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I always come to the Book Barn hoping for a new Aubrey/Maturin thread/ They really are the best books in the world. And funny. O'Brian is frickin' hilarious. David Mamet wrote an article about O'Brian that I've always enjoyed. http://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/17/books/the-humble-genre-novel-sometimes-full-of-genius.html?ref=patrickobrian Warning though, it has spoilers so if you haven't read the series yet, I'd give it a pass for now. Raskolnikov2089 fucked around with this message at 06:45 on Mar 1, 2011 |
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Mar 1, 2011 06:40
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I got lucky, I read Hornblower first. Then when I finished the series, I was jonesing for something, anything similar, so I tried Patrick O'Brian and got Master and Commander. I did *not* enjoy reading it my first time through. I ended up skimming it and skipping to the battles, before returning it to the library and leaving the series untouched for a year. Then in a fit of boredom I picked up Post Captain, which I think is a far better introduction to the series, loved it, and was hooked from there. O'Brian's writing style takes some getting used to. He has a habit of dropping major plot points with no more notice than a line or two, so if you're a lazy reader like I am you can miss it unless you read carefully. Then its 5 pages later and you're wondering why everything transitioned and having to re-read to find what you missed. Also, scene changes. Characters will be talking about all they have to do to get ready to sail, and then in the next paragraph they've suddenly been at sea for 5 weeks. It's rewarding though. After O'Brian I've found myself reading and actually enjoying Jane Austen. And on the topic of how funny this series is, my absolute favorite passage: "Patrick O'Brian posted:"The weather had freshened almost to coldness, for the wind was coming more easterly, from the chilly currents between Tristan and the Cape; the sloth was amazed by the change; it shunned the deck and spent its time below. Jack was in his cabin, pricking the charat with less satisfaction than he could have wished: progress, slow, serious trouble with the mainmast - unaccountable headwinds by night - and sipping a glass of grog; Stephen was in the mizentop, teaching Bonden to write and scanning the sea for his first albatross. The sloth sneezed, and looking up, Jack caught its gaze fixed upon him; its inverted face had an expression of anxiety and concern. "Try a piece of this, old cock," he said, dipping his cake in the grog and proffering the sop. "It might put a little heart into you." The sloth sighed, closed its eyes, but gently absorbed the piece, and sighed again.
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Mar 5, 2011 09:18
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So it's really not my trying to turn this into Twilight, but I kind of view Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin as a gay couple when I'm reading this. Not in the sense that I'm writing M&C slash-fic, or even imagining it, but Stephen is clearly the most important thing in Jack's life, and vice versa, making it kind of easy to picture them as a manly couple. Sort of like you'd get with the Theban band of lovers. There's chemistry there. Both of them and their relationship come absolutely alive through the pages.
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Mar 9, 2011 05:14
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I don't believe Patrick O'Brian intended for their to be sexual undertones, only that it is very easy to read a relationship into the characters. Jack and Stephen are the most important people in each other's lives. That much is obvious given the number of sleepless nights Jack passes worrying about Stephen's missions ashore. One of my favorite scenes (comes much later in the series, I think the Yellow Admiral) is when Stephen overhears Jack alone, playing the violin. He realizes Jack has over the years become quite an accomplished violin player and has in fact, been playing below his skill level so as not to make Stephen feel uncomfortable or out of place. In basically every aspect save the sexual component, they are in my mind a couple.
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Mar 10, 2011 18:12
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I've kind of nurtured a secret desire to try chewing coca leaves because of Maturin. Patrick O'Brian = gateway drug.
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Apr 12, 2011 15:30
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I recommend "To Rule the Waves" http://www.amazon.com/Rule-Waves-British-Shaped-Modern/dp/0060534249 Very good general overview of the rise of the British Navy, and quite exciting to read at some points. I finished my backlog and have re-started the series for my annual readthrough. Maybe it's because I saw and fell in love with the movie first, but I can't help but picture Jack Aubrey as Russell Crowe. He's just so uniquely suited to play the part. Just like JA, he's an expert when he's in his element (acting) but everything else in his life is a complete mess.
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Apr 18, 2011 14:40
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I just restarted my read of the series, and ran across my favorite passage in M&C "But there was no sleeping; the echoing crash of the hammer right next to his ear, ludicrously followed by the sound of whispering between the carpenter and his mates, made certain of that." I have never run across a writer who so excelled at mise en scene. Such spare prose, yet so very, very rich and engrossing.
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Apr 21, 2011 02:42
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From the sameMaster and Commander posted:He was not, indeed, inattentive; but his attention was not so wholly taken up that he did not hear Jack cry, "Oh, yes, yes! The rest of them are certainly coming ashore - they are lining the rail in their shore-going rig, with money in their pockets, their eyes staring out of their heads and their pricks a yard long." He could scarcely have avoided hearing it, for Jack had a fine carrying voice, and his remark happened to drop into one of those curious silences that occur even in very numerous assemblies.
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Apr 27, 2011 05:25
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gowb posted:Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke. Definitely. A lot of it was like reading Patrick O'Brian. They're both about manners.
