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  • The Commodore

  • (Vol. Book 17)
  • By: Patrick O'Brian
  • Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
  • Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (513 ratings)
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The Commodore cover art

The Commodore

By: Patrick O'Brian
Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
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Summary

Having survived a long and desperate adventure in the Great South Sea, Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin return to England to very different circumstances. For Jack it is a happy homecoming, at least initially, but for Stephen it is disastrous: his little daughter appears to be autistic, incapable of speech or contact, while his wife, Diana, unable to bear this situation, has disappeared, her house being looked after by the widowed Clarissa Oakes.

Much of The Commodore takes place on land, in sitting rooms and in drafty castles, but the roar of the great guns is never far from our hearing. Aubrey and Maturin are sent on a bizarre decoy mission to the fever-ridden lagoons of the Gulf of Guinea to suppress the slave trade. But their ultimate destination is Ireland, where the French are mounting an invasion that will test Aubrey's seamanship and Maturin's resourcefulness as a secret intelligence agent.

The subtle interweaving of these disparate themes is an achievement of pure storytelling by one of our greatest living novelists.

©1994 Patrick O'Brian (P)2014 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about The Commodore

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  • Overall
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Outstanding!

These books are a treasure to anyone who loves the sea, the era and the mastery storytelling of P O’Brian

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Gold Coast story

fascination insight to the Royal Navy tackling the slave trade. the Gold Coast description is vivid

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good enough

A good story but the need to repeat earlier facts makes it a bit repetitious for the seasoned listener

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent as a,l ways.

Good stuff and a wonderful narrator.
I can feel seasick on a boating pond despite all my seafaring ancestry so much of the pleasure of PO’s work is a vivid experience of the sea.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The series continues to develop

Excellent, as always. Such an amazing and epic tour through Napoleonic era naval life. Such intrinsic knowledge of naval lore, but woven into a completely engaging yarn that you wish could go on forever.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Stephen’s Zenith

The most rewarding climax ever in any of the books that I can still remember

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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One of his better books

Well performed and very believable. One of the best books in the series. Even though towards the end of the series a good stand alone book.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great book, well read.

It was a joy as always to listen to these these books that are very well read. Although the story was interesting I thought it a bit thin compared to the other books

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Atmospheric

Flawless and creative reading of an uneven story. While profound knowledge of Napoleonic marine operation is impressive , the plot, pacing and character portrayal were all uneven.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Utterly sublime in all its parts

The genius that is Patrick O’ Brian raised to greater heights by the extraordinary narration by Ric Jerrom.

This series is the pinnacle of its genre. Naval battles and attendant lives and living all presented with accuracy so as to put you in the thick of it.

Utter bliss

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