Rating: 
Summary: Good but not as great as the others
Review: "The Yellow Admiral" is one of the less interesting of the Aubrey/Maturin series, although it has its merits. This novel takes place mainly on shore, and as usual, Jack Aubrey's life is more complicated and beset with more problems here than when he is at sea. The biggest problem in Aubrey's life is the probability of being "yellowed". The rank of an admiral in the Royal Navy is denoted by color. For example, an Admiral of the Blue has higher rank and responsibility than an Admiral of the White. In some cases, however, an officer is promoted to the rank of admiral for ceremonial purposes only, but is effectively decommissioned. When this happens, he is referred to as an Admiral of the Yellow, or one who is "yellowed". With Napoleon facing imminent defeat and peace on the horizon, Aubrey faces the strong prospect of himself being yellowed. To make matters worse, Aubrey opposes the enclosure movement in his district even after his commanding officer, Lord Stranraer, urges him to support it. And just when things could not get worse, Aubrey's wife discovers his old correspondence with a former mistress and throws him out of the house. Things are not going well for Stephen Maturin either, since he is isolated from his fortune and temporarily destitute. But in a rare turn of events, he appears to enjoy a tranquil domestic life with his tempestuous, capricious wife, Diana. In fact, it is a rare twist in this series to see Aubrey financially secure but romantically distraught while Maturin, for a change is emotionally contented, but utterly impoverished. If you are a fan of this series or a lover of history then you will enjoy this book. It has an enormous amount to teach us about life in England and in the British navy during the Napoleonic wars. However, if you read O'brian purely for his thrilling accounts of Napoleonic naval battles then this one probably won't do it for you. O'brian briefly takes us out on Patrol of the blockaded French coast and provides a wonderful description of the perilous navigation in the fog. However, even the brief naval engagements in this book are a little too mellow and hardly as thrilling as the others. Still worthwhile though.
Rating: 
Summary: Political intrigue at home and on duty beset Aubrey
Review: "The Yellow Admiral", the 18th novel in Patrick O'Brian's critically acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin saga, is one of those which are most closely akin to Jane Austen's riveting, elegant descriptions of British aristocratic society around the time of the Napoleonic wars. Here Aubrey must contend with a long-forgotten extramarital scandal which threatens his marriage to Sophie and a senior admiral who is displeased by Aubrey's opposition to enclosing lands with fences by the admiral's nephew, a wealthier landowner and neighbor of Aubrey's. Aubrey serves under the latter's command as his beloved Bellona joins the blockade fleet off the Normandy coast. Worst of all, with peace on the horizon as Napoleon suffers one crushing defeat after another on land, Aubrey fears that he will be "yellowed", promoted to admiral without command of a squadron or fleet. Meanwhile Maturin returns from a secret mission on the continent, bearing news which may restore his old friend's military fortunes. And, at the very end, not only is Aubrey reconciled to Sophie, but he receives news of Napoleon's escape from the Italian island of Elba, and reinstatement of his temporary rank of commodore, in command of a small frigate squadron near Gibraltar.
Rating:
Summary: Political intrigue at home and on duty beset Aubrey
Review: "The Yellow Admiral", the 18th novel in Patrick O'Brian's critically acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin saga, is one of those which are most closely akin to Jane Austen's riveting, elegant descriptions of British aristocratic society around the time of the Napoleonic wars. Here Aubrey must contend with a long-forgotten extramarital scandal which threatens his marriage to Sophie and a senior admiral who is displeased by Aubrey's opposition to enclosing lands with fences by the admiral's nephew, a wealthier landowner and neighbor of Aubrey's. Aubrey serves under the latter's command as his beloved Bellona joins the blockade fleet off the Normandy coast. Worst of all, with peace on the horizon as Napoleon suffers one crushing defeat after another on land, Aubrey fears that he will be "yellowed", promoted to admiral without command of a squadron or fleet. Meanwhile Maturin returns from a secret mission on the continent, bearing news which may restore his old friend's military fortunes. And, at the very end, not only is Aubrey reconciled to Sophie, but he receives news of Napoleon's escape from the Italian island of Elba, and reinstatement of his temporary rank of commodore, in command of a small frigate squadron near Gibraltar.