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Apr 27, 2011 20:59
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I love re-reads of this series because each book always has some detail that was lost on me in O'Brian's prose. Reading Master and Commander, and I realized that Stephen and Mr. Florey were dining with knives that were shortly ago used to autopsy a prostitute. Mr. Florey suggests washing the knife. Stephen compliments the blade as "swiss-made" and says that a wipe will surely be sufficient. So gross.
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May 6, 2011 21:33
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Does anyone else read that Jack attacked the Cacafuego because he realized otherwise he would have to duel James Dillon, which would end with one or both of them dead, and even worse, both kicked out of the Navy?
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May 7, 2011 05:28
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Molybdenum posted:I'm reading Reverse of the Medal right now and I am about half way into the book (by page number). It seems like the entire first half of the book has been explanation of what happened before or in the absence of Aubrey/Maturin and character's relations to the pair. It is just now getting the point where things are actually happening. I predict the last book will be 95% back story, 5% new. That book is my absolute favorite in the series, all because of 2 pages. You'll know them when you come to them.
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May 16, 2011 22:15
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It always makes me a little teary eyed to read it. When an author can make you care about a fictional character that much, you know you're in the hands of a master.
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May 17, 2011 02:07
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It's funny, I actually started reading Jane Austen for pleasure after learning to enjoy Patrick O'Brian's prose.
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May 19, 2011 15:04
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Smashurbanipal posted:Sophie on the other hand, is just the perfect little virginal young lady waiting about for a gentleman of wealth and stature to meet the approval of Mrs. Williams. Her biggest act of rebellion is continuing to see Jack when he is disgraced. I enjoyed her sneaking out to see Jack at Bath. She was so amazed by how differently everything looked at night since she had never in her life been out so late. Definitely a delicate flower. She serves as a great contrast to DV, who I think I sympathize with more. Class for women of substance seemed more prison than privilege in a lot of ways, so I admire DV for saying "gently caress all" to polite society that would rather she quietly lapse into respectable spinsterdom. Raskolnikov2089 fucked around with this message at 19:49 on May 19, 2011 |
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May 19, 2011 19:47
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Just a suggestion for anyone who enjoys this series, the Flashman series by George MacDonald Frasier is amazing. None of them have anything much to do with the ocean, but they're some of my favorite historical fiction after Aubrey-Maturin.
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Jun 22, 2011 16:23
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Blog Free or Die posted:One of my favorite things about the series is that on each reread the 'duller' sections get better and better. Foreshadowing, many hints about characters' motivations, jokes, so easy to miss the first time around. So true. O'Brian packs so much character development into such sparse prose that I always discover new things on each read through.
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Jun 30, 2011 19:39
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It ends on a good note. Obviously I'd prefer Patrick O'Brian was still alive and writing, but Blue at the Mizzen ends on a very  note.
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Sep 2, 2011 15:39
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silly posted:I was about two-thirds of the way through Blue At The Mizzen when I forgot in a seat pocket on an airplane and decided that it was a sign. As long as I don't read the ending, the books don't end. I didn't read Blue at the Mizzen for my first 3 read-throughs of the series for precisely that reason. Lanky Coconut Tree posted:I sort of stopped reading after 'The Commodore', is the ending of Blue at the Mizzen better than that? Not as much is resolved, but it still has an emotionally validating ending.
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Sep 4, 2011 23:53
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Did anyone else find their reading habits changed after this series? At one point I couldn't stand Jane Austen or Charles Dickens, but after the second time finishing the Aubrey-Maturin series I've gone back to both and found myself really enjoying them.
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Sep 6, 2011 01:09
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Molybdenum posted:I finished To Rule The Waves. Pretty interesting stuff. Any other recommendations? I enjoyed "The Billy-Ruffian" which charted the history of "The Bellerophon" - a ship which saw a lot of history around that time. And if you want to read about the most fascinating mutiny (and the bloodiest) that ever took place, I recommend "Batavia's Graveyard". Incidentally I got to go on board the replica they built in the Netherlands. It was very cool.
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May 15, 2012 17:38
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BananaNutkins posted:Just got to the bit in H.M.S Surprise with Jack and the sloth. I couldn't stop laughing, even though I was in public. O'Brian writes so well about whatever he puts his hand to. He completely captures the movements and mannerisms that make a sloth endearing and translates those to paper. I love Jack addressing it with a, "Now see here sir." when it's chewing on his hat.
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Jun 28, 2012 05:38
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Raskolnikov2089 posted:I love Jack addressing it with a, "Now see here sir." when it's chewing on his hat. It appears I remembered the wrong book. I found the relevant passage 'Now, sir,' cried the Captain, striding into the great cabin, a tall, imposing figure. 'Now, sir,' - addressing the wombat, one of the numerous body of marsupials brought into the ship by her surgeon, a natural philosopher - 'give it up directly, d'ye hear me, there?' The wombat stared him straight in the eye, drew a length of gold lace from its mouth, and then deliberately sucked it in again. 'Pass the word for Dr Maturin,' said the Captain, looking angrily at the wombat: and a moment later, 'Come now, Stephen, this is coming it pretty high: your brute is eating my hat.' 'So he is, too,' said Dr Maturin. 'But do not be so perturbed, Jack; it will do him no harm, at all. His digestive processes -,
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Jun 29, 2012 06:31
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It's best to just not think about the years. That way when you get to the last book, it makes it easier to think that Jack and Stephen and Killick are still out there somewhere, exploring and fighting the French.
