Rating: 
Summary: Pure delight!
Review: "The Nutmeg of Consolation" is the fourteenth volume in the famed Aubrey-Maturin series. Even by Patrick O'Brian's standards, this is a particularly well crafted tale, wonderfully displaying the author's masterly narrative technique. I enjoyed it tremendously!The story begins where "The Thirteen-Gun Salute" ended, on an uninhabited island in the South China Sea. Engaged in building a schooner after having suffered shipwreck during a typhoon, HMS Diane's survivors - including Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin - soon find themselves under attack by Malay pirates. Once this scare is over, a stroke of luck brings them to Batavia from where Jack puts to sea in command of a Dutch ship renamed "Nutmeg of Consolation". Once more it is a French frigate our friends are after, and the ensuing chase is yet another testimony to Patrick O'Brian's phenomenal skill of describing a sea action in the age of sail. Reunited with the "Surprise", the party finally reaches Sydney, site of the penal settlements of New South Wales. There, Stephen not only succeeds in finding Padeen, his former manservant who was deported to New South Wales, but he is also provoked into a duel, acquires a boomerang and has his first encounter with a platypus. It is indeed an eventful stopover in Down Under! There certainly is a lot of action in "The Nutmeg of Consolation", settings change quickly and along the way Jack and Stephen find themselves in unprecedented situations. And yet, at the same time, there is more wit and irony in this book than in many of the volumes written beforehand. Undoubtedly, the tale's main character is Stephen, deeply immersed in the local flora and fauna whenever possible, but sometimes - and for various reasons - irritable and agitated, his fortunes changing several times during the course of the novel. Through his personage, Patrick O'Brian keeps the story together in a wonderful fashion. Definitely a favourite of mine in the series - at least up to now!
Rating:
Summary: Aubrey and Maturin's South Pacific Sojourn Continues
Review: "The Nutmeg of Consulation" opens with Captain Jack Aubrey and the surviving crew of HMS Diane playing cricket on a deserted, lush tropical East Indies island. However, all is not tranquility in paradise, since Aubrey and his men are attacked soon by Malay pirates. Rescued by a Chinese merchant, the crew sails aboard the merchant's junk to Batavia, the capital of the British-occupied Dutch East Indies. Governor Raffles gives Aubrey a Dutch sloop, newly rechristened, "The Nutmeg of Consolation". Soon Aubrey takes Nutmeg into battle against a more powerful, heavily armed French frigate; one of the most brilliant duels he has waged since his successful mission with HMS Sophie, recounted in the novel "Master and Commander". Aubrey and Maturin are reunited with Captain Thomas Pullings and their ship, the former Royal Navy frigate Surprise, now a privateer owned by Maturin, employed by His Majesty's government for special intelligence operations. Surprise sails for Sydney, the capital of the Australian penal colony of New South Wales. There Aubrey and Maturin must contend with devious politicians and Royal Army officers. Maturin makes several forays into the countryside, collecting natural history specimens and reuniting with a long-lost HMS Surprise shipmate. Without a doubt this is one of the most exciting installments in the Aubrey-Maturin series, emphasizing Maturin's talents as a doctor, naturalist and spy. O'Brian excels again in his lyrical descriptions and vivid scenes, including his superb knowledge of South Pacific natural history, and depicting once more the strong bond of friendship between his two protagonists.
Rating:
Summary: Pure delight!
