Desolation Island by Patrick O'BrianMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Having read and enjoyed the first four books in this series I was fully prepared to find many more maritime, and technical terms about the rigging of large sailing ships from the early 19th century. This and the naval orders flung out at the crew from their captain, Jack Aubrey, and his dutiful group of officers and midshipmen, meant the reader had to keep alert! I was not disappointed, although a large part of the story takes place on land at the start of the novel. Additionally, there were several places towards the last third or so, where I found the author’s sentence construction a bit strange, and had to go back over it again to construe what it was actually meaning. The syntax felt clumsy and rushed, somehow, and sadly in need of some punctuation.
However, my overall enjoyment of this book was not spoilt, and it is an exciting but quite different tale compared to the ones I’d read before. When Jack is at home in England with his family and surprisingly involved in their garden we find him to be a more caring and soft hearted man. Although there are negative things happening in terms of his new affluence that could threaten to take some of this money away. He seeks a new voyage and when it comes it is not altogether quite what he expects: a mission to Australia, with prisoners aboard, both male and female, and in charge of an old ship with a doubtful reputation. Stephen Maturin is his ships surgeon once again and he has his own problems; with opium as well as his fated love still for Diana Villiers. Fortunately, the captain and his surgeon still have their deep love and respect for music, which is a consolation and escape from their chaotic times during this dangerous voyage. When O’Brian describes their infrequent duets together one can almost experience the brotherly emotion within the scene.
This is a highly recommended historical fiction once more.
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