Flying Colours

Rating:
Summary: A Daring Escape For Hornblower
Review: 'Flying Colours' is undoubtedly one of the best books in the Hornblower saga. The novel begins with Hornblower a prisoner of the French and soon to stand trial in Paris for piracy. As he and his trusty first mate liuetenant Bush are transported through France they sieze a chance to escape and a thrilling adventure follows. This is the seventh book in the Hornblower saga, picking up right where 'Ship of the Line' left off and setting the stage for 'Lord Hornblower,' arguably the best in the series. Wonderful!

Rating:
Summary: This is the seventh book in the seires...
Review: and Captain Horatio Hornblower, with First Lieutenant Bush, are prisoners of war in a French fortess! Within days they will be sent to Paris to be executed after a unfair trial, of course. If they do escape and make it back to England, he will face court-martial for surrendering his ship to the enemy. Will he find help among the French or will he be on his own? Will Bush, who was crippled in the last bloody battle on the Sutherland, live long enough to see England again?

Rating:
Summary: This is the seventh book in the seires...
Review: and Captain Horatio Hornblower, with First Lieutenant Bush, are prisoners of war in a French fortess! Within days they will be sent to Paris to be executed after a unfair trial, of course. If they do escape and make it back to England, he will face court-martial for surrendering his ship to the enemy. Will he find help among the French or will he be on his own? Will Bush, who was crippled in the last bloody battle on the Sutherland, live long enough to see England again?

Rating:
Summary: Something for everyone
Review: Drama, romance, battle, excitement, escape. All are combined in the finale of the original Hornblower series.

Our hero's quest begins as a French POW awaiting a firing squad, his friend and 1st Lt. Bush facing the same. Can Hornblower somehow with a wounded man it tow somehow escape a squad of French soldiers and their cruel officer and return to the white cliffs of Dover?

Since this is not the last book in the series we of course know the answer. A book with style and class, and with Hornblower still not shaking the fears and phobias or his future which seem to forever haunt him.

We also see the character of Brown developed more fully as a feature of the series. The playing off of Brown physical abilities and the class differences between him and the officers make for great reading.

Not to be missed. Of course you can say that about every book in the series.

Rating:
Summary: Hornblower triumphs!
Review: Flying Colors (3rd in orig. trilogy) opens with Hornblower in French hands after his valiant action in Ship Of The Line. Thus we see another possible condition in the life of a Navy captain, although Napoleon is not so honourable a captor as he should be. Hornblower's subsequent escapes and victories are excitingly near-run things. In this story sometimes Fortune seems to smile too kindly, and is exasperatingly disparaged by HH. Nevertheless, by the end we are very proud of HH.

These are not at all the flashy novels of pure guts and glory I had expected (although this comes closest of the first three books). Despite his silly name, Hornblower is a doubt-ridden, but impassioned and charismatic, leader: we see both inner and outer aspects of the illusion of command. Ultimately he is an heroic figure, not merely the protagonist, as Forester no doubt intended, writing under the shadow of another continental monster, Hitler.

Forester's prose is flowing, like the rushing Loire stream at the center of this picaresque story, carefully crafted, without excess description or digressions (which some may find in O'Brian's comparable Aubrey/Maturin series). Curiously, I find O'Brian's characters more interesting than Hornblower--perhaps because they ARE loquacious while HH is self-sworn to silence--but Forester is more likely to draw me into reading into the wee hours.

Rating:
Summary: Escape, daring do, and knigthood.
Review: Flying colors begins where Ship of the Line left off. Hornblower is in a Spanish prison in Rosas after sacrificing his ship Sutherland by attacking and destroying an enemy fleet. Along with his loyal lieutenant Bush and his servant Brown, Hornblower is soon loaded on a carriage for the trip to Paris where he is to be hanged as a public display by Napoleon. But of course it's hard to hang a man when the author is on his side. The carriage breaks down in a snowstorm and as luck would have it there is a river and a boat nearby. Always a man of action Hornblower makes his escape and stumbles into the home of a left over royal sympathizer who helps his party to hide until spring when they can make their way down river and escape. In the French port, Hornblower assumes the identity of a Dutch officer, commandeers a captured English cutter, Witch of Endor, and a crew of slave laborers to sail out of the harbor under French noses. Despite his constant self doubt he returns triumphantly to England where he finds out that during his absence his wife died, his beloved Barbara's husband died, and instead of losing his rank for losing his ship he is knighted to the order of the bath for heroism (and politics). The detail of ships and sailing in the early 19th century make the Hornblower series must reading for any man who loves the sea.