Review: "The Nutmeg of Consolation" is the fourteenth volume in the famed Aubrey-Maturin series. Even by Patrick O'Brian's standards, this is a particularly well crafted tale, wonderfully displaying the author's masterly narrative technique. I enjoyed it tremendously! The story begins where "The Thirteen-Gun Salute" ended, on an uninhabited island in the South China Sea. Engaged in building a schooner after having suffered shipwreck during a typhoon, HMS Diane's survivors - including Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin - soon find themselves under attack by Malay pirates. Once this scare is over, a stroke of luck brings them to Batavia from where Jack puts to sea in command of a Dutch ship renamed "Nutmeg of Consolation". Once more it is a French frigate our friends are after, and the ensuing chase is yet another testimony to Patrick O'Brian's phenomenal skill of describing a sea action in the age of sail. Reunited with the "Surprise", the party finally reaches Sydney, site of the penal settlements of New South Wales. There, Stephen not only succeeds in finding Padeen, his former manservant who was deported to New South Wales, but he is also provoked into a duel, acquires a boomerang and has his first encounter with a platypus. It is indeed an eventful stopover in Down Under! There certainly is a lot of action in "The Nutmeg of Consolation", settings change quickly and along the way Jack and Stephen find themselves in unprecedented situations. And yet, at the same time, there is more wit and irony in this book than in many of the volumes written beforehand. Undoubtedly, the tale's main character is Stephen, deeply immersed in the local flora and fauna whenever possible, but sometimes - and for various reasons - irritable and agitated, his fortunes changing several times during the course of the novel. Through his personage, Patrick O'Brian keeps the story together in a wonderful fashion. Definitely a favourite of mine in the series - at least up to now!
Rating: 
Summary: Why are you reading this series??
Review: Did you ever listen to Tim Pigott-Smith do these in the audiobook format? I cannot read these ever again as he elevates the experience of these lusty sea-ditties to new heights! He brings them alive with a fabulous array of dialects, voices, genders, etc. From Aubrey's gusty command voice to Maturin's Irish whine to Killick's gutter-snipe cockney it's a whirlwind of adventure on the high seas. And..if you need to know... the Nutmeg is a risen-from-the-ocean-floor Dutch merchantman that's fitted out with enough firepower to attempt to take on (through devious Aubrey machinations) a French Man-o-War and there's a reunion with the Surprise!! Keep em' coming and sail the blue with Mr. Smith every time! "Bare-away", Mr Killick, "Bare-away".
Rating:
Summary: One of the sweetest in the series
Review: Hopefully you have read a few books in this series before you get to this one. A lot of them make you very glad not to have lived in these times. This one is very winsome, I almost wanted to be there.
Rating:
Summary: One of the sweetest in the series
Review: Hopefully you have read a few books in this series before you get to this one. A lot of them make you very glad not to have lived in these times. This one is very winsome, I almost wanted to be there.
Rating:
Summary: Another Engaging Read from Patrick O'Brian
Review: Let's face it, all of Patrick O'Brian's novels in this series are wonderful. The Nutmeg of Consolation is no exception. If you have gotten this far in the series, there is absolutely no reason to stop now. This one takes place primarily in the South Pacific and Australia, and therefore does not have much in the domestic life of Aubrey and Maturin. The novel opens when they are stranded on an island in the South Pacific. Adventures naturally ensue, and ultimately, they find themselves in Australia, clashing to a certain extent with the locals. All in all, a completely enjoyable novel, filled with the humor, the action, the human drama that we come to expect in the Aubrey-Maturin series. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Another Engaging Read from Patrick O'Brian
Review: Let's face it, all of Patrick O'Brian's novels in this series are wonderful. The Nutmeg of Consolation is no exception. If you have gotten this far in the series, there is absolutely no reason to stop now. This one takes place primarily in the South Pacific and Australia, and therefore does not have much in the domestic life of Aubrey and Maturin. The novel opens when they are stranded on an island in the South Pacific. Adventures naturally ensue, and ultimately, they find themselves in Australia, clashing to a certain extent with the locals. All in all, a completely enjoyable novel, filled with the humor, the action, the human drama that we come to expect in the Aubrey-Maturin series. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Joint Review of All Aubrey-Maturin Books
Review: Some critics have referred to the Aubrey/Maturin books as one long novel united not only by their historical setting but also by the central plot element of the Aubrey/Maturin friendship. Having read these fine books over a period of several years, I decided to evaluate their cumulative integrity by reading them consecutively in order of publication over a period of a few weeks. This turned out to be a rewarding enterprise. For readers unfamiliar with these books, they describe the experiences of a Royal Navy officer and his close friend and traveling companion, a naval surgeon. The experiences cover a broad swath of the Napoleonic Wars and virtually the whole globe.
