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Summary: Fabulous!
Review: A definate asset to your audio collection. The companion to the new video which is full of smart direction and a talented cast. Ioan Gruffud (Hornblower in the A&E) also narrates this format in audio; will mesmerize, capture and take you on a voyage back into time. A timeless classic updated.
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Summary: Management Lessons that All Could Use!
Review: As a long-time fan of the Hornblower series, I had not read Lieutenant Hornblower for many years. Imagine my surprise upon rereading this outstanding book when I discovered that Lieutenant Hornblower is a remarkable primer on management!If you have not yet read Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, I strongly urge you to read that book before starting Lieutenant Hornblower. Lieutenant Hornblower is written from the perspective of one of Hornblower's superior officers, a senior lieutenant named William Bush. Bush is a master at getting a ship to perform under all circumstances, but has placed little emphasis on how to defeat the enemy. Without the background of Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, I'm afraid you will miss some of the nuances of what the author is suggesting in the book. The book opens with Hornblower as the newest and most junior lieutenant on the Renown, a British ship of war about to head off on a lengthy cruise to parts as not yet disclosed. Captain Sawyer immediately begins accusing his lieutenants and midshipmen of conspiring to undermine his authority. At the same time, Captain Sawyer cannot do enough for his crew, including extra grog rations. Discipline is rapidly diminishing. What's a young lieutenant to do with a captain who isn't getting the job done? You will find the story fascinating if you imagine being a newly appointed general manager of a small division in a company where the CEO is running the firm into the ground. If the firm goes down, so do you! Later, the ship finds itself under difficult orders, orders which if followed in the usual way will lead to death, destruction, and failure. What do you do now as a junior person in the situation? You certainly cannot dictate . . . but perhaps you might tactfully suggest alternatives. This circumstance recurs in the novel, and I draw your attention to the adroit way that Hornblower combines respect, a sense of his place, and timely suggestions to provide the same leadership that he might have applied as captain. Students of game theory will also be fascinated by the ways that Mr. Forester included those kinds of concepts into the decisions that Hornblower makes. In the end of the book, Hornblower has fallen on hard times. How he responds is a lesson to us all. He sees adversity as a temporary setback that will be redressed in due time by a shift in circumstances to match the underlying odds, not unlike sticking to good strategy for winning at cards. A strategy may not always win, but an effective one will win more often than not and will be profitable to pursue (such as card-counting in playing blackjack). Hornblower also finds himself the potential beneficiary of kindness from friends. You will be interested to see how he is affected and how he responds. Lead from wherever you are!
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Summary: Forester is possibly the greatest Naval Fiction writer ever!
Review: C.S Forester describes every action so clearly that you can almost hear the cannons firing. His fight scenes are wonderful, you can't help but love the main character, and the history... all together the series is one of the best historical fiction series ever written!
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Summary: Can't say enough good things about this book!
Review: Forester's work combines great drama with a sailor's insight. Hornblower's character comes alive and reveals new facets.
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Summary: Series order for the Hornblower books
Review: Here is the series order: Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, Lieutenant Hornblower, Hornblower and the Hotspur, Hornblower During the Crisis, Hornblower and the Atropos, Beat to Quarters, Ship of the Line, Flying Colours, Commodore Hornblower, Lord Hownblower, Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies. The other titles you'll see are different 3-in-1-cover combinations of the above titles, though not always in series order (go figure), Cadet versions of the same titles above by different titles (REALLY go figure), and companion books.
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Summary: Hornblower as we wished he were
Review: Hornblower has a "hand?" in a near-mutiny against a paranoid and exasperatingly capricious captain (who has none of the real brilliance and fortitude of Capt. Bly of Mutiny on the Bounty), spurs gallant plans and vaulting action against the Spanish on Hayte during Toussaint's slave revolt, suffers an inquiry, and is put ashore to live by his card-wits. Despite being set on the West Indies station, the deadliest in all the budding British Empire, no seamen here suffer from tropical disease. Forester writes unevenly here, rather than sustaining the glories of the original trilogy (Books 6-8). This is partially due to our viewing Hornblower only through the eyes of another lieutenant, Bush, who is stolidly dull (Forester resorts to telling us what Bush's inchoate feelings WOULD be if only he could express them!). At least we can't see Hornblower's self-doubt that tiresomely emerges in later books whenever he awaits the onset of action (a small price to pay for such glorious stories). In this story, Bush witnesses the emergence of Hornblower's seeming deference and the brilliant tactical and interpersonal skills that blossom in his later commands.
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Summary: An outside view of the inner man - Hornblower
Review: Hornblower is as valiant and human as ever in this book. His involvement in the carribean campaign lets his true worth shine to all. It is also a dark chapter in the life of the hero though, as he faces a possible life of never being in the service of his country as a sailor again. Yet, Lieutenant Hornblower is an excellent book in the series. Lieutenant Hornblower differs from its predicessor in that the view has changed from Hornblower himself to his shipmate and friend, lieutenant Bush. But what Bush sees in Hornblower is completely satisfying to the readers view of the hero of the story. Forester has a magnificent writing style that leads the reader to subtle, yet poignant observations of the characters and plot. He is never so rude to address difficult subjects without a tremendous amount of tact and honor. His knowledge of the sea and life therein is impeccable. His knowledge of human nature is similarly trustworthy and completely satisfying from cover to cover
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Summary: Another excellent Hornblower adventure.
Review: I am very much enjoying this series of novels. I just wish that there were move novels in the series. Lots of excitement and adventure in these novels.
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Summary: Thrilling
Review: I could not put this book down. I read it in a weekend.
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Summary: Classic
Review: I love historical fiction like the Hornblower series, the O'Brian books, and more recent gems like "The Triumph and the Glory". C.S. Forester has written another spellbinding novel in "Lieutenant Hornblower", I highly recommend it.
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