A review by octavia_cade
The Far Side of the World by Patrick O'Brian

adventurous slow-paced

3.0

A miracle has occurred. For the first time in ten books, I have finished a volume in this series with all the time in the world for Jack Aubrey, and none at all for Dr. Maturin. My reviews of the previous nine books in the series have all ranted on about how much of a bore Aubrey is, and none too bright with it, but he was gold in this volume, and how he refrained from giving bloody Maturin a few good clips round the ear I don't know, but he has a better temper than I do. I realise that Maturin's incompetence on ships is a running gag in this series, but at this point I can only consider it deliberate incompetence, and when the first of his two extremely avoidable accidents occurs and he nearly condemns his supposed best friend (who he's been sulking and griping at, and I know, it's the Galapagos, the disappointment I would feel in his place would be equally unbearable, but circumstances must) to drowning at sea because of his continued inability to look after himself, well.

If I were Aubrey, I would probably not have let him drown, but I would not have kept my temper either.