Rereading all the books confirmed that O'Brian is a superb writer and that his ability to evoke the past is outstanding. O'Brian has numerous gifts as a writer. He is the master of the long, careful description, and the short, telling episode. His ability to construct ingenious but creditable plots is first-rate, probably because he based much of the action of his books on actual events. For example, some of the episodes of Jack Aubrey's career are based on the life of the famous frigate captain, Lord Cochrane. O'Brian excels also in his depiction of characters. His ability to develop psychologically creditable characters through a combination of dialogue, comments by other characters, and description is tremendous. O'Brien's interest in psychology went well beyond normal character development, some books contain excellent case studies of anxiety, depression, and mania.
Reading O'Brien gives vivid view of the early 19th century. The historian Bernard Bailyn, writing of colonial America, stated once that the 18th century world was not only pre-industrial but also pre-humanitarian (paraphrase). This is true as well for the early 19th century depicted by O'Brien. The casual and invariable presence of violence, brutality, and death is a theme running through all the books. The constant threats to life are the product not only of natural forces beyond human control, particularly the weather and disease, but also of relative human indifference to suffering. There is nothing particularly romantic about the world O'Brien describes but it also a certain grim grandeur. O'Brien also shows the somewhat transitional nature of the early 19th century. The British Navy and its vessals were the apogee of what could be achieved by pre-industrial technology. This is true both of the technology itself and the social organization needed to produce and use the massive sailing vessals. Aubrey's navy is an organization reflecting its society; an order based on deference, rigid hierarchy, primitive notions of honor, favoritism, and very, very corrupt. At the same time, it was one of the largest and most effective bureaucracies in human history to that time. The nature of service exacted great penalities for failure in a particularly environment, and great success was rewarded greatly. In some ways, it was a ruthless meritocracy whose structure and success anticipates the great expansion of government power and capacity seen in the rest of the 19th century.
O'Brian is also the great writer about male friendship. There are important female characters in these books but since most of the action takes place at sea, male characters predominate. The friendship between Aubrey and Maturin is the central armature of the books and is a brilliant creation. The position of women in these books is ambiguous. There are sympathetic characters, notably Aubrey's long suffering wife. Other women figures, notably Maturin's wife, leave a less positive impression. On board ship, women tend to have a disruptive, even malign influence.
How did O'Brian manage to sustain his achievement over 20 books? Beyond his technical abilities as a writer and the instrinsic interest of the subject, O'Brien made a series of very intelligent choices. He has not one but two major protagonists. The contrasting but equally interesting figures of Aubrey and Maturin allowed O'Brien to a particularly rich opportunity to expose different facets of character development and to vary plots carefully. This is quite difficult and I'm not aware of any other writer who has been able to accomplish such sustained development of two major protagonists for such a prolonged period. O'Brian's use of his historical setting is very creative. The scenes and events in the books literally span the whole globe as Aubrey and Maturin encounter numerous cultures and societies. The naval setting allowed him also to introduce numerous new and interesting characters. O'Brian was able to make his stories attractive to many audiences. Several of these stories can be enjoyed as psychological novels, as adventure stories, as suspense novels, and even one as a legal thriller. O'Brian was also a very funny writer, successful at both broad, low humor, and sophisticated wit. Finally, O'Brian made efforts to link some of the books together. While a number are complete in themselves, others form components of extended, multi-book narratives. Desolation Island, Fortune of War, and The Surgeon's Mate are one such grouping. Treason's Harbor, The Far Side of the World, and The Reverse of the Medal are another. The Letter of Marque and the ensuing 4 books, centered around a circumnavigation, are another.
Though the average quality of the books is remarkably high, some are better than others. I suspect that different readers will have different favorites. I personally prefer some of the books with greater psychological elements. The first book, Master and Commander, is one of my favorites. The last 2 or 3, while good, are not as strong as earlier books. I suspect O'Brian's stream of invention was beginning to diminish. All can be read profitably as stand alone works though there is definitely something to be gained by reading in consecutive order.
Rating:
Summary: Joint Review of All Aubrey-Maturin Books
Review: Some critics have referred to the Aubrey/Maturin books as one long novel united not only by their historical setting but also by the central plot element of the Aubrey/Maturin friendship. Having read these fine books over a period of several years, I decided to evaluate their cumulative integrity by reading them consecutively in order of publication over a period of a few weeks. This turned out to be a rewarding enterprise. For readers unfamiliar with these books, they describe the experiences of a Royal Navy officer and his close friend and traveling companion, a naval surgeon. The experiences cover a broad swath of the Napoleonic Wars and virtually the whole globe.