Rating:
Summary: The story continues
Review: A reviewer of O'Brian's next book in the series wrote that the Aubrey books are really one 6000 page novel. I agree. This volume advances the story. It also deals more extensively with
domestic issues than previous books have. If you are reading
the Aubrey books, keep going. If not, don't start here, start at
the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Is this the end?
Review: I have enjoyed this series immensely, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in historical novels with excellent character development. O'Brien is a super writer. Unfortunately, like Dr. Mautrin, I have developed my own addiction -- these novels. Therefore, I would like to know: Is this the end? P/ e-mail if you have any insights or information. Thank you. GRAFMAX
Rating:
Summary: Rivetting, yet the "happy ending" must come next book
Review: In typical O'Brian fashion, the current state of our heroes is reversed in this book. Here we find Aubrey on the downgrade, while Maturin is repairing the damage done him in the previous episode. Certainly a rivetting story that is a pleasure to read, yet the real "happy ending" is left 'til the next installment (we hope!) For those looking solely for naval action, this book is not the best of series. Most of the plot involves Aubrey's difficulties on land and admiralty politics. Personally, I couldn't put it down and am yearning for the next installment
Rating: 
Summary: OK, so it's a mistake to jump in at the end of the series
Review: My mistake. This is the first of Patrick O'Brien's series that I have read. I found it slow and somewhat puzzling. Friends who have read the other books assure me that I should have started with the first and worked my way up. OK, I'm sorry. But I really think that any series of books, in order to be truely successful, must be built of volumns that can stand alone. Certainly any of Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe series contains enough exposition and general background material that a reader is not required to have read all the other books in order to enjoy it. I'm not sure the same is true here. I enjoyed a lot of things about this book, so will probably go back and try one of he earlier ones, but that is only because people assure me that they are better.
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.
Rating:
Summary: Anoter 5-Star Effort
Review: The most important aspects of this story takes place on dry land in England. Patrick O'Brien paints the tapestry of 19th century rural life in terms that makes it relevant to the story and breathes life into it that it becomes personalized and completely relevant. It also is this time ashore that makes the adventures at sea so much more interesting for Jack and Stephen. It is the complexity of the characters dealing with their successes and trials at home which make the two main characters seem that much more human. Developing characters that are seemingly real is what Patrick O'Brien has mastered like no other and it is what has kept me coming back to his books (18 times so far).
Back ashore in England, Stephen is broke and Jack is once again an impecunious landowner. Jack's fortune is tied up in lawsuits related to his actions off West Africa suppressing the slave trade. To make matters worse (or more interesting), Jack's marriage is on the rocks as a result of Sophie's mother finding evidence of Jack's past infidelity. At the Admiralty, Jack's prospects are dimmed by his actions as a Member of Parliament and his opposition to the enclosure of a commons near his estate. As a side note, Patrick O'Brien clearly understands and has the ability to describe the political and economic aspects of enclosing a commons. He weaves this into the story without technical jargon and in an interesting manner. Even at sea, Jack has trouble. He captures a French privateer laden with gold and ivory, but the Admiralty believes that he ignored signals for personal gain. Troubles mount for Jack and his fear of being `yellowed' seems that it might become a reality.
When all seems lost for Jack, Stephen returns from a mission in France and back to England with forgiveness from Sophie and a reprieve for his career in the form of a possible mission to secure Chilean independence. This is especially important because the war has ended, further dimming prospects for his chance for an Admiral's flag. By the book's end, both Jack and Stephen see their personal fortunes somewhat or completely restored. And just as Jack is looking forward to this reprieve for his career, Jack is ordered to Gibraltar because Napoleon has escaped from Elba.
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