuted a world into language that was spreading out right in front of him, but to achieve this sensory and sensual richness of description for history, for a world gone and disappeared is nothing short of – and I do not use this word lightly – genius. Even with something I consider a slightly (very, very slightly) weaker installment of this monumental novel of naval history, of friendship and adventure, of warfare and discovery, I am becoming steadily more impressed with the series as a whole the more of it I read. I can feel a shiver of excitement run down my spine at the thought that there are thirteen more volumes of this waiting for me on the shelf, and a tiny stab of sadness in my heart that there are only thirteen more volumes left. Who knows, by the end of it I might even agree with the Times as quoted on the cover of my edition that Patrick O’Brian was “the greatest historical novelist of all time.” (Okay, not very likely, as I’m inherently suspicious of any statements that feature “of all time”, all the more so if “greatest” is also a part of it. But I can at least feel some degree of sympathy for such a claim, pointless hyperbole that it is.)
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a ship – and the ending episodes – Jack fleeing a French prison – as variations on the theme of escape, thus placing a kind of parenthesis around the novel, a structure O’Brian seems fond of) and that is probably the reason why I liked it slightly (very, very slightly) less than the two preceding volumes.There is no lack of things happening in this volume, however – the book begins where the last one left off, in Halifax, then moves to London, from there to Scandinavia and finally to Paris. There are no naval battles (but another exciting chase) and no discovery of exotic flora or fauna (but more spy work by Stephen); indeed the various intelligence machinations during the Napoleonic Wars are very much in the foreground here, turning this at time almost into an 18th century version of a John le Carré novel. O’Brian never quite reaches (or indeed aims for) the dizzy heights of moral ambiguity where Le Carré places his novels, but something he shares with that author is the way he can even the most mundane everyday activities endlessly fascinating (placing both in sharp contrast to Neal Stephenson who can make them endlessly boring). After seven volumes, this is turning out more and more to be the second mark of greatness for the Aubrey-Maturin series, together with the characterisation and friendship of its protagonists: the incredibly vivid sense of detail Patrick O’Brian brings to bear on the world he describes.
The freshness of his colours, the fullness of his sounds, the immediacy of his smells, the intensity of his tastes and sensations would already be remarkable in a novelist who transmuted a world into language that was spreading out right in front of him, but to achieve this sensory and sensual richness of description for history, for a world gone and disappeared is nothing short of – and I do not use this word lightly – genius. Even with something I consider a slightly (very, very slightly) weaker installment of this monumental novel of naval history, of friendship and adventure, of warfare and discovery, I am becoming steadily more impressed with the series as a whole the more of it I read. I can feel a shiver of excitement run down my spine at the thought that there are thirteen more volumes of this waiting for me on the shelf, and a tiny stab of sadness in my heart that there are only thirteen more volumes left. Who knows, by the end of it I might even agree with the Times as quoted on the cover of my edition that Patrick O’Brian was “the greatest historical novelist of all time.” (Okay, not very likely, as I’m inherently suspicious of any statements that feature “of all time”, all the more so if “greatest” is also a part of it. But I can at least feel some degree of sympathy for such a claim, pointless hyperbole that it is.)
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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
The story here covers a lot of ocean. Beginning with a chase across the Atlantic from Halifax to England, Jack and Stephen take on a key mission in the Baltic, suffer a shipwreck off the coast of France, spend time as prisoners in the Tower in Paris, before escaping to return to England. The
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interconnected stories are interesting and kept me reading to find out what would happen next. There are some truly poetic passages and just as many amusing ones. Jack continues inept on land, although when pressed (such as when pursuing escape from prison) his great competence comes to forefront, even out of his ship. Stephen continues to surprise. Show Less
LibraryThing member mazeway
Another winner. O'Brian is such a generous author, never tormenting our heroes more than we can bear and rewarding us with little delights.
LibraryThing member TadAD
One of the better volumes in a great series. The dry humor as Aubrey and Maturin make fun of each others lack of expertise outside their own field really stands out in this one. This series is still going strong.
LibraryThing member Othemts
The Aubrey/Maturin series picks up where The Fortune of War left off, and the surgeon's mate of the title is not Stephen Maturin's surgical assistant but his on again/off again romantic interest Diana Villiers.I'm always turned of by the Villiers storylines because she is a dull and disagreeable
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character. Fortunately the Maturin-Villiers story is balance by some seafaring adventure and battles, spying and intrigue, and even our lead characters locked in a French prison. I'm a bit thrown by the timeline as it seems this book takes place 4 years prior to The Fortune of War but it's a rollicking good tale all the same Show Less
LibraryThing member Nodosaurus
The Surgeon's Mate is book 7 in the Aubrey-Maturin stories. This book continues following the escape from America, Jack and Stephen end up dealing with French imprisonment.
