Lieutenant Hornblower by C. S. Forester, C.S. Forester Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Lieutenant Hornblower
Book Review: This is my favorite book
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm only up to Ship of the Line, which is the 7th book in this 11 book series, but LH is so far my FAVORITE. Lieutenant Bush is so much more than an unimaginative robotic lieutenant some shallow people make him out to be. He's courageous, and while lacking imagination, it prevents him from ever hesitating to do his duty. He's a man of rules and regulations, and if I may quote a different book for a minute, "The skies would fall before Bush neglected his duty."
Lieutenant Hornblower is the sole book NOT in Horatio Hornblower's point of view, but obviously, Lieutenant Bush's. At first, we see Hornblower as a cold, unfeeling youth. Later on, we see the endearing aspects that may explain to us how other men find Hornblower a charismatic man despite his own lack of self-confidence. This book is key to understanding not only Bush's character, but Hornblower's as well. Hornblower's lack of self-confidence DOES play in when *minor spoiler* he loads the cannons with shot that get too hot. Bush notes that this is the first, and only (according to him) mistake Hornblower's made, and is amused by the man's frustration at being what Hornblower calls himself, "a careless son of a swab."
Now I am ending this before I practically rewrite the ENTIRE book, but I highly recommend this book, and once my late paycheck comes in, I shall DEFINATELY buy this first.
Book Review: Thrilling
Summary: 5 Stars
I could not put this book down. I read it in a weekend.Book Review: Wooden Ships and Iron Men!
Summary: 5 Stars
No greater recommendation can be made than to note that the intrepid and honorable Horatio Hornblower is given as one of the great influences in the life of that other most-famous fictional Captain, one James Tiberius Kirk.Book Review: You'll feel the salt air
Summary: 4 Stars
Lieutenant Hornblower by C. S. Forester. Recommended.Lieutenant Hornblower, set in the early 1800s during the Napoleonic Wars, is the second book chronologically in the 11-part Horatio Hornblower series. Forester is a master of combining exciting plots, recognizable characters, realistic naval and period information, and interesting historical detail. As you read Lieutenant Hornblower, you will see how even modern science fiction television and films, from Star Trek to Star Wars, owe a debt to Forester's story-telling technique.
This time, Hornblower is seen from the perspective of a more senior lieutenant, Bush, as they serve aboard Renown. Bush, himself a decisive, strong, if unimaginative, leader, finds himself redefining and expanding his concepts of leadership and command as he observes Hornblower's interactions with his junior and senior officers. Hornblower subtly guides them to the actions and decisions that he wants from them without overstepping the top-down chain-of-command structure of the 1800s British navy, in which the captain enjoys the omnipotence granted by the king over crew and officers alike. Hornblower's approach even anticipates today's most current thinking about the nature of corporate leadership.
As a character, Hornblower can be too perfect. His suggestions and his actions are always on target and successful, and it is he who saves Renown and her mission time and again. Even when he makes a rare mistake, for example, overheating the shot so that it will no longer fit in the cannons, the error does not affect the outcome of the venture.
Forester tries to humanize Hornblower, whom Bush notices carefully hiding his emotions and frailties-even hunger and poverty-lest anyone perceive his weakness. Interestingly, Hornblower survives the paranoia of a mad captain, the indecisiveness and incompetence of an inept first lieutenant, harrowing sea and land battles with the Spanish, and delicate diplomatic maneuverings with the Spanish and with the highest levels of naval representatives, only to succumb to an unattractive but smitten woman.
Throughout the novel, there is one recurring question that Hornblower avoids answering. Bush asks it, as does Buckland, the lackluster first lieutenant. Depending on how you perceive the underlying situation-and what you believe the real answer to be-you could see it as a positive reflection on Hornblower's character, or a disturbing aspect of it. Forester deliberately raises this point repeatedly; it adds mystery and a human dimension to a character who could otherwise have become a stock hero, always correct and always victorious (at least in war and politics).
If you're like me and love sea adventure, Lieutenant Hornblower is a must-read. Forester is able to explain the workings of a sailing vessel and the machines of war without sounding overly technical, mechanical, or tedious. He portrays the harsh discipline of the British navy so well that you will understand why sailors rapidly disappeared when the press gang was spotted; there was little question of patriotism, only one of self-preservation. Forester also plants in the imagination the horrors of war, where even lieutenants can be cut in two by cannonballs or tormented by mad captains, where decks become slippery with the blood and guts and limbs of the fallen.
Lieutenant Hornblower is an exciting, fast-paced read that may convince you to investigate the rest of the series.
Diane L. Schirf, 30 June 2004.
Book Review: good dynamic characters amid turbuluent times
Summary: 4 Stars
The second book in the Hornblower series the action and the tension in the book made living on a ship of the line more exciting than in reality. Usually serving on a boat, you'd expect to do tedious duties with nothing else except endless ocean across the horizon to look at in the distance. Couple that with the unpleasantness of living conditions aboard a ship of that age with no running water, toilets, or knowledge about contemporary hygiene as well as being commanded by a strict and almost tyrannical command structure and its no wonder that the Royal Navy had to recruit their seamen by force through press gangs. The book's plot tells the story from the perspective of Lieutenant William Bush who had just been assigned to the ship Renown. It is here that he meets Hornblower and go on their crew's secret assignment only known by a suspiciously psychotic captain who thinks that the other officers are planning against him. There is a sense of tension between the captain and his officers as well as injustices that the captain inflicts upon his subordinates. There is also a first lieutenant on board, Buckland, that has served that position for a long time and through his personality the reader will soon realize why he will always be a first lieutenant. Forester has a good vision of putting characters together and making them interact in interesting situations. In reading this book you get to see the personalities of these characters take shape and it is these personalities that direct the plot. About two-thirds of the book was interesting but the last third fizzled and didn't have action at all. Considering that the book is part of a series, the last third was setting up the premise for the next book. But if you read this book on its own you would be disappointed with the ending as the climax of the story happened about a hundred pages before the ending. I consider myself a fan of Forester and I still like the book. Nevertheless, for a casual reader this probably wouldn't be as interesting.