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A review by justfoxie
The Catalans by Patrick O'Brian
3.0
Another one of PO'B's early works, and significantly better holistically than Testimonies. I'm starting to notice a trend with his endings - as in there isn't one really. At some point, he just stops writing, which I suppose it better than writing long past the real end of the book, but it is a little bit startling and leave you flipping through the last pages a little forlornly.
I particularly liked some of the landscape descriptions in this work - there is a section where he describes the coming dawn while sitting in a courtyard that is truly exquisite. If you are a fan of landscape fiction, then this is a good one to read.
The characters are also on the whole better formed, but still nothing of the complexity and endearingness of his Aubrey/Maturin series. I really enjoyed getting this peek into what the author thought of as Catalan and gaining a small insight into some of the influences that might have gone into creating the Maturin of his later novels.
All in all, a reasonably good book with some excellent description.
I particularly liked some of the landscape descriptions in this work - there is a section where he describes the coming dawn while sitting in a courtyard that is truly exquisite. If you are a fan of landscape fiction, then this is a good one to read.
The characters are also on the whole better formed, but still nothing of the complexity and endearingness of his Aubrey/Maturin series. I really enjoyed getting this peek into what the author thought of as Catalan and gaining a small insight into some of the influences that might have gone into creating the Maturin of his later novels.
All in all, a reasonably good book with some excellent description.