PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Patrick O'Brian, until his death in 2000, was one of our greatest contemporary novelists. He is the author of the acclaimed Aubrey--Maturin tales and the biographer of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He is the author of many other books including Testimonies, and his Collected Short Stories. In 1995 he was the first recipient of the Heywood Hill Prize for a lifetime's contribution to literature. In the same year he was awarded the CBE. In 1997 he received an honorary doctorate of letters from Trinity College, Dublin. He lived for many years in South West France and he died in Dublin in January 2000.
There were no golden handshakes for these deemed beyond their usefulness in the days of Captain Jack Aubrey RN. Their Lordships of the Admiralty appointed a fellow to the rank of rear admiral in a non-existent squadron - the Yellow Squadron - without the pay and prestige of a true blue rear-admiral. And Jack Aubrey cannot be sure how their Lordships will look on him. He has spoken out in Parliament against the government's naval policy and made himself unpopular with his opposition to a neighbour's inclosure policy. At sea, the blockade of Brest proves every bit as perilous as Jack's more far-flung escapades. All the O'Brian ingredients are here; humanity, an infallible ear for period dialogue and a sharp eye for human follies. (Kirkus UK)