Rating:
Summary: Escape, daring do, and knigthood.
Review: Flying colors begins where Ship of the Line left off. Hornblower is in a Spanish prison in Rosas after sacrificing his ship Sutherland by attacking and destroying an enemy fleet. Along with his loyal lieutenant Bush and his servant Brown, Hornblower is soon loaded on a carriage for the trip to Paris where he is to be hanged as a public display by Napoleon. But of course it's hard to hang a man when the author is on his side. The carriage breaks down in a snowstorm and as luck would have it there is a river and a boat nearby. Always a man of action Hornblower makes his escape and stumbles into the home of a left over royal sympathizer who helps his party to hide until spring when they can make their way down river and escape. In the French port, Hornblower assumes the identity of a Dutch officer, commandeers a captured English cutter, Witch of Endor, and a crew of slave laborers to sail out of the harbor under French noses. Despite his constant self doubt he returns triumphantly to England where he finds out that during his absence his wife died, his beloved Barbara's husband died, and instead of losing his rank for losing his ship he is knighted to the order of the bath for heroism (and politics). The detail of ships and sailing in the early 19th century make the Hornblower series must reading for any man who loves the sea.

Rating:
Summary: Hornblower's Triumph?
Review: Flying Colours is the final of the three books that chronicle Hornblower's career as a captain. Following immediately after the apocalyptic end to Ship of the Line, it follows Hornblower -- now awaiting trial for piracy by a furious Bonaparte -- as he tries to escape and get back to England.

Following as it does after the most exciting book in the series, this is a bit of a letdown. It's slower and the drama is more in Hornblower's mind and heart than anywhere else. He faces not only execution at Napoleon's hands, but -- even if he escapes -- trial and ruin in England for his surrender of the Sutherland. His best friend Lt. Bush is crippled, he's cut off from his pregnant wife and secret love. He's at the lowest point of his life.

Of course, you know he's not going to give up. Flying Colours contrasts the vivid action of the novels by showing Hornblower finding his courage in life -- willing to face his own personal problems and demons -- to find the will to go on and try to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his way.

It is in this book that the drama of the two previous ones finally pays off. Other have spoiled the plot, but I will note that even if Horatio triumphs, it is not without sacrifice and loss. And the ending has suitable irony -- and fits perfectly with Hornblower's democratic character.

The book does drag a little at times and I was disappointed that Hornblower seemed to forget about his surviving crew once he'd escaped. That knocks the rating down. But otherwise, this a stirring conclusion to the "Captain" trilogy and leaves enough plot threads open to send the reader off to buy the next volume.

Rating:
Summary: Hornblower's Triumph?
Review: Flying Colours is the final of the three books that chronicle Hornblower's career as a captain. Following immediately after the apocalyptic end to Ship of the Line, it follows Hornblower -- now awaiting trial for piracy by a furious Bonaparte -- as he tries to escape and get back to England.

Following as it does after the most exciting book in the series, this is a bit of a letdown. It's slower and the drama is more in Hornblower's mind and heart than anywhere else. He faces not only execution at Napoleon's hands, but -- even if he escapes -- trial and ruin in England for his surrender of the Sutherland. His best friend Lt. Bush is crippled, he's cut off from his pregnant wife and secret love. He's at the lowest point of his life.

Of course, you know he's not going to give up. Flying Colours contrasts the vivid action of the novels by showing Hornblower finding his courage in life -- willing to face his own personal problems and demons -- to find the will to go on and try to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his way.

