Pink Dog

Lieutenant Hornblower: sort of the second Hornblower novel

Though not written second, in chronological order Lieutenant Hornblower is the second of C.S. Forester’s novels about a British naval hero who was in many ways the James Bond of his time. The novels had their period of great success and were well-thought of by many. Ernest Hemingway even said that, “I recommend Forester to every literate I know”.

Patrick O’Brian’s subsequent similar maritime novels, with their expert nautical detail, showed up somewhat the limitations of Forester’s style which is at times reminiscent of JK Rowling – good at telling a pacy story, less good at impressing with technical literary finesse. Yet for all the occasionally clunky phrases in Lieutenant Hornblower, there are also some moments of skilled authorship, as when Forester talks of alcohol being an essential part of the English seaman – just like his nose and ears.

Though the series of Hornblower books do lead one onto another as Hornblower rises through the ranks, they are freestanding and Lieutenant Hornblower works well as a stand-alone, lively drama which, fittingly, does not end at a moment of maritime confrontation but goes on to show how those rare events were the expectations to the usually rather more humdrum life of a naval officer, especially one concerned where their next posting might come from.

The book is fairly accurate in its historical setting in the early nineteenth century, making it not only an enjoyable pacy read but also a quick history primer about the state of England during the middle of the wars with France.

You can buy Lieutenant Hornblower from Amazon here.

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