A review by neilrcoulter
Desolation Island by Patrick O'Brian

5.0

Five books in, and the series has not lost the number of its mess. [b:Desolation Island|77425|Desolation Island (Aubrey/Maturin, #5)|Patrick O'Brian|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390360105s/77425.jpg|2366490] begins with an update on life with the Aubreys at Ashgrove Cottage. It's the beginning of ongoing struggles Jack will have with con men who prey on hapless sailors on land. But it reaffirms Jack's trusting, kind heart, and it reveals Sophie's deep strengths—the perfect wife for Jack, despite her doubts.

But Jack and Stephen are quickly back to sea, and so commences what will be a very long and tortuous journey before they return home to England. For Maturin, this is all part of a “long dark night” for him, mentally and physically, as he tries to overcome the laudanum addiction that has grown in the previous books. There is no single "Man with the Golden Arm" moment of triumph for him, but a gradual, logical, well-reasoned victory is more fitting for his character. Stephen also wrestles with the duplicitous and decidedly non-holistic life he is leading. And of course his mind frequently turns to Diana. She herself remains absent in this book, but one of the passengers on the ship, Mrs. Wogan, is a friend to Diana and bears enough resemblance to her that she will bring up many conflicting emotions within Stephen.

This book is about the point in the series at which I began to appreciate how time is moving on in the story. Aubrey and Maturin are ageing, and recurring characters like Bonden and Babbington are no longer the young kids they were. Even Killick will settle down--after his fashion, anyway.

Like [b:The Mauritius Command|77431|The Mauritius Command (Aubrey/Maturin, #4)|Patrick O'Brian|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389977562s/77431.jpg|2393986], Desolation Island is a single voyage that moves through extremes—of emotion, personality, and climate. I really enjoyed this second read-through, and I was glad to have a copy of the next book, [b:The Fortune of War|77426|The Fortune of War (Aubrey/Maturin, #6)|Patrick O'Brian|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390360106s/77426.jpg|1527549], close to hand as I approached the end of this one.

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

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