Scan barcode
andydavidsmith76's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
deltatime's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
njk125's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
juliasilge's review against another edition
4.0
leesmyth's review against another edition
5.0
* ultra-feminist Polynesian cannibals;
* shipwrecks and castaways;
* trickery, bluffs, and counter-bluffs with the enemy;
* dramatic rescues;
* whalers and whaling talk;
* the Galapagos Islands;
* murder, suicide, and a love triangle....
It's a wonderful story, complete with sailors named Macbeth and Macduff who ruin Jack's attempt at quoting Shakespeare to lighten Stephen's mood.
And, of course, close observations of the human condition.
"From the fore-cabin came the youngsters' chorus of hic haec hoc and their mirth, mildly checked by Mr Martin, at the final his his his, his his his...." p. 109
"[I]n the course of his [medical] career by land he had seen many and many a husband, and even some lovers, angry at a woman's sickness, impatient, full of blame: quite devoid of pity, and angry that it should be expected of them." p. 183
"Stephen noticed, not without irritation, that as he ate and drank his civility was growing less artificial, his deliberately urbane expression more nearly a spontaneous smile, and that he was in danger of enjoying himself." p. 251
ckjaer88's review against another edition
4.0
fflf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
krep___'s review against another edition
4.5
neilrcoulter's review against another edition
5.0
Ah, to dip into the Aubrey/Maturin story again--the evening musical improvisations, the toasted cheese, the morning pot of coffee from Killick... It's halfway through the series now, and the characters, settings, and plot devices are like comfortable old friends. [b:The Far Side of the World|672492|The Far Side of the World (Aubrey/Maturin, #10)|Patrick O'Brian|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388360954s/672492.jpg|19475] is one of my favorite volumes so far. It's possible that [a:Patrick O'Brian|5600|Patrick O'Brian|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1212630063p2/5600.jpg] by this point was feeling that the series didn't have much time left--as he points out in his introduction, he is running out of days left in the war--and so he packs Book 10 with a great number of interesting scenes. Most memorable is probably the marooning in the Pacific, by a boatload of anti-male Polynesian women. But the whole story is a thrill, guided by a single chase across the world, through every kind of climate and weather, with more ups and downs within the Surprise's own crew than ever before. Much of the book was a real test of the fan's patience, as Aubrey's luck continues to be poor; but the ending promises (yet again) a possible change of fortune for Jack. I found the last hundred pages or so of this one impossible to put down; and though I love the Aubrey/Maturin series, that is not always the case with all parts of all the books.
The characters continue to grow and develop realistically. Stephen (who may, humorously, be leaving one addictive substance for another one) has a few moments of contemplating what his duplicitous past has done to his character:
'The Odyssey is a fine tale, sure, though I never could cordially like Ulysses: he lied excessively, it seems to me; and if a man lies beyond a certain point a sad falseness enters into him and he is no longer amiable.' Stephen spoke with some feeling: his work in intelligence had called for a great deal of duplicity--perhaps too much.
I love reading a novel by a master wordsmith--an author who, for example, uses the word "enormity" to mean "an act of heinous atrociousness" instead of "really big." The historical archaisms are, as always, great fun to decipher, especially when the reader can trust that the author is fully in control of the language. It's a rare treat.
My reviews of the Aubrey/Maturin series:
Master and Commander
Post Captain
H.M.S. Surprise
The Mauritius Command
Desolation Island
The Fortune of War
The Surgeon's Mate
The Ionian Mission
Treason's Harbour
The Far Side of the World
The Reverse of the Medal
The Letter of Marque
The Thirteen-Gun Salute
The Nutmeg of Consolation
Clarissa Oakes
The Wine-Dark Sea
The Commodore
The Yellow Admiral
The Hundred Days
Blue at the Mizzen
21