21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey (Aubrey/Maturin Series)

Rating:
Summary: A Final Gift to Patrick O'Brian Fans
Review: An excellent gift to the fans of Patrick O'Brian but, I am sure, of little interest to anyone else. Certainly it would be the worst possible introduction to O'Brian's wonderful nautical fiction. But for those of us who have for years read and re-read his tales, so beautifully written and so infused with the great friendship between his two central characters, this fragment of O'Brian's intended twenty-first novel in the series allows us to pay one last visit to these two fascinating men. And happily we find them in a time of comparative joy and leisure. Gentle humor abounds as Aubrey and Maturin tease one another, based on their sure knowledge of one another's quirks and modes of thought. Although it seems certain that the typewritten manuscript of the these three, rather short chapters would have received further polishing and likely substantial additions before the book was completed, what we have is not only recognizable, but very characteristic O'Brian prose, often illuminated by the choice of exactly the right adjective that is at once both unexpected and yet revealed as inevitable. I would go so far as to argue that even as it stands, the writing here more nearly approaches that of O'Brian's best books than that of at least the last few novels.

A unique feature of this final book is that it presents the printed text face-to-face with O'Brian's handwritten draft for that same text, and it can be fascinating to see how the prose evolved from pen to typewritten versions. But the typewritten text ended with still several handwritten pages yet to go, and the publishers have elected to present those last pages as they were found without transcription into print. As a previous reviewer noted, deciphering those handwritten passages can be a thorny task (after a week of it, there are still a number of words I can claim to read only tentatively and a few not at all). But I think the publisher was right in not attempting to integrate those last handwritten pages into the printed text drawn directly from what had already been typed up by O'Brian. First, there would have been a problem of continuity. As O'Brian worked on his manuscript, changes were being made in the storyline so that the remaining handwritten pages do not really reflect plot developments that had been typed up. And perhaps more importantly, much of this last handwritten portion bears evidence of being a rapidly written first draft, sketching out the storyline more than attempting to create anything close to an envisioned final version; some words are omitted, some are unintentionally repeated. Undoubtedly, these imperfections in these last few pages would have been corrected if O'Brian had had the opportunity to redraft them by hand (as seems to have been his usual working method) or typewriter, but for the publisher to transfer them into print would have required either a heavy hand in editing - thus departing unfortunately far from the O'Brian original - or acceptance of a stylistically incompatible finale. No, all in all I agree with the publisher's decision to leave these last several pages in O'Brian's own handwriting. For those of us sufficiently interested, decipherment at least to the extent of following the storyline is not too difficult a job, and it is a task that ultimately brings us closer to this most favored of authors as, in his last days, he once again sailed in company with Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin.

One final note: if given a choice between obtaining the American edition of this book published by Norton or the British edition issued by HarperCollins, I would suggest the latter. Although the Patrick O'Brian content of the two is the same, the UK edition also contains an illuminating introduction by William Waldegrave and, perhaps even more pleasing, it is printed on a superior paper stock for clarity and simply more luxurious feel.


Rating:
Summary: I wish the handwritten pages were types
Review: Having read all 20 book I was excited to read the last book that Mr O'Brien wrote. This had the making of a great book and I was enchanted by the contents of the book. I was happy to see Jack Aubrey finally getting his blue flag and of actually doing the duties of a rear admiral and the story line was very interesting, especially wheen Stephen Mautrin got into the duel with Captain Miller. But that is the disappointing bit. As much as I admire Mr O'Brien he was over 80 years old, his wife had recently died and his handwritting was terrible. I could only make out about 25% of the handwritten manuscript. I tried and I tried because the story line was so interesting but I just couldn't read through most of what he wrote. I really wish that the publishers had typed out that portion for us all to read without having to guess what happend. I was so disappointed that I couldn't make out all what had happend during the duel. But I was able to grasp the gist of the action taken place. Except for that this was an excellent book and I so regret the death of Mr O'Brien because he was such an excellent story teller. I can only imagine what the entire story line would have been if he had lived. But this book did give me joy in seeing Jack Aubrey an Admiral finally after 20 books. A must read for any serious fan of the series

Rating:
Summary: Rip-off
Review: I am a great lover of the Aubrey/Maturin tales and yet this project simply smells to high heaven of a publisher trying to squeeze yet another dime out of the dead author's estate. As noted by other reviewers, a significant fraction of the "book" is quite simply illegible. The story line, surely to have been improved, is near-incomprehensible. I was more than satisfied to know that Jack had finally and at last been awarded his Admiral's flag at the end of the 20th installment of this wonderful multi-volume novel. In fact, at the time of O'Brian's death I noted to friends that the series could not have ended on of finer note. Now we have this. It offends the memory of O'Brian and all those who love his work. Note: my one star is simply to acknowledge an adequate afterword by Richard Snow; although I suppose if he'd been someone of real character he would not have associated himself with this project. A waste of money and time. We would be better off re-reading the first 20.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: I believe fans will be terribly disappointed by the last of the series. The three chapters do little to advance the story; the descriptions are colorless, and the dialogue is flat. It is a mere caricature of the first twenty books. The only thing clear is that O'Brian made significant changes between his first draft and the last.