The book further explores the relationship between Dr. Maturin and Diana Villiers, while we see almost nothing of Aubrey's own
I'm continually impressed with Patrick O'Brian's knowledge, not just of the management and operation of tall ships and the British Admiralty, but of the English culture and politics as well. Of course, I'm presuming he is accurate. :)
The stories are well written and I always look forward to the next adventure.
The book further explores the relationship between Dr. Maturin and Diana Villiers, while we see almost nothing of Aubrey's own
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family. I'm continually impressed with Patrick O'Brian's knowledge, not just of the management and operation of tall ships and the British Admiralty, but of the English culture and politics as well. Of course, I'm presuming he is accurate. :)
The stories are well written and I always look forward to the next adventure.
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LibraryThing member Nodosaurus
The Surgeon's Mate is book 7 in the Aubrey-Maturin stories. This book continues following the escape from America, Jack and Stephen end up dealing with French imprisonment.
The book further explores the relationship between Dr. Maturin and Diana Villiers, while we see almost nothing of Aubrey's own
I'm continually impressed with Patrick O'Brian's knowledge, not just of the management and operation of tall ships and the British Admiralty, but of the English culture and politics as well. Of course, I'm presuming he is accurate. :)
The stories are well written and I always look forward to the next adventure.
The book further explores the relationship between Dr. Maturin and Diana Villiers, while we see almost nothing of Aubrey's own
Show More
family. I'm continually impressed with Patrick O'Brian's knowledge, not just of the management and operation of tall ships and the British Admiralty, but of the English culture and politics as well. Of course, I'm presuming he is accurate. :)
The stories are well written and I always look forward to the next adventure.
Show Less
LibraryThing member elenchus
In which Aubrey and Maturin sail from Halifax to London via Diligence, a private packet hired by the Royal Navy to carry official news of a long-awaited victory against the Americans. Villiers is aboard, not yet a British citizen, and Johnson's offense at both her departure and her taking
//
Jack fetching the post while at Ashgrove Cottage, intercepting the frequent letters from Miss Amanda Smith, who implies she bears his child from assignations in Halifax, and announces she needs funds in order to visit. Kimber's con of Jack's mines proves to have blossomed like a cancer in Jack's absence, and Jack begins efforts to surgically remove it by consulting Pufendorf, a lawyer recommended by Stephen, and Skinner, recommended by Blaine.
Stephen presents before the Institut de France on the solitaire of Rodrigues, a personal triumph as naturalist, perhaps never to be equaled in his lifetime. Jack reminisces of his time playing Ophelia while a mid.
The Baltic naval joke of naming a captured Russian ship Humbug, risking charge of mutiny for any unfortunate lieutenant on watch who must name it to his captain, on deck. [197]
Imprisoned in the Temple Prison in Paris, and glimpses into the French intelligence service, leavened with a humourous sub-plot between their colleague Jagiello, a Swedish officer in the Lithuanian army, and the French maid who brings their food. Jagiello bewitches both gentleman and ladies with his looks and manner, but rivals Stephen in injury sustained aboard. In fact, Stephen again falls between ships, but Jack anticipates this and nothing comes of it. Later unfortunately, Stephen falls between a boat and the jetty, in Grimsholm, and is rescued after calling out in Catalan; it is perhaps a ruse?
We meet Duhamel, D'Anglars, Durand, Colonel Hector, Fauvet, Delaris, Laurie, and Major Glapier: it is unclear who of these if any will figure in later novels. O'Brian names both a Rousseau (jailer at Temple Prison) and a Wittgenstein (Ariel's quartermaster).
Babbington to the rescue in HMS Oedipus, ultimately officiating in the onboard wedding of Stephen and Diana following another fierce row over their recurring misunderstandings concerning practicality and romance in marriage.
Gower's endpaper maps in the Folio Society edition a particular pleasure, detailed review of the Channel, a relevant quarter in Paris, and the Baltic; outdone only by his double-spread interior map featuring the Ariel's journey from the North Sea and through the Baltic.
As ever consulting Seltzer's Chronology, Surgeon's Mate is the first of the next eleven novels "which all take place in the repeating year of 1813." If true, this is astonishing if only for all that must take place in six months (the last novel left off in June). Consider that one or more of the previous novels spanned as much as four years! Seltzer notes that in 1808, British spy James Robertson persuades the Marquis de la Romana and 15,000 Spanish [sic] troops stationed in the Baltic to defect, with Admiral Keats transporting these back to Spain; apparently the inspiration for Jack and Stephen's foray to Grimsholm.
