The Nutmeg of Consolation and Clarissa Oakes, by Patrick O'Brian

[rowyn]

I've finished another two Aubrey-Maturin books. I liked them reasonably well and remain profoundly addicted to the series. Last night, I was thinking "I could read this YA book I checked out three weeks ago, or any of the several unread e-books languishing on my phone. Or I could start the next Aubrey-Maturin book." Guess what book is underneath my hands even as I type this up on my phone?

Nutmeg felt more like a bridge than a book in its own right. Aubrey & Maturin were sent en route to a mission in South America back in The Letter of Marque, and they still haven't made it there four books later. I still liked it: there's a particularly stirring fight between Aubrey's Surprise and a French ship where Aubrey knows (and likes) one of the lieutenants, giving an additional personal note to a very tricky and compelling battle.

Clarissa Oakes was named "The Truelove" in USbeditions, persumably because US publishers think readers are too sexist and/or stupid to buy a naval-historical book named for a woman. 9_9. It's all aout Clarissa, though. I don't know how I feel about the book. Clarissa is a deeply problematic character in terms of background and situation, and I don't know hat P'OB was competent to write this kind of person: female characters are not his strong suit. It works, more or less, and I enjoyed the read overall. I do feel kind of conflicted about it, though.

Still, on with the series! Gosh, I only have 5 full books left in it now. D:

Comments

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Is Clarissa someone's true love? Or is that the name of another ship? n.n

[xyzzysqrl]

On one hand I feel like taking four+ books to make a trip across the Atlantic is completely reasonable given matters of scale and the time period involved, on the other hand I feel like I would be going "WOW GET ON WITH IT ALREADY" at the stack of books.

There is no way to find out without actually reading them, I imagine.

[alltoseek.livejournal.com]

I think Truelove works better as a title in the series, because all the other titles are something nautical/naval related. Clarissa Oakes is the only one named for a person. Mostly naval titles, ships, nautical expressions.