As his handwriting is unreadable, the publisher shoould have added a transcription of all the text. As the first 20 books were a joy, this was a labor.



Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT, BUT...
Review: I had just finished the 20th novel yesterday, BLUE AT THE MIZZEN, and then read this book, which came out just in time for me to finish THE AUBREYIAD.

The book has both a copy of the handwritten manuscript, and a typed up version of the work that O'Brian was able to revise before he died. The manuscript has more of the story that O'Brian didn't have time to revise, so about 5 pages are only found in manuscript form, and they aren't typed up. I really wish that the publisher had typed up these last 5 pages of the manuscript, because some of the manuscript is unreadable. The untyped manscript covers a duel, and would really make excellent reading. I'm afraid I don't have Dr. Maturin's ability to decode.

Rating:
Summary: Bittersweet Coda to Aubrey/Maturin Literary Sagas
Review: I have conflicting emotions about "21". While I am delighted to read these few opening fragments of what a 21st novel in the superb Aubrey/Maturin saga would have been like, with Jack Aubrey now finally a rear-admiral, and Stephen Maturin, his always erudite political, medical and natural history advisor, I do feel a little cheated reading this unfinished segment (Here we see Jack take command of a small squadron destined for an African adventure somewhere along the continent's west coast, probably in pursuit of slavers.). It would have been better for the publisher to have found someone who could have written a credible novel from O'Brian's opening chapters and possible fragments elsewhere, much in the same manner in which the late British musicologist Deryck Cooke successfully "completed" Gustav Mahler's 10th Symphony, than to publish "21" replete with Patrick O'Brian's beautiful - yet difficult to read - scripted prose. At best, this tiny coda offers an intriguing insight into O'Brian's ability to write well first drafts, but nonetheless, this was undoubtedly a draft he would have corrected substantially later had he lived. And yet fans of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin will undoubtedly be pleased to see one final glimpse of them as envisioned in the fertile mind and imagination and gifted prose of the late Patrick O'Brian.

Rating:
Summary: A Happy Final Voyage
Review: I know there has been controversy over the release of this unfinished work, but too sound completely selfish I am so glad to have it.

To see how Mr O'Brian worked through his drafts to a final story is fascinating. Yes, it will take some work to read the manuscript pages, but it's a treasure hunt, not a drudgery in my mind.

If you read and enjoyed the first 20 books, you will want this one; the characters are all present, the humor is there and it's a glorious last taste of the genius that was Patrick O'Brian.

Rating:
Summary: Bittersweet
Review: It is easy to find fault with the presentation. I agree with the earlier reviews that it would have been much better to have the final few pages typed out. The publisher's reason for not doing so is a crock. I never read these books because of the "art" (although I am amazed at the level craft, skill and beauty of the work that POB did over the years) I read them for the story of the world and friendship of Aubrey and Maturin.

21, like all the previous novels in this series, transported me to that world and immersed me in it. I was grateful for a last glimpse into a world that, while I can and will revisit from time-to-time, will never be new and unexplored again. Patrick O'Brian was a master and we'll be lucky indeed if we ever see his like again.

Rating:
Summary: Buyer beware
Review: It is, perhaps, a tribute to Patrick O'Brien ... or at least to his market value ... that this edition of his last novel should be released. `Novel' is a bit of an exaggeration. This is an unfinished, incomplete piece of work, the last manuscript on which O`Brien was working at the time of his death. O'Brien's untitled novel was intended to carry forward the story of Jack Aubrey, now elevated to the rank of Rear Admiral.

What you get is a series of incomplete story notes. Fascinating reading, maybe, for the genuine fan. Or an interesting read for anyone concerned to understand how the mind of a novelist works. You get, literally, a pen picture of a work-in-hand - facsimile images of his writing and crossing outs, his experiments with plot and character, scribbled images, notes, and an insight into how a novel is put together. Buy it if this is the sort of thing which fascinates you ... but don't imagine it's a complete story.

Rating:
Summary: Reading was bittersweet and at times frustrating!
Review: This final work of Patrick O'Brian leaves one wondering what could have been if? O'Brian's handwriting is, in places, impossible to decipher and can be frustrating. At 114 pages, many of which are blank or less than half filled, this final installment in Jack Aubrey's life at least provides closure for his quest of seeing his flag raised! I am thankful to the publisher for bringing the material to print, but this is one volume that's better borrowed from the library than purchased unless you wish to complete the set!