Hornblower and the "Hotspur" (Hornblower Series)
by C. S. Forester

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Book Reviews of Hornblower and the "Hotspur" (Hornblower Series)

Book Review: 5 thwarted invasions by the Master of sea action
Summary: 5 Stars

Hornblower and the Hotspur begins with Hornblower's wedding. It is obvious from the beginning that Hornblower did not want to get married. The fearless Hornblower is too soft hearted to break a woman's heart. He realizes that he could have taken advantage of her and left her broken hearted but has married her and made her deliriously happy instead. Unfortunately, most modern readers would not find this chivalry believable. Much has changed since Forester first published this novel nearly 40 years ago. Modern heroes are expected to sleep with the women and then sail away ignoring heartbreak and possible progeny. Many modern readers would see Hornblower as a sap.

For the majority of Hornblower and the Hotspur, Hornblower is at sea. It is 1803 and the brief peace is ending. France and England are set to engage in yet another war. France is amassing a huge army to invade England. The parallels to World War II would have been obvious to the readers of 1962. England has a small army and would be unable to stay free if the huge army from the continent were ever able to cross the English Channel.

Another parallel is in the mention of the soldiers who were drafted to serve a tyrant. Hornblower regrets having to kill Frenchmen in the way that modern Britons would have regretted the necessity of killing Germans in WWII.

A subtext is Hornblower's coming to terms with his family life. Many of the original readers would have been WWII veterans who perhaps married in haste and made the best of raising their "baby-boom" families.

In spite of all this, Hornblower and the Hotspur is about sea chases, broadsides, furious storms and night actions. Forester tells a marvelous sea tale that stands the test of time. It's sad that some its original values have been lost and that some of the parallels are no longer relevant. Hornblower and the Hotspur is too good a story to fade with time.

Summary of Hornblower and the "Hotspur" (Hornblower Series)

Classics Books

• Books > Subjects > Literature & Fiction
• Genre Fiction > Historical
• Sea Adventures