I really appreciate a story where the main character fails and fails and fails, but grows along side and wins where it counts. When a reader can follow that emotional journey, it creates buy-in, investment, etc. This made me want to read the book, so whatever your goals were for this essay it was a success in that respect!
Yep, yep, yep. I’m sick of characters who are immediately good at everything and nothing ever knocks them down a peg. And even characters who are objectively good at what they do and rightly succeed, they need to have challenges that make the audience have a little bit of doubt as to whether or not they’re going to pull through.
If you do read the book, let me know what you think!
Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed reading the first book! I also like how you ended this review with a quote where Horatio proves himself superior to the French (something that the show and series are very proud of maintaining, lol). I also enjoyed how you brought up the nautical language "gauge" for diving in. If I remember correctly, the next book is all one story instead of a collection of tales, but it also brings in Mr. Bush.
Horatio Nelson is very cool.
If you end up reading all the way to the "old" Hornblower books, I'll be interested to see if you like one half more than the other. I haven't made it past the second book yet, but because C.S. Forester wrote young Horatio's adventures after already writing older Horatio's adventures, some of the characterizations have minor differences.
Also, I forget if it was mentioned in this book or another, but I always find it funny that Horatio's birthday is July 4, 1776. Makes you wonder about the author's thoughts of the Americans...
I will continue with the series, but I’m pretty slow and like to spread things out, so I don’t know when I’ll read the next one. Though the introduction of Bush makes me pretty excited.
Thanks for reading! And thanks for recommending that I start this series!
I haven't read the books but our family watched the series some years ago. Maybe twice. While I can't imagine a more dismal or frightening occupation than life on the high seas in a puny 1700's vessel, I am a fan of the Hornblower. We could use more books that catalog the makings of a leader. Strong male leadership has become an extreme rarity, and we are all suffering because of it. Excellent review!
I can’t tell you how much I love these, both the books and adaptations. The MC for my serial is based slightly off Matthews:) I used to them around this time every year with my second dad.🩵
I really appreciate a story where the main character fails and fails and fails, but grows along side and wins where it counts. When a reader can follow that emotional journey, it creates buy-in, investment, etc. This made me want to read the book, so whatever your goals were for this essay it was a success in that respect!
Yep, yep, yep. I’m sick of characters who are immediately good at everything and nothing ever knocks them down a peg. And even characters who are objectively good at what they do and rightly succeed, they need to have challenges that make the audience have a little bit of doubt as to whether or not they’re going to pull through.
If you do read the book, let me know what you think!
Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed reading the first book! I also like how you ended this review with a quote where Horatio proves himself superior to the French (something that the show and series are very proud of maintaining, lol). I also enjoyed how you brought up the nautical language "gauge" for diving in. If I remember correctly, the next book is all one story instead of a collection of tales, but it also brings in Mr. Bush.
Horatio Nelson is very cool.
If you end up reading all the way to the "old" Hornblower books, I'll be interested to see if you like one half more than the other. I haven't made it past the second book yet, but because C.S. Forester wrote young Horatio's adventures after already writing older Horatio's adventures, some of the characterizations have minor differences.
Also, I forget if it was mentioned in this book or another, but I always find it funny that Horatio's birthday is July 4, 1776. Makes you wonder about the author's thoughts of the Americans...
I will continue with the series, but I’m pretty slow and like to spread things out, so I don’t know when I’ll read the next one. Though the introduction of Bush makes me pretty excited.
Thanks for reading! And thanks for recommending that I start this series!
I haven't read the books but our family watched the series some years ago. Maybe twice. While I can't imagine a more dismal or frightening occupation than life on the high seas in a puny 1700's vessel, I am a fan of the Hornblower. We could use more books that catalog the makings of a leader. Strong male leadership has become an extreme rarity, and we are all suffering because of it. Excellent review!
I love a good, strong, male leader. Thanks for reading!
I can’t tell you how much I love these, both the books and adaptations. The MC for my serial is based slightly off Matthews:) I used to them around this time every year with my second dad.🩵
Matthews is great!
I love these types of stories and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.