rowyn

Book 17 of the Aubrey-Maturin series. The boys actually make it home to England! For the first time in about four books and, from the sounds of it, at least as many years.

I had quite a good time with this one. Some of the Maturin/Aubrey quips back and forth were especially good:

Aubrey: "I have always prided myself on a perfect freedom from jealousy."
Maturin [well-established as a short, balding, ill-kept little man]: "For a great while I prided myself on my transcendent beauty, on much the same grounds; or even better."

I suspect they lack something without the full context of the series, though. Like most of the books, it's made up of one anecdote after another, more a series of little stories that sometimes turn back to events from longer ago and sometimes do not. It is more like life than a novel. I liked this one very well, though.