The Golden Ocean

by Patrick O'Brian Narrated by John Franklyn-Robbins

Overview

The first novel Patrick O'Brian ever wrote about the sea, a precursor to the acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin series.

In the year 1740, Commodore (later Admiral) George Anson embarked on a voyage that would become one of the most famous exploits in British naval history. Sailing through poorly charted waters, Anson and his men encountered disaster, disease, and astonishing success. They circumnavigated the globe and seized a nearly incalculable sum of Spanish gold and silver, but only one of the five ships survived.

This is the background to the first novel Patrick O'Brian ever wrote about the sea, a precursor to the acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin series that shares the excitement and rich humor of those books. The protagonist is Peter Palafox, son of a poor Irish parson, who signs on as a midshipman, never before having seen a ship.

Together with his lifelong friend Sean, Peter sets out to seek his fortune, embarking upon a journey of danger, disappointment, foreign lands, and excitement.

Here is a tale certain to please not only admirers of O'Brian's work but also any reader with an adventurous soul.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Originally published in 1956, this is O'Brian's first novel of the sea. But it is more than just a curiosity from the author of the 16 wonderful Aubrey/Maturin books, most recently The Wine-Dark Sea ; it can stand on its own as an entertaining and psychologically astute narrative. Based on British Commodore George Anson's four-year circumnavigation that began in 1740, the book focuses on young midshipman Peter Palafox. A younger son of a poor Irish parson, Peter is sweet-natured, impetuous and innocent (though well educated: he knows English, Irish, Latin and Greek). Much of the narrative follows his evolution into a capable seaman with a talent for leadership and--after the capture of large sums of Spanish gold and silver--into a rich man. This early work has practically all the naval lore and sense of place that grace the Aubrey/Maturin books; the scenes in China are particular standouts. Shipboard life rings true, the story never flags and humor abounds: ``Well, he is a wonderful poacher for a Protestant,'' observes one Anglo-Irishman. O'Brian says he wrote the book in about six weeks, ``laughing most of the time,'' and one believes him. Though the splendid characters of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are absent, fans will gladly use this story to fill the time til the next episode of their adventures. (Apr.)

Library Journal

Although this 1956 title preceded O'Brian's popular Aubrey/Maturin series, it set the course they later followed. The Golden Ocean relates the adventures--or misadventures--of Peter Palafox, a tenderfoot landlubber who signs on-board a deep water bark without ever having seen a ship. A humorous adventure for all collections.

Los Angeles Times - Tom Clark

"[A] rousing novelistic retelling of a particularly colorful chapter in the history of the imperialist wars of the mid-18th century....Robust and exhilarating....[The] power [of the sea] as a kind of fate is rendered with the Conradian force that shows where O'Brian was headed as a narrative writer."

Boston Globe - Edward O. Wilson

"I haven’t read novels [in the past ten years] except for all of the Patrick O’Brian series. It was, unfortunately, like tripping on heroin. I started on those books and couldn’t stop."

Scott Veale

"Both aficionados and newcomers will be swept up by the richness of Mr. O'Brian's prodigious imagination."

Patrick O'Brian on the writing of The Golden Ocean

"In the present case the names were provided for me, together with the whole sequence of events, just as they were for Homer, Virgil, and many others....I was fortunate enough to have great material, and I wrote the book in about six weeks (or was it less?), laughing most of the time."

Scott Veale - New York Times Book Review

"Both aficionados and newcomers will be swept up by the richness of Mr. O'Brian's prodigious imagination."

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170993970
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	02/21/2008
Edition description:	Unabridged

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