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5.0 out of 5 stars
Duty, Seizing Initiative, and Painful Conflicts!, Dec 30 2001
Lord Hornblower continues C.S. Forester's masterful examination of the trials of a conflicted soul, the publicly admired Commodore Sir Horatio Hornblower. Hornblower is married to the woman of his dreams, Lady Barbara, and is enjoying raising his young son, Richard, while Hornblower recovers successfully from typhus contracted during the Baltic campaign described in Commodore Hornblower. All seems well. His biggest immediate problem as the book opens is that he is both bored and uncomfortable sitting through a ceremony for the Knights of the Bath, of which he is one. Suddenly, a messenger breaks in to call away the First Lord of the Admiralty. Looking troubled, Lord St. Vincent immediately sends for Hornblower while the ceremony continues. A group of British naval seamen has mutinied against a tyrannical captain who had abused his authority, and now the seamen want to be granted amnesty . . . or they will defect to the French. Lying just outside of two French harbors, this is a very real threat. Hornblower asks for and is given orders to handle the situation as he sees fit. But he knows that amnesty can never be granted without undermining the discipline of the service. How will Hornblower handle this? He doesn't know, but he's soon on his way into a massive storm. Surely, the mutineers realize that they will dance at the end of a rope if they surrender. Is this the end of Hornblower's fabulous reputation? Set at the very end of the Napoleon Wars, Lord Hornblower shows once again that even the most dire situations are filled with opportunity . . . and peril. This book is most like Flying Colours of the earlier novels, in that the action at sea is very limited while the time spent on land in France is extensive. Hornblower also meets with his old friends from that novel, M. le Comte and Mme. la Vicomtesse de Gracay. As peace nears, it creates new challenges for Hornblower. Never a man to enjoy the salon, he finds that the demands of his wife's family bringing both Lady Barbara and he into increased social interactions with royalty and political leaders. These interactions are despised by Hornblower, and life loses its zest for him. How will he recapture the spirited focus that beating Boney has provided him over the last 20 years? The Hornblower marriage is also put to new strains by the prospects of peace, and Hornblower finds himself tempted to stand aside from his role as Lady Barbara's social escort. How will Lady Barbara and her powerful brothers react? Lord Hornblower reminds me of the story of Adam and Eve after they have tasted the fruit from the tree of knowledge. Hornblower knows himself better now, and also learns new things about Lady Barbara that had escaped him. He has new experiences that further add to his knowledge in this book. As a result, he's a more mature person, but a much more troubled one. With his greater reputation, influence, and wealth, he's also more inclined to stick his oar in to do what he thinks should be done . . . regardless of the consequences. The results are not always pretty for Hornblower, or for those who depend on him. How does the warrior adapt to peace? Like in the StarTrek move, "The Undiscovered Country" you will find that it is a hard thing to do. Vigilance is also needed, lest the peace be lost. Has some problem in your life become so continuing and pervasive that it dominates your perspective on everything? What would you do if you solved that problem, or it simply went away? Are you prepared to build from the fruits of your solution? Or will losing the problem be like losing a crutch instead, leaving you feeling crippled? Look, think, and act for what is ahead . . . or be perpetually chained to what has been!
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