The South Seas are a paradise for battle-weary Captain Jack Aubrey and ship’s surgeon Stephen Maturin. But their peace is disturbed when Stephen’s fancy for a peculiar marine organism lands him overboard. Acting in his usual headstrong fashion, Jack dives in to the rescue, unfortunately failing to plan what will happen once they are both in the water watching the sails of the Surprise disappear in the mist.
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"Really enjoyable - had a slow start when I began it once before, but picked it up again as I began commuting. The history's interesting but not overbearing, and the storytelling is really fun. I got this one free with cereal, but I'm sure I'll look up more of the series when my mind needs to flee from public transport to the adventurous seas of a different time." — Julian (5 out of 5 stars)
"Really enjoyable - had a slow start when I began it once before, but picked it up again as I began commuting. The history's interesting but not overbearing, and the storytelling is really fun. I got this one free with cereal, but I'm sure I'll look up more of the series when my mind needs to flee from public transport to the adventurous seas of a different time."
" I definitely think this is one of the better books in the series so far. I thoroughly enjoyed it - plenty of action and unexpected events. "
" The ending is incredible! "
" Fun, though slower than the others. Makes Maturin out to be a boobie. "
" As the title implies the movie is most similar to this book. The details are very different however. Particularly once the Surprise passes the cape. A good read. Steven manages to almost kill himself....again. "
" Just finished it. Not the best in the series, but ok... "
" Another excellent episode from the Aubrey-Maturin saga. "
" Another great historical novel of Capt. Aubrey and his friend, Dr. Maturin. This time they are way out in the Pacific fighting a cunning French enemy. "
" This was the first of the Jack Aubrey novels for me to read. It has changed me forever. "
" A bit disappointing when compared to the previous installment I read. Has some gaps in the plot where elements are not explained, which makes it a bit hard to follow. "
" One of my favorite adventures so far, lots of sea action and twists and turns. This series just keeps getting better and better. I'm slowing down now and savoring every single book, I don't want the fun to end! "
" Still sailing happily along. A master of the historical novel, of the sailing yarn, and of writing. "
" Proper English. Learned a lot of new words. Wanderful story could not put it away. One of my best reads. "
" Another great chapter in the Aubrey / Maturin series. Fun plot, fun to read as always "
" Previously read Feb. 1, 2009 "
" As enjoyable on reread as it was originally. I had forgotten how much I adore this series. Maturin and Martin are such adorkable science nerds! "
" Jack and Steven head off to the Pacific, chasing an American warship. Jack and Steven fall off Surprise and are rescued by Polynesian maidens (topless) who apparently want to do Jack a mischief to his privates. Yikes! "
" 3.5 good old Aubrey Maturin story. "
" It was really good. I had fun reading it until we went on a tangent in the middle of the paragraph and Patrick O'Brien (the author) took us into an entirely different direction. Kinda like the turn of wind on the sea. Kinda like life on a ship. "
" One of the best entries in the series. "
" Different from the movie. "
" You keep waiting for the quality of the writing to diminish , but the auhtor never falls into formula. "
" Awesome, although I needed a dictionary of naval terminology to fully appreciate all the technical stuff. Great story. "
" not bad for an adventure novel and the characters are well written but it would desperately need a sailing term glossary to make proper sense "
" Up helm, stu'n'sails alo and aloft! Beat to quarters! A bit difficult if you don't pick up the salty jargon, but I got totally lost amongst the images in this one, not to mention getting hooked in the process. "
" I love all of the Jack Aubrey series. I must admit I tend to skim the battle scenes but the characters and dialogue are brilliant, often laugh out loud funny. I love the sense of being immersed in a historical era, and Patrick O'Brian does that superbly well. "
" A new addiction has begun.... "
" Good story, but I will admit a bit hard to read. Lots of long sentences. Having the visuals from the movie in my mind did help. "
" I listened to this on audio and it was delightful, perfect for audio. I'll read the others when I can. "
" A good, fun story. Sometimes you feel you're right in a ship's cabin with the waves and cannon shot close by. Can't see my wife enjoying it, but then, I wouldn't enjoy the potato peel society. "
" I can't do this one - I'm sure if you had a visual maritime archival vocabulary you'd love it. I'm just not a boat nerd. "
" If I had a grasp of the technical terms, the nautical lingo or even understood half of the English I might have enjoyed this book. "
Patrick O’Brian (1914–2000), a translator and author of biographies, was best known as the author of the highly acclaimed Aubrey–Maturin series of historical novels. Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars ,this twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician and spy Stephen Maturin. The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. He wrote acclaimed biographies of Pablo Picasso and Sir Joseph Banks. He also translated many works from the French, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Lacouture’s biographies of Charles de Gaulle.
Patrick Tull (1941–2006), born in the United Kingdom, was a multitalented actor of the stage, screen, and television, as well as an award-winning audiobook narrator. He acted in numerous American television shows from 1962 to 1996, including Crossroads, and he had roles in six Broadway plays between 1967 and 1992, including Amadeus. His film credits from 1969 to 1996 included roles as Cecil in Parting Glances and Jerry the bartender in Sleepers. He served as narrator for the television series Sea Tales. He narrated nearly forty audiobooks, and his readings of The Canterbury Tales, The Letter of Marque, Monk’s Hood, The Vicar of Wakefield, and How Green Was My Valley each earned him an AudioFile Earphones Award. His narration of Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin novels was praised by novelist Stephen King as among his ten favorite audiobooks of 2006.
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