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Jul 17, 2012 01:41
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Started re-reading Horatio Hornblower. I don't remember him being near this Aspie.
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Aug 3, 2012 03:36
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CarterUSM posted:I'm coming to the end of "The Hundred Days." Bonden. Didn't O'Brian's wife die around the same time?
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Aug 8, 2012 18:45
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PlushCow posted:On Amazon's cyber monday Kindle deals there is A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian for $3 and Harbors and High Seas: An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey-Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian for the same price. Really you can feel free to skim the nautical jargon. I have only the vaguest understanding of most of the maneuvers that happen with the ships, and it hasn't detracted from my enjoyment of the series in the least.
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Nov 26, 2012 19:17
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Yeah, I saw that as the polite fiction Stephen and Diana told themselves afterwards. It's open to interpretation though. Stephen is pretty prickly about his honor though. He's all set to duel with Jagiello when he goes to retrieve her, until he receives an explanation.
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Mar 29, 2013 15:51
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I think the death of Bonden was written at around the time O'Brian's wife died.
Raskolnikov2089 fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Apr 23, 2013 |
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Apr 22, 2013 15:45
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Octy posted:I don't suppose you'd mind spoilering stuff like the deaths of non-historical characters? I've read just under half the series so I know a lot of what goes on, but not this. Geez man, I'm so sorry. If it's any consolation, it's not a major plot point at all.
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Apr 23, 2013 16:51
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Molybdenum posted:Master & Commander scene It's one of the best things about Patrick O'Brian, his characters actually think like characters in their own time. Any other writer would have written Maturin as an 18th century Physician who has crazy ideas about cleanliness and sterilization, which the medical community mocks him for, but we the readers know he's right. I see the same thing with Jack's opinion on slavery. He doesn't really have a problem with it, but you can tell that not owning slaves, he's never given it much thought. Most writers would dance around distasteful reminders of the downsides of the time period, preferring instead to focus on swashbuckling, gentlemanly manners and a romance subplot. O'Brian shows it as it was, warts and all.
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May 17, 2013 15:39
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:These are books where there's so much wealth of detail that you're likely to always miss something and find something new. Every book, every re-read, always stumble on something new. Which is really strange since O'Brian uses such sparse prose.
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Jul 22, 2013 17:29
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Crowe and Bettany both played their parts perfectly. They had wonderful chemistry, and physical descriptions aside, I had no problem picturing them as Aubrey and Maturin.
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Aug 26, 2013 18:27
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Reading Patrick O'Brian is what taught me to enjoy reading Jane Austen novels. They're both fundamentally about the same thing: 19th century manners and social conventions. Theres more blood thrown in for sure, but the series relies heavily on the interactions and misunderstandings between social classes, to great comedic effect. I love how the crew thinks the Doctor is a lecherous, short tempered alcoholic.
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Aug 29, 2013 17:21
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Miles Vorkosigan posted:In terms of page length there are very few books with as much time spent on land as Post-Captain. I think The Reverse of the Medal takes place entirely on land, but it's a short book and so engaging odds are you won't even notice. I always read Reverse anticipating the pivotal scene. Still makes me teary eyed.
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Sep 1, 2013 01:28
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Decius posted:Generally land (especially Britain) means troubles for Aubrey, sometimes for Maturin too, so they tend to flee to the sea rather often and quickly. This really is the ultimate bromance series.
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Sep 1, 2013 20:19
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PlushCow posted:If this turns out to be a major spoiler I'm going to be pretty disappointed! Would've rather had not read it if it is It's not. O'Brian makes it very clear that they're father and son.
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Sep 19, 2013 05:03
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ItalicSquirrels posted:We've all been guilty of not using spoiler tags in the right spots, it's no big deal, just do better in the future. And no, O'Brian doesn't make it clear. As you can see, there are plenty of people in the thread who don't think that's the case. Who on earth doesn't think Sam Panda is Jack Aubrey's son? Glaring context clues aside, O'Brian makes it very clear in The Thirteen Gun Salute among others: Patrick O'Brian posted:Sam Panda, as tall as Aubrey and even broader, was Jack's natural son, as black as polished ebony yet absurdly recognizable - the same carriage, the same big man's gentleness, even the same features, transposed to another key. Raskolnikov2089 fucked around with this message at 16:52 on Sep 19, 2013 |
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Sep 19, 2013 16:45
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I didn't read past Blue at the Mizzen. I felt that was the perfect end to the series.
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Nov 30, 2013 22:18
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Eau de MacGowan posted:It's really oddly paced by modern standards, in that it'll leap several weeks in a paragraph[/spoiler] This threw me off when I first started reading the series. Over time though, it has made me a much more careful reader. I don't skim like I used to.
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Dec 2, 2013 22:10
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