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The Letter of Marque

By Patrick O’Brian
Series: Aubrey-Maturin
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Letter of Marque by Patrick O’Brian is a thrilling naval adventure where Jack Aubrey, having lost his naval command, becomes a privateer using the letter of marque. With the help of his friend Stephen Maturin, he aims to restore his reputation and honour while navigating dangerous seas and complex political intrigues. The story combines elements of crime and suspense with maritime warfare, delivering a gripping narrative.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate tales of high-seas adventure, intricate espionage, and richly developed characters. Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, it expertly blends historical detail with gripping suspense, making for an engaging read that will captivate fans of maritime thrillers.

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The Letter of Marque

Jack Aubrey has been struck off the Navy List for a crime he did not commit. With his friend, an unofficial British intelligence agent, Maturin, he sets out on his old ship the Surprise as a 'private man-of-war', on a voyage which if successful might prove his innocence.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. All eighteen books are being re-issued in hardback by HarperCollins with stunning new jackets to coincide with a new film based on the adventures and to introduce these modern classics to a new generation.

Jack Aubrey is a naval officer, a post-captain of experience and capacity. When The Letter of Marque opens, he has been struck off the Navy List for a crime he has not committed. With Aubrey is his friend and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also an unofficial British intelligence agent. Maturin has bought for Aubrey his old ship the Surprise, so that the misery of ejection from the service can be palliated by the command of what Aubrey calls a 'private man-of-war' — a letter of marque, a privateer.

Together they sail on a voyage which, if successful, might restore Aubrey to the rank, and the raison d'être, whose loss he so much regrets.

Around these simple, ostensibly familiar elements, Patrick O'Brian has written a novel of great narrative power, exploring his extraordinary world once more, in a tale full of human feeling and rarely matched in its drama.

Series: Aubrey-Maturin

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Letter of Marque by Patrick O'Brian is highly praised for its vivid storytelling and depth of characterisation, with some reviewers comparing O'Brian to Homer. The book is celebrated for its engaging narrative set during the Napoleonic Wars and regarded as a standout work within its genre. Readers often highlight the author's ability to illuminate maritime life with remarkable accuracy and sympathetic character portrayal, making it a must-read for fans of historical novels.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780006499275

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 July 1997

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: HarperCollins

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 180g

Pages: 336

Collections

Crime & Thriller Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction Patrick O’Brian