It is in this book that the drama of the two previous ones finally pays off. Other have spoiled the plot, but I will note that even if Horatio triumphs, it is not without sacrifice and loss. And the ending has suitable irony -- and fits perfectly with Hornblower's democratic character.

The book does drag a little at times and I was disappointed that Hornblower seemed to forget about his surviving crew once he'd escaped. That knocks the rating down. But otherwise, this a stirring conclusion to the "Captain" trilogy and leaves enough plot threads open to send the reader off to buy the next volume.

Rating:
Summary: The Perfectionist Judges Himself Harshly
Review: Flying Colours is the most introspective of the Hornblower novels. For those who want to understand who Hornblower really is, this book is probably the most revealing in the Hornblower series. Unlike the other stories which contain lots of naval action at sea, this book occurs mostly on the land of Spain and France, and the rivers of France. As a result, those who like the Hornblower novels for their battles and action will find this book to be one of the least satisfying in the series.

We all know ourselves best when we face problems. After the many successes in his career, Captain Hornblower ended up in Ship of the Line fighting an impossible battle between his ship, the Sutherland, and four French vessels. Taking horrible casualties, Hornblower struck his colours and surrendered at the end of that book. Flying Colours opens with Hornblower in a Spanish prison, with the expectation that he will be tried and executed for having flown French colours as camouflage to aid an attack. His wife, Maria, is pregnant in England. Hornblower also yearns for Lady Barbara Leighton, the wife of his admiral, whom readers met in Beat to Quarters and saw again in the beginning of Ship of the Line. Hornblower is in despair as he visits the dying and imprisoned sailors who are in the same garrison.

Many troubling questions go through Hornblower's mind. How well will he face death before a firing squad? Will his weak body betray him?

His first lieutenant, William Bush, is also to be tried. At the end of Ship of the Line, Bush lost the lower part of one leg. Will Bush survive the injury and trial?

What will happen to his wife and unborn child after he is dead?

Can he resist sweet temptation, when it is offered?

Can he escape death by firing squad?

Even if he escapes, how can he hope to be exonerated in a court martial for losing the Sutherland? Captains aren't supposed to surrender their vessels, no matter how badly damaged.

If he escapes the court martial, how will he handle being in love with Lady Barbara while being an unhappily married man with a new baby?

Will he ever have a chance to command a vessel again?

Anyone who has ever known self-doubt will find Hornblower's trauma realistic and refreshing. He becomes more like an ordinary person with normal feelings in this book. As a result, I found Hornblower to be much more appealing here than when his brilliant intellect guided him to smooth success in the earlier books.

Eventually, Hornblower finds himself wanting in many of these regards . . . but moves on. Ultimately, he faces new satisfactions and disappointments that indicate to him that his idealistic, perfectionist view of the world is a flawed one. Everyone else is merely human as well. Hornblower is deeply disappointed.

Forester raises an interesting point in the novel. There are real heroes in the book. These people are true to themselves and have total integrity. Public adulation will never be theirs, however. On the other hand, the world needs heroes . . . and new ones will be created, whether or not they deserve the honor. The possibility of remaining a real hero is improved by not having to deal with the issues that can tempt one away from heroism and integrity. So Bush is shown to be a real hero, while Hornblower is simply a self-doubting actor who is extraordinarily capable of creating great results.

The book does a magnificent job of using the title theme throughout. Having struck his colours on the Sutherland, Hornblower now flies his colours again in this book in every sense of that phrase. Watch for the subtleties of how this is done as you read the book.

If you know French, you will enjoy the challenge of imagining how Hornblower manufacturers phrases from his limited command of the language to accomplish what needs to be done. As I read the book, I mentally made the necessary translations.

The book is also interesting for displaying the consequences for the French of being under Napoleon's rule. Hornblower excoriates the Corsican tyrant in the earlier novels, but here we see that others are being squashed underneath authority's boot as well. Many of the social observations about the French people in 1811 are very nicely done in this book.

What is more important: Being fearless or overcoming your weaknesses? What can you do today to overcome your weaknesses and help others to do the same?

May you enjoy the peace that comes with living a life of integrity...