Schuyler's "Butcher's Bill" is invaluable in tracking the myriad names throughout.
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possession again of the diamonds he bought her, the Blue Peter, are assumed responsible for the privateers giving chase through the Grand Banks. Maturin and Villiers end up in Paris to elude ensuing political and social complications. Meantime, having lost his commission to the HMS Acasta due to delays, Aubrey is asked to undertake a political and military mission to Grimsholm in command of the sloop HMS Ariel, with Maturin aboard to direct the onshore tactics. Events lead to further actions in the Channel and in France.//
Jack fetching the post while at Ashgrove Cottage, intercepting the frequent letters from Miss Amanda Smith, who implies she bears his child from assignations in Halifax, and announces she needs funds in order to visit. Kimber's con of Jack's mines proves to have blossomed like a cancer in Jack's absence, and Jack begins efforts to surgically remove it by consulting Pufendorf, a lawyer recommended by Stephen, and Skinner, recommended by Blaine.
Stephen presents before the Institut de France on the solitaire of Rodrigues, a personal triumph as naturalist, perhaps never to be equaled in his lifetime. Jack reminisces of his time playing Ophelia while a mid.
The Baltic naval joke of naming a captured Russian ship Humbug, risking charge of mutiny for any unfortunate lieutenant on watch who must name it to his captain, on deck. [197]
Imprisoned in the Temple Prison in Paris, and glimpses into the French intelligence service, leavened with a humourous sub-plot between their colleague Jagiello, a Swedish officer in the Lithuanian army, and the French maid who brings their food. Jagiello bewitches both gentleman and ladies with his looks and manner, but rivals Stephen in injury sustained aboard. In fact, Stephen again falls between ships, but Jack anticipates this and nothing comes of it. Later unfortunately, Stephen falls between a boat and the jetty, in Grimsholm, and is rescued after calling out in Catalan; it is perhaps a ruse?
We meet Duhamel, D'Anglars, Durand, Colonel Hector, Fauvet, Delaris, Laurie, and Major Glapier: it is unclear who of these if any will figure in later novels. O'Brian names both a Rousseau (jailer at Temple Prison) and a Wittgenstein (Ariel's quartermaster).
Babbington to the rescue in HMS Oedipus, ultimately officiating in the onboard wedding of Stephen and Diana following another fierce row over their recurring misunderstandings concerning practicality and romance in marriage.
Gower's endpaper maps in the Folio Society edition a particular pleasure, detailed review of the Channel, a relevant quarter in Paris, and the Baltic; outdone only by his double-spread interior map featuring the Ariel's journey from the North Sea and through the Baltic.
As ever consulting Seltzer's Chronology, Surgeon's Mate is the first of the next eleven novels "which all take place in the repeating year of 1813." If true, this is astonishing if only for all that must take place in six months (the last novel left off in June). Consider that one or more of the previous novels spanned as much as four years! Seltzer notes that in 1808, British spy James Robertson persuades the Marquis de la Romana and 15,000 Spanish [sic] troops stationed in the Baltic to defect, with Admiral Keats transporting these back to Spain; apparently the inspiration for Jack and Stephen's foray to Grimsholm.
Schuyler's "Butcher's Bill" is invaluable in tracking the myriad names throughout.
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LibraryThing member kcslade
Good addition to Capt. Aubrey / Dr. Maturin sea battle series.
LibraryThing member Larou
Continuing my travels with Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, I have now reached the seventh chapter in this ongoing novel. The Surgeon’s Mate seemed a bit rambling even by O’Brian’s standards (although I suppose one might see the opening – Jack returning to the sea and the command of
There is no lack of things happening in this volume, however – the book begins where the last one left off, in Halifax, then moves to London, from there to Scandinavia and finally to Paris. There are no naval battles (but another exciting chase) and no discovery of exotic flora or fauna (but more spy work by Stephen); indeed the various intelligence machinations during the Napoleonic Wars are very much in the foreground here, turning this at time almost into an 18th century version of a John le Carré novel. O’Brian never quite reaches (or indeed aims for) the dizzy heights of moral ambiguity where Le Carré places his novels, but something he shares with that author is the way he can even the most mundane everyday activities endlessly fascinating (placing both in sharp contrast to Neal Stephenson who can make them endlessly boring). After seven volumes, this is turning out more and more to be the second mark of greatness for the Aubrey-Maturin series, together with the characterisation and friendship of its protagonists: the incredibly vivid sense of detail Patrick O’Brian brings to bear on the world he describes.