Rereading all the books confirmed that O'Brian is a superb writer and that his ability to evoke the past is outstanding. O'Brian has numerous gifts as a writer. He is the master of the long, careful description, and the short, telling episode. His ability to construct ingenious but creditable plots is first-rate, probably because he based much of the action of his books on actual events. For example, some of the episodes of Jack Aubrey's career are based on the life of the famous frigate captain, Lord Cochrane. O'Brian excels also in his depiction of characters. His ability to develop psychologically creditable characters through a combination of dialogue, comments by other characters, and description is tremendous. O'Brien's interest in psychology went well beyond normal character development, some books contain excellent case studies of anxiety, depression, and mania.
Reading O'Brien gives vivid view of the early 19th century. The historian Bernard Bailyn, writing of colonial America, stated once that the 18th century world was not only pre-industrial but also pre-humanitarian (paraphrase). This is true as well for the early 19th century depicted by O'Brien. The casual and invariable presence of violence, brutality, and death is a theme running through all the books. The constant threats to life are the product not only of natural forces beyond human control, particularly the weather and disease, but also of relative human indifference to suffering. There is nothing particularly romantic about the world O'Brien describes but it also a certain grim grandeur. O'Brien also shows the somewhat transitional nature of the early 19th century. The British Navy and its vessals were the apogee of what could be achieved by pre-industrial technology. This is true both of the technology itself and the social organization needed to produce and use the massive sailing vessals. Aubrey's navy is an organization reflecting its society; an order based on deference, rigid hierarchy, primitive notions of honor, favoritism, and very, very corrupt. At the same time, it was one of the largest and most effective bureaucracies in human history to that time. The nature of service exacted great penalities for failure in a particularly environment, and great success was rewarded greatly. In some ways, it was a ruthless meritocracy whose structure and success anticipates the great expansion of government power and capacity seen in the rest of the 19th century.
O'Brian is also the great writer about male friendship. There are important female characters in these books but since most of the action takes place at sea, male characters predominate. The friendship between Aubrey and Maturin is the central armature of the books and is a brilliant creation. The position of women in these books is ambiguous. There are sympathetic characters, notably Aubrey's long suffering wife. Other women figures, notably Maturin's wife, leave a less positive impression. On board ship, women tend to have a disruptive, even malign influence.
How did O'Brian manage to sustain his achievement over 20 books? Beyond his technical abilities as a writer and the instrinsic interest of the subject, O'Brien made a series of very intelligent choices. He has not one but two major protagonists. The contrasting but equally interesting figures of Aubrey and Maturin allowed O'Brien to a particularly rich opportunity to expose different facets of character development and to vary plots carefully. This is quite difficult and I'm not aware of any other writer who has been able to accomplish such sustained development of two major protagonists for such a prolonged period. O'Brian's use of his historical setting is very creative. The scenes and events in the books literally span the whole globe as Aubrey and Maturin encounter numerous cultures and societies. The naval setting allowed him also to introduce numerous new and interesting characters. O'Brian was able to make his stories attractive to many audiences. Several of these stories can be enjoyed as psychological novels, as adventure stories, as suspense novels, and even one as a legal thriller. O'Brian was also a very funny writer, successful at both broad, low humor, and sophisticated wit. Finally, O'Brian made efforts to link some of the books together. While a number are complete in themselves, others form components of extended, multi-book narratives. Desolation Island, Fortune of War, and The Surgeon's Mate are one such grouping. Treason's Harbor, The Far Side of the World, and The Reverse of the Medal are another. The Letter of Marque and the ensuing 4 books, centered around a circumnavigation, are another.
Though the average quality of the books is remarkably high, some are better than others. I suspect that different readers will have different favorites. I personally prefer some of the books with greater psychological elements. The first book, Master and Commander, is one of my favorites. The last 2 or 3, while good, are not as strong as earlier books. I suspect O'Brian's stream of invention was beginning to diminish. All can be read profitably as stand alone works though there is definitely something to be gained by reading in consecutive order.
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