I continue re-reading Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series of nautical historical novels set during the Napoleonic wars in early 19th century. These are probably the best historical novels ever written, and I see them as one of the great achievements of 20th century literature.
I read three of these last month, finishing with The Far Side of the World. Every page brings delight, and instills a fuller, richer sense of life than almost any other book I’ve read in years.
I have not yet read any of the novels in that series, but I did see Peter Weir’s film of The Far Side of the World during its theatrical run. If you’ve seen it, would you say it was a good adaptation of the novel?
It was a good movie, but it wasn’t really an adaptation of the novel. It combined several scenes from two different novels in the series, and out of necessity imposed by the format, it wove them into a very straightforward plot with far less complex characters than in the books. I enjoyed the movie, but I enjoyed the books far far more.
Thanks! I’ll have to get hold of the first book and see how I like it—unless there’s a better place to begin reading the series? Does the publication order match the internal chronology?
Yeah, the order is the same. The novels typically include enough background, so you can start at something other than the first one if you particularly want to, but there’s no good reason to do that.
I continue re-reading Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series of nautical historical novels set during the Napoleonic wars in early 19th century. These are probably the best historical novels ever written, and I see them as one of the great achievements of 20th century literature.
I read three of these last month, finishing with The Far Side of the World. Every page brings delight, and instills a fuller, richer sense of life than almost any other book I’ve read in years.
I have not yet read any of the novels in that series, but I did see Peter Weir’s film of The Far Side of the World during its theatrical run. If you’ve seen it, would you say it was a good adaptation of the novel?
It was a good movie, but it wasn’t really an adaptation of the novel. It combined several scenes from two different novels in the series, and out of necessity imposed by the format, it wove them into a very straightforward plot with far less complex characters than in the books. I enjoyed the movie, but I enjoyed the books far far more.
Thanks! I’ll have to get hold of the first book and see how I like it—unless there’s a better place to begin reading the series? Does the publication order match the internal chronology?
Yeah, the order is the same. The novels typically include enough background, so you can start at something other than the first one if you particularly want to, but there’s no good reason to do that.