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The Happy Return
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
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The Happy Return
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Summary
Exclusively from Audible
The year is 1808 and somewhere off the coast of Nicaragua, C.S. Forester's hero returns, ready to embark on his next swashbuckling adventure.
The fifth instalment in the series, The Happy Return follows Captain Horatio Hornblower as he commands the thirty-six-gun frigate, HMS Lydia. Sent out on a mission to weaken the colonial Spanish government, Horatio must form an alliance with a narcissistic revolutionary leader with delusions of grandeur, who goes by the name of 'El Supremo'.
Simultaneously faced with an advancing Spanish fleet and their far superior fifty-gun ship, Natividad, Horatio must find a way to 'take, sink, burn or destroy' his enemies or fail and be made to face the British courts. Adding insult to injury, Horatio is furthermore challenged by the arrival of a singularly attractive passenger, the influential Lady Barbara Wellesley. Vulnerable, alone and seeking passage to England, Horatio cannot refuse the lady, but as a happily married man, he finds himself tortured by Barbara's tempting nature and astounding beauty.
An English novelist, C.S. Forester was highly praised by his contemporaries for his Napoleonic naval warfare series, and later for the publication of The African Queen.
Despite his natural ability and endless imagination, Forester came to writing much later than expected. Having originally studied medicine at Guy's Hospital, it was only after his travels with the Royal Navy that he was artistically inspired, developing in particular, a fervent love of story-telling. Sadly stricken with arteriosclerosis whilst voyaging to the Bering Sea, C.S. Forester was crippled in his later life, but his imagination and his skill with a pen survived for years to come.
Narrator Biography
Christian Rodska is an English television and voice actor best known for his role in the 1970s series Follyfoot.
From The Monuments Men and The Eagle of the Ninth to The Likely Lads, Z Cars, The Tomorrow People, Coronation Street, Bergerac and Casualty, his extensive and diverse acting career has led him to become a highly solicited radio and audiobook narrator.
He has now voiced over 150 unabridged audiobooks including Winston Churchill's biographies, Evelyn Waugh's Men at Arms and Sebastian Faulks' A Possible Life. He has been praised for his ability to vary in vocal pace and style and as such, Christian boasts 12 Earphone Awards from Audiofile Magazine.
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What listeners say about The Happy Return
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Nicola
- 18-09-20
Another good read
This book delves further into Hornblower's lack of confidence in his abilities whilst by his actions he shows how clever he is. Brilliant.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Clive Willet
- 09-10-20
A Sudden Stop!
A very good story excellently told. As with other Hornblower stories there is the’ Pitch and Toss’ of the sea is mirrored in this saga.
I have enjoyed the travails of Captain Hornblower, in this episode. It does finish rather abruptly.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ian H
- 31-10-15
Masterful
Possibly the best in the series. Contains the dramatic action of the contest between the Lydia and the Natividad.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. Anthony D. Bateman
- 06-08-18
childhood memories
Having seen the Gregory Peck film aged about ten, my infatuation for the ship's of the like of the Lydia and by recourse the Napoleonic era began. my mother purchased several of Forester's books and now almost 50yrs on I revel in my listening of the masters works again. I am also a fan of Christian Rodska, who's narration has led me to other novels and authors. an excellent boys own adventure for we boys never grow up, and to my 1st of 6 granddaughters whose name is Lydia.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dr Caterpillar
- 08-08-16
Delivers
Would you consider the audio edition of The Happy Return to be better than the print version?
I haven't read the print version. If I did, I would choose Kindle, because then I could instantly look up all the nautical terms. As it was, I consulted Wikipedia a few times.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Hornblower himself - although a friend of mine says his self doubts become very annoying after a while.
I liked Wellesley's sister too, and her relationship with Hornblower.
What about Christian Rodska’s performance did you like?
He's a one man cast. He has a great set of easily recognisable voices, including a credible Spanish accent, and very clear diction.
Amusingly, given how effortless his reading of the text is, he appears to struggle with the chapter numbers.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No.
Any additional comments?
If you've never read/listened to a Hornblower story, they are pretty much what you'd expect, done very well.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- VNHSUMMERS
- 25-07-15
Hornblower
The forerunner of all the later naval writers and still eminently readable. Highly recommended read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Richard Coutts
- 29-06-23
As usual excellent!
This story has been brilliantly written by CS Forester and this audible book read by the skilful and warm Christian Rodska who seems to capture every awkward voice and intonation effortlessly. I’m again impressed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Grace
- 12-12-18
Cracking
Perfect narration and a totally engrossing story. Opened my eyes to what all the Hornblower fuss is about. Loved every moment, very visual and visceral. You get a good idea of the conditions of those press ganged into hardship in the navy but really you can set aside any compassionate liberal views for a while. It's from the viewpoint of the leaders ; responsibility, decency, fairness and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. A real rip snorter
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew Morris
- 03-12-22
Excellent Story
Excellent story full of adventure. C.S. Forester at his best. Expertly narrated by Christian Rodska. 5*
Looking forward to a Ship of the Line.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Roly
- 02-12-22
For the fans…
It was a pleasant surprise to begin an Hornblower that I hadn’t read (or couldn’t recall ! ) This episode reveals nuances to HH’s character and Forester intriguingly bestows him also w knowledge of literature and poetry that hadn’t emerged before !? The description of the sea battle was riveting and introducing the delightful Lady Barbara is a master stroke for the plot; El Supremo less so, but he adds an intriguing theme and broadly the revolutionary activity against the Spanish is historically correct.
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