Lieutenant Hornblower
So, that's me finished Lieutenant Hornblower now. Really though, it should be called Lieutenant Bush shouldn't it?
I found this so much more enjoyable than Mr Midshipman Hornblower and that's entirely due to the presence of Mr Bush who, for most of the book, is a much more engaging character than Mr Hornblower. In fact, once again, I felt that Hornblower himself didn't really put in much of an appearance until later in proceedings. Despite all Bush's pondering (to say nothing of his loving observations of various parts of his shipmate's anatomy) I didn't get much insight into Hornblower's character initially.
The events leading up to Captain Sawyers fall into the hold are certainly very gripping. If anything Sawyer comes across as even madder and more terrifying in the book than in the films. Although film Sawyer also has elements of Hermione's sadistic Captain Pigot. At this stage I was less interested in Hornblower's role in events than Bush's, again because we really see so little of Hornblower up to this point. (Oh, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit to missing Archie here.)
Once the Renown reaches Samaná Bay and action hots up and I have to confess my interest waned a bit. In fact I thought the most memorable passages here were the siting of the gun on the headland, I'm rather fascinated by the technicalities of gunnery, and Bush shamelessly ogling Hornblower as he's drinking.
He ran the tip of his tongue over his lips; Bush could see that the lips were cracked and parched and that the tongue could do nothing to relieve them.
....
He raised the bucket to his lips, leaning back to balance the weight; and he drank and drank, water slopping in quantities over his chest as he drank, water pouring over his face, until the bucket was empty, and then he put it down with a grin at Bush, his face still dripping water. The very sight of him was enough to make Bush, who had already had one drink from the well, feel consumed with thirst all over again.
I felt things picked up once the Renown arrives in Kingston and Hornblower himself starts to come into focus. Obviously you don't need me to point out the wonderfulness of the lemonade and fruit basket scenes but I also thought that Captain Cogshill's dinner party with Buckland weeping, Bush hammered and Hornblower smug and grinning was brilliant.
Buckland's anger was drowned in the fresh flood of liquor, yet later in the session his sorrows overcame him and he sat at the table weeping quietly, with the tears running down his cheeks; but Bush was too happy to allow Buckland's misery to affect him. He always remembered that afternoon as one of the most successful dinners he had ever attended. He could also remember Hornblower's smile at the end of dinner.
For me though the book really takes off once Bush and Hornbower are back in England on half pay. This is where you really start to get some insight into Hornblower's character. And how! I was astonished by the downright sleaziness of the Long Room scenes, with the Marquis de Sainte-Croix effectively pimping Hornblower out at the card tables.* And I found the whist games infinitely more nerve wracking than the naval engagements in Samaná Bay. I also thought the final scenes between Bush, Hornblower and Maria were just extraordinarily ambiguous on so many levels. And talking of final scenes I can't remember the last time the ending of a book wrong footed quite so effectively! I turned the last page and couldn't quite believe there was no more. Brilliant.
"By George!" as Lieutenant Bush would say.
* I've read at least one fic that actually does have Hornblower going for rent at this time. Although it was very well written I thought it was rather implausible at the time I read it. Not so now. It's a fine line and a slippery slope. One can't help wondering what kind of high stakes games were really going on behind the Long Room's curtained door.
I found this so much more enjoyable than Mr Midshipman Hornblower and that's entirely due to the presence of Mr Bush who, for most of the book, is a much more engaging character than Mr Hornblower. In fact, once again, I felt that Hornblower himself didn't really put in much of an appearance until later in proceedings. Despite all Bush's pondering (to say nothing of his loving observations of various parts of his shipmate's anatomy) I didn't get much insight into Hornblower's character initially.
The events leading up to Captain Sawyers fall into the hold are certainly very gripping. If anything Sawyer comes across as even madder and more terrifying in the book than in the films. Although film Sawyer also has elements of Hermione's sadistic Captain Pigot. At this stage I was less interested in Hornblower's role in events than Bush's, again because we really see so little of Hornblower up to this point. (Oh, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit to missing Archie here.)
Once the Renown reaches Samaná Bay and action hots up and I have to confess my interest waned a bit. In fact I thought the most memorable passages here were the siting of the gun on the headland, I'm rather fascinated by the technicalities of gunnery, and Bush shamelessly ogling Hornblower as he's drinking.
He ran the tip of his tongue over his lips; Bush could see that the lips were cracked and parched and that the tongue could do nothing to relieve them.
....
He raised the bucket to his lips, leaning back to balance the weight; and he drank and drank, water slopping in quantities over his chest as he drank, water pouring over his face, until the bucket was empty, and then he put it down with a grin at Bush, his face still dripping water. The very sight of him was enough to make Bush, who had already had one drink from the well, feel consumed with thirst all over again.
I felt things picked up once the Renown arrives in Kingston and Hornblower himself starts to come into focus. Obviously you don't need me to point out the wonderfulness of the lemonade and fruit basket scenes but I also thought that Captain Cogshill's dinner party with Buckland weeping, Bush hammered and Hornblower smug and grinning was brilliant.
Buckland's anger was drowned in the fresh flood of liquor, yet later in the session his sorrows overcame him and he sat at the table weeping quietly, with the tears running down his cheeks; but Bush was too happy to allow Buckland's misery to affect him. He always remembered that afternoon as one of the most successful dinners he had ever attended. He could also remember Hornblower's smile at the end of dinner.
For me though the book really takes off once Bush and Hornbower are back in England on half pay. This is where you really start to get some insight into Hornblower's character. And how! I was astonished by the downright sleaziness of the Long Room scenes, with the Marquis de Sainte-Croix effectively pimping Hornblower out at the card tables.* And I found the whist games infinitely more nerve wracking than the naval engagements in Samaná Bay. I also thought the final scenes between Bush, Hornblower and Maria were just extraordinarily ambiguous on so many levels. And talking of final scenes I can't remember the last time the ending of a book wrong footed quite so effectively! I turned the last page and couldn't quite believe there was no more. Brilliant.
"By George!" as Lieutenant Bush would say.
* I've read at least one fic that actually does have Hornblower going for rent at this time. Although it was very well written I thought it was rather implausible at the time I read it. Not so now. It's a fine line and a slippery slope. One can't help wondering what kind of high stakes games were really going on behind the Long Room's curtained door.