The freshness of his colours, the fullness of his sounds, the immediacy of his smells, the intensity of his tastes and sensations would already be remarkable in a novelist who transmuted a world into language that was spreading out right in front of him, but to achieve this sensory and sensual richness of description for history, for a world gone and disappeared is nothing short of – and I do not use this word lightly – genius. Even with something I consider a slightly (very, very slightly) weaker installment of this monumental novel of naval history, of friendship and adventure, of warfare and discovery, I am becoming steadily more impressed with the series as a whole the more of it I read. I can feel a shiver of excitement run down my spine at the thought that there are thirteen more volumes of this waiting for me on the shelf, and a tiny stab of sadness in my heart that there are only thirteen more volumes left. Who knows, by the end of it I might even agree with the Times as quoted on the cover of my edition that Patrick O’Brian was “the greatest historical novelist of all time.” (Okay, not very likely, as I’m inherently suspicious of any statements that feature “of all time”, all the more so if “greatest” is also a part of it. But I can at least feel some degree of sympathy for such a claim, pointless hyperbole that it is.)
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a ship – and the ending episodes – Jack fleeing a French prison – as variations on the theme of escape, thus placing a kind of parenthesis around the novel, a structure O’Brian seems fond of) and that is probably the reason why I liked it slightly (very, very slightly) less than the two preceding volumes.There is no lack of things happening in this volume, however – the book begins where the last one left off, in Halifax, then moves to London, from there to Scandinavia and finally to Paris. There are no naval battles (but another exciting chase) and no discovery of exotic flora or fauna (but more spy work by Stephen); indeed the various intelligence machinations during the Napoleonic Wars are very much in the foreground here, turning this at time almost into an 18th century version of a John le Carré novel. O’Brian never quite reaches (or indeed aims for) the dizzy heights of moral ambiguity where Le Carré places his novels, but something he shares with that author is the way he can even the most mundane everyday activities endlessly fascinating (placing both in sharp contrast to Neal Stephenson who can make them endlessly boring). After seven volumes, this is turning out more and more to be the second mark of greatness for the Aubrey-Maturin series, together with the characterisation and friendship of its protagonists: the incredibly vivid sense of detail Patrick O’Brian brings to bear on the world he describes.
The freshness of his colours, the fullness of his sounds, the immediacy of his smells, the intensity of his tastes and sensations would already be remarkable in a novelist who transmuted a world into language that was spreading out right in front of him, but to achieve this sensory and sensual richness of description for history, for a world gone and disappeared is nothing short of – and I do not use this word lightly – genius. Even with something I consider a slightly (very, very slightly) weaker installment of this monumental novel of naval history, of friendship and adventure, of warfare and discovery, I am becoming steadily more impressed with the series as a whole the more of it I read. I can feel a shiver of excitement run down my spine at the thought that there are thirteen more volumes of this waiting for me on the shelf, and a tiny stab of sadness in my heart that there are only thirteen more volumes left. Who knows, by the end of it I might even agree with the Times as quoted on the cover of my edition that Patrick O’Brian was “the greatest historical novelist of all time.” (Okay, not very likely, as I’m inherently suspicious of any statements that feature “of all time”, all the more so if “greatest” is also a part of it. But I can at least feel some degree of sympathy for such a claim, pointless hyperbole that it is.)
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LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
Jack is deeply dismayed when a ill-judged fling in Nova Scotia threatens to come back to England and reveal his perfidy. He's thrilled to be ordered back to sea, this time to transport his friend Stephen to co-opt a Catalan base to England's side. Meanwhile, Stephen has just returned from a trip to
This book contains a number of subversions of a reader's expectations. Jack is scared of a woman coming back to England with his bastard--and insteadshe marries another and he seems to have gotten away with it . Stephen and Diana battle over her pregnancy--only for it to end apparently naturally, thus making it unnecessary for him to blame her for getting an abortion, or for either of them to raise the child fathered by their enemy, the vicious Johnson . Jack scrapes away at his French prison walls, and much of the book is given over to the complications of shifting the stone--and the very same moment he finally breaks through, French spies (who want to get Stephen out of the country) unlock the prison door and help them escape, so that all Jack's work is unnecessary, though appreciated.
This is also the book where finally, FINALLY, after six books of tension and torment,Diana consents to marry Stephen. Their coming together at last is a little odd, for me, because Stephen is only just coming to love her again (after realizing he'd fallen out of love with her because she'd grown too "coarse" in the previous book) and because Stephen is so very willing to control and deceive her. I don't like that he seems to think he needs to manage her. She's a grown-ass woman, she's dealt with spies and maharajahs and love affairs before--she doesn't need Stephen pretending that she was the reason he got free. It felt patronizing--almost as patronizing as his disturbing refusal to let her make her own medical decisions:
"'That is why I have come to you, the only friend I can rely on. You understand these things. You are a physician. Stephen, I couldn't bear to have that man's child. It would be a monster. I know that in India women used to take a root called holi--'
'There my dear, there is certain proof that your judgment is astray, otherwise you would never have thought of such a course, nor would you have ever said such a thing to me. My whole function is to preserve life, not to take it away. The oath I have sworn, and all my convictions--'
'Stephen, I beg of you not to fail me.' She sat twisting her fingers together, and in a low pleading voice she murmured, 'Stephen, Stephen.'
'Diana, you must marry me.'
She shook her head. Each knew that the other was immovable, and they sat in a miserable silence until the door burst open."
Stephen's reluctance is pretty rich coming from a man who talked dispassionately about gunning down or knifing a cadre of Frenchmen just pages ago. Ah well, even he cannot be perfect. And in fact, I find I like Maturin least when he's silently martyring himself, as he has a tendency to do, and like him most when he's squabbling with Aubrey over silly things like bad jokes and seaman slang. When I think O'Brian thinks Maturin is being particularly impressive, I actually dislike him.
Overall, another fantastic installment of a great series. I can't wait to read the next!
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Paris, where he presented a scholarly paper (very badly, though it was well received) and found a place for Diana to stay for her confinement. The mission is a success, the base is taken--and then on the way home, flush with success, they are captured by the French. They suspect Stephen is a spy, and so while Jack scrapes away at their prison walls searching for escape, Stephen spends day after day trying to seem as innocent as possible to his captors, all the while keeping a capsule of poison precariously held in his cheek. This book contains a number of subversions of a reader's expectations. Jack is scared of a woman coming back to England with his bastard--and instead
This is also the book where finally, FINALLY, after six books of tension and torment,
"'That is why I have come to you, the only friend I can rely on. You understand these things. You are a physician. Stephen, I couldn't bear to have that man's child. It would be a monster. I know that in India women used to take a root called holi--'
'There my dear, there is certain proof that your judgment is astray, otherwise you would never have thought of such a course, nor would you have ever said such a thing to me. My whole function is to preserve life, not to take it away. The oath I have sworn, and all my convictions--'
'Stephen, I beg of you not to fail me.' She sat twisting her fingers together, and in a low pleading voice she murmured, 'Stephen, Stephen.'
'Diana, you must marry me.'
She shook her head. Each knew that the other was immovable, and they sat in a miserable silence until the door burst open."
Stephen's reluctance is pretty rich coming from a man who talked dispassionately about gunning down or knifing a cadre of Frenchmen just pages ago. Ah well, even he cannot be perfect. And in fact, I find I like Maturin least when he's silently martyring himself, as he has a tendency to do, and like him most when he's squabbling with Aubrey over silly things like bad jokes and seaman slang. When I think O'Brian thinks Maturin is being particularly impressive, I actually dislike him.
Overall, another fantastic installment of a great series. I can't wait to read the next!
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LibraryThing member eilonwy_anne
A good installment into which to sink one's reading teeth.
As he continues to stretch himself and his characters, Patrick O'Brian finds a rather different task for them to undertake than the grand cruises and endless chases of the open sea, and a setting more rich in the dangers of coastal
New characters include the droll Jagiello, and new situations abound, including some almost reminiscent of Dumas.
As he continues to stretch himself and his characters, Patrick O'Brian finds a rather different task for them to undertake than the grand cruises and endless chases of the open sea, and a setting more rich in the dangers of coastal
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fortifications and the looming leeshore. New characters include the droll Jagiello, and new situations abound, including some almost reminiscent of Dumas.
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LibraryThing member malcrf
O'Brian delivers with his typical excellence. Thumping storyline, evocative prose, rich characterisation and you feel like you're reading a combination of an exhilarating page-turner and a thoroughly reasearched naval history tome.
LibraryThing member BooksForDinner
Good God these books are incredible.
LibraryThing member kslade
Another great novel in the series with Capt. Jack Aubrey and his surgeon friend, Maturin.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1980
Physical description
382 p.; 8.3 inches
ISBN
0393308200 / 9780393308204