
Reverse of the medal: The posthumous reputation of Patrick O’Brian - benbreen
https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/patrick-obrian-nikolai-tolstoy-review-frances-wilson/
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jimhefferon
Twenty years ago I came down with a heart condition. I had two young children
and a lovely wife, a nice life, and I found myself awake for hours every
night, afraid.

I read Mr O'Brian's books. They spoke to me, and I learned a great deal from
them. I think of them as a twenty volume essay on what it means to be a man
(or a person, but mostly a man).

They are far from perfect. A person only thirty or forty year on winces on
some of the things said, for instance. But I learned a great deal about people
and I often think about the characters; if not daily then at least several
times a week.

If you give them a try, and I urge you to, then I'd suggest starting with the
second book _Post Captain_ (others will disagree but this is my $0.02), since
I find that the first is more of an act of literature than I like. (Some
people find the nautical detail puts them off. If so, just ignore it. The
books are about the people.)

~~~
thebooktocome
As a child I read Master and Commander, and Aubrey's relative tolerance of
homosexuality was the first time I'd heard of being gay perhaps not being a
mortal sin.

As for the nautical bits, I find it's no different than Star Trek. Nobody
actually watches Star Trek already knowing how warp drives work, and the
technical details rarely ever matter.

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jpm_sd
I'm a huge fan. His books aren't just swashbuckling, there's a ton of great
stuff about the history of science in there, some fun international politics,
and surprisingly deep character development. Yes, there are some goofy plot
devices here and there, but well worth a read overall. The audiobooks narrated
by Patrick Tull are fantastic.

~~~
hirundo
Ditto on Patrick Tull, he's one of my favorite audiobook narrators. I've
listened to the series three times. I have this little problem where I just
want some comfort listening so put on the first book "for ten minutes" and
then can't stop until the end of book 21. It's really one novel in 21 volumes.
And then when I still can't get enough, restart Hornblower or Honor
Harrington. I wonder if there is a cure for this syndrome. Or a name.

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dayofthedaleks
Link doesn’t seem to lead to the story itself. Try:

[https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/patrick-obrian-nikolai-
to...](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/patrick-obrian-nikolai-tolstoy-
review-frances-wilson/)

I don’t mind that O’Brian was so... creative about his biography, nor that
Maturin was such a Mary Sue. The books are treasures. Currently on my third or
fourth readthrough of the series, on the fourth volume.

~~~
dang
Ok, url changed from [https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/patrick-obrian-
nikolai-to...](https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/patrick-obrian-nikolai-
tolstoy-book-review/). Thanks!

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pavlov
The article was an interesting glimpse into the private history of an author I
only knew through his books, but I'm befuddled by the point the writer is
making:

 _" O’Brian’s deception would matter less had he not written naval novels
[...]"_

Are readers of books about old warships really such a sensitive bunch? I don't
get it. An author did something bad in 1943 or 1955 or whatever — it doesn't
take anything away from the experience today.

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CalChris
Tom Perkins sailed with him and found him lacking in actual maritime
experience. He was a fraud, a very very good fraud, but a fraud.

[https://www.latitude38.com/features/O'Brian.htm](https://www.latitude38.com/features/O'Brian.htm)

~~~
dayofthedaleks
The article is about him being a fraud in other arenas. I’m not convinced his
weak personal seamanship renders him a fraud.

In nautical matters I’d describe him more as a fanboy or foamer, with literary
flourishes.

~~~
CalChris
Maybe I was too harsh but I do get tired of hearing about Patrick O'Brien.
Frederick Marryat was the real deal as a sailor. He even devised the flag
signaling system, Marryat's Code. He was the real deal as a writer as well.

