Scan barcode
A review by timnorman
Commodore Hornblower by C.S. Forester
2.0
I was originally interested in reading the Hornblower books because I heard that Patrick Stewart used him as some of the inspiration for Capt Jean-Luc Picard. The problem with the whole series is that the character is kind of all over the place; I know that it runs throughout his life and career, but the older Hornblower gets the worse a person he becomes.
Early in the series he's a pretty respectable character who I could see being inspiring and worth of emulation, but by the time he makes commodore he's just a miserable shell of that younger self. His outward actions seem alright, but because so much of the story takes place in his head you know every thought that goes through his mind, and that the only decent and honourable thing about him is how he thinks someone of his rank should act. He's needlessly cruel to his subordinates, family and what passes for friends (although I acknowledge that Royal Navy officers fighting in the Napoleonic wars weren't known for their kindness), and he doesn't come across as a very good leader.
A certain amount of disconnect is inherent in reading a story written in the mid-20th century, about a time more than 150 years before that, but it's hard to relate to the title character who's so contemptible. Especially when you started reading the series because you thought he was a good role model.
My gripes with the character aside, the story wasn't terribly exciting either. Unlike the previous few books in the series there's not a lot of action in this book - mostly going to a royal ball, and a siege that's so boring that months are literally skipped over. Definitely one of the more disappointing books in the series.
Early in the series he's a pretty respectable character who I could see being inspiring and worth of emulation, but by the time he makes commodore he's just a miserable shell of that younger self. His outward actions seem alright, but because so much of the story takes place in his head you know every thought that goes through his mind, and that the only decent and honourable thing about him is how he thinks someone of his rank should act. He's needlessly cruel to his subordinates, family and what passes for friends (although I acknowledge that Royal Navy officers fighting in the Napoleonic wars weren't known for their kindness), and he doesn't come across as a very good leader.
A certain amount of disconnect is inherent in reading a story written in the mid-20th century, about a time more than 150 years before that, but it's hard to relate to the title character who's so contemptible. Especially when you started reading the series because you thought he was a good role model.
My gripes with the character aside, the story wasn't terribly exciting either. Unlike the previous few books in the series there's not a lot of action in this book - mostly going to a royal ball, and a siege that's so boring that months are literally skipped over. Definitely one of the more disappointing books in the series.