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The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey by Patrick O’Brian

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The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey

Aubrey-Maturin (Related to this series)

Narrator
Robert Hardy
Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers
Publish Date
5 April 2010
Run Time
1 hour 42 minutes
Format
Audiobook

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What to expect

In this abridged audiobook, we discover a glimpse of how the Aubrey–Maturin adventure would continue …

At the time of his death, Patrick O'Brian had begun to write the twenty-first book in his famous and much-loved Aubrey–Maturin series. The chapters he left behind are presented here, both in printed version and a facsimile of his manuscript, which goes several pages beyond the end of the typescript and includes O’Brian’s own marginal notes.

The story picks up from the end of Blue at the Mizzen when Jack Aubrey receives the news, in Chile, of his elevation to flag rank: Rear Admiral of the Blue Squadron, with orders to sail to the South Africa station.

‘This fragment is both delightful and tantalising, with hints of a plot that might have involved Jack and Stephen with St Helena or Napoleon himself.’

Literary Review

Critics Review

  • ‘If O’Brian’s novels have become a cult, this is because they are truly addictive. . . They are, quite magnificently, adventure yarns whose superb authenticity never distracts from the sheer thrill of the action.’
    Caroline Moore, Sunday Telegraph
  • ‘The Aubrey–Maturin novels, by Patrick O’Brian, are so addictive that after I finish one I have to hide the next from myself for a little while in order to do anything else but read.’
    Louise Erdrich
  • ‘In Aubrey and Maturin, Patrick O’Brian has created two of the most enjoyable characters in twentieth-century fiction. Their relationship sustains an absorbing and thrilling sequence of naval stories, unrivalled in their complexity, full of impeccable detail and psychological insight. O’Brian switches from the intimate to the epic with equal assurance. One of the greatest authors to sail with.’
    Michael Palin
  • ‘My hero is Patrick O’Brian. It’s basically impossible to write that well.’
    David Mamet
See more reviews
  • ‘One of the most compelling and brilliant novelists of his time . . . Beyond his superbly elegant writing, wit and originality, Patrick O’Brian showed an understanding of the nature of a floating world at the mercy of the wind and the sea which has never been surpassed.’
    Max Hastings, Evening Standard
  • ‘I devoured Patrick O’Brian’s twenty-volume masterpiece as if it had been so many tots of Jamaica grog.’
    Christopher Hitchens
  • ‘Written with most engaging enthusiasm that can’t fail to give pleasure to anybody who enjoys historical adventure flavoured with more than a dash of realism.’
    The Sunday Times
  • ‘One of the most brilliantly sustained pieces of historical fictional writing this century.’
    James Teacher, Spectator
  • ‘Patrick O’Brian brings depth to his sea-stories with outstanding dialogue, characterisation, humour and a golden thread of romance. You don’t have to love books about naval battles to become entranced.’
    Katie Fforde

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Details

Author
Patrick O’Brian
Narrator
Robert Hardy
Duration
1 hour 42 minutes
Release Date
5 April 2010
ISBN
9780007360352
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers
Genre
Historical adventure fiction, Historical fiction, Napoleonic War fiction, Adventure fiction: Westerns, Narrative theme: journeys and voyages, Narrative theme: politics / economics, Narrative theme: coming of age

Synopsis

In this abridged audiobook, we discover a glimpse of how the Aubrey–Maturin adventure would continue … At the time of his death, Patrick O'Brian had begun to write the twenty-first book in his famous and much-loved Aubrey–Maturin series. The chapters he left behind are presented here, both in printed version and a facsimile of his manuscript, which goes several pages beyond the end of the typescript and includes O’Brian’s own marginal notes. The story picks up from the end of Blue at the Mizzen when Jack Aubrey receives the news, in Chile, of his elevation to flag rank: Rear Admiral of the Blue Squadron, with orders to sail to the South Africa station. ‘This fragment is both delightful and tantalising, with hints of a plot that might have involved Jack and Stephen with St Helena or Napoleon himself.’ Literary Review

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