Hornblower : Beat to Quarters by C. S. Forester
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Book Reviews of Hornblower : Beat to Quarters
Book Review: If you aren't reading this series you should be
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are reading it you have to have this one. Buy it!Book Review: Stirring saga
Summary: 4 Stars
The Hornblower novels are famous as the first in the age of fighting sail novel revival. First published in 1938, this and the following two volumes (Ship of the Line and Flying Colours) were quickly reissued on the eve of WW II as a trilogy, with illustrations by N.C. Wyeth. These three "Captain" novels come midway in Hornblower's career, but were written first.Set midway in the Napoleonic era, with Britain against the Spanish, then with them (as Hornblower learns to his chagrin), we first encounter Hornblower as already a frigate captain, with frequent references to mysterious battles and escapades in his past. Currently he is dealing with the consequences of a secret, long, seven month voyage across the Pacific to a dead-on landing in Central America, during which he has vowed not to utter an unnecessary word! Captains are already omnipotently separate from their men, but HH goes to an extreme out of fear of some career-ending embarrassment. Indeed there is little dialogue, aside from interior monologues. We learn considerably about the running of a ship under sail, but the detail and jargon is not so heavy as in the Patrick O'Brian novels, nor is the language so authentic. (If overwhelmed by either at first read, there is an admirable book on all the terminology, Dean King's wryly titled A SEA OF WORDS, where you can learn of the origins of such common expressions as "scuttlebutt, the bitter end, in the doldrums," as well as the esoteric sailing terms.) "Hornblower" might be thought to be a joke name, but as a character he is much too serious and shy, indeed full of self-doubt (that never threatens to pull the story down), and not too lovable.
Once on station, Hornblower engages in diplomacy with all parties, and fights battles with a more powerful ship. His greater battle is with his petulant self concerning a young Lady who has imperiously sought his aid to return to England, which leads to some delicious scenes at sea as Hornblower's emotions gradually overman his desire to have her speak well of him to the Naval Lords in aid of his career. Forester balances well the setting, action, and characters, but with a lighter tone and fleeter pace than O'Brian (whom you might wish to read only after the Hornblower saga). I think most people would find something to enjoy in this novel of adventure on the high seas.
Book Review: Tremendous Irony and Character Development!
Summary: 4 Stars
One of the strengths of the C.S. Forester series about Horatio Hornblower is that Hornblower's character is developed in great depth in a variety of different ways in each book. Beat to Quarters places Hornblower at the center of a spectrum between madness and mental incapacity on the one hand, and being ruled by the emotions and passion on the other hand. Hornblower finds it quite challenging to deal with both extremes, and you will enjoy reading about his reactions. To make the story even more delicious, it involves a series of misadventures based on the slowness and uncertainty of communications. Those who have studied the War of 1812 will probably remember that the Battle of New Orleans was fought well after the British and Americans had already made peace. But the word had not yet gotten to New Orleans. Similar issues are involved in this book.
Unlike most of the other books in the series, Beat to Quarters will probably be as appealing to female readers as to male ones. For over half of the book, Lady Barbara Wellesley is a central character. Unlike the earlier books where male-female relations are made as simple and brief as possible, Beat to Quarters shows how two outstanding people of opposite sexes might come to respect and appreciate each other, despite vast differences in their circumstances and social standing.
Beat to Quarters is an extremely important book in the series, because it sets up major plot developments in Ship of the Line (the next book chronologically in Hornblower's life in the series) which many people feel is the best action book that Mr. Forester wrote about Hornblower.
If you have not yet read any of the Hornblower novels, I strongly urge you to begin with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower and continue through in the order of Hornblower's chronological life, rather than the order in which the books were written. Mr. Forester went back and added books here and there in the chronology, later in his life.
How can you keep your focus strong, by balancing your emotions and thoughts? What benefits will you achieve? When should you be willing to let emotion reign?
Book Review: Beat to Quarters
Summary: 4 Stars
Beat To Quarters
By C.S. Forester
Beat To Quarters is the best account of an adventure at sea that I have ever read. It's part of a series by C.S. Forester, about Captain Horatio Hornblower, a sea captain who must fight his inner self to appear the iron-nerved, quiet, model captain that he wants his crew to see. Inside, he is a talkative, nervous, and incredibly smart man who has worked his way up the levels of sea faring.
In this book, he must fight with his inner self as he performs many missions for the British government. It's the year 1808, and Captain Hornblower is sent to a country in Central America to congregate with an insane leader that goes by the name of El Supremo, to try to start a rebellion against the Spanish. After capturing a Spanish ship with almost twice the size, guns, and men as his named the Natividad, and giving it to El Supremo, Captain Hornblower is told that the British are no longer at war with the Spanish, and that he must re-seize the ship and stop the rebellion. Captain Hornblower continues to follow the almost impossible orders of the British, using his remarkable seamanship, while also carrying a British noblewoman onboard for a trip back to England. Through all these incredible tasks, he manages to stay alive, keep his self-image, and win the heart of every sailor in his crew.
Beat To Quarters is an excellent book, and although it is not the first book in it's series chronologically, it was the first written and so possesses an introductory quality that the other books don't. I would recommend this book to any reader who wants to read a remarkable account of a sea adventure, even if you haven't read any other books in the series. This book is a great, exciting read, and the author C.S. Forester did a superb job writing it.
Book Review: BEAT TO QUARTERS by C. S. Forester
Summary: 4 Stars
Beat to Quarters (1937), also known as The Happy Return, is C. S. Forester's original Horatio Hornblower novel. It fits sixth in the chronology. In 1808, Hornblower, captain of the frigate Lydia, sails to Nicaragua to aid a mad warlord in his revolution against the French. Complications ensue, as usual, including the married Hornblower falling in love with another woman (which is rather unexpected).
Beat to Quarters has a fair mix of action and drama, although things drag along at times. The climax of the book is a fifty-page sea battle, during which Forester immerses the reader in naval warfare and at the same time overloads him with nautical details.
Beat to Quarters was written over ten years before any of the chronologically-previous novels, and there is a noticeable difference in style and tone. For one, the narrative here does not flow as well as it does in Forester's later writing - he gets bogged down in details and he has a tendency to repeat himself. Hornblower is still fundamentally Hornblower - he is self-loathing, insecure, posturing and hypocritical, although his manner is not quite the same and he has manifested a bizarre habit of saying, "Ha - h'm," all the time.
It will become clear to anyone who has read the Hornblower books that Forester did quite a bit of retconning when he went back to write the novels of Hornblower's early career. Notable examples include Hornblower's age and his relationship with Lieutenant Bush, and there are quite a few other small things.
On the whole, Beat to Quarters is a decent novel not with out its problems, although its flaws are easier to forgive knowing that Forester was still finding his way with Hornblower. New Hornblower readers would do better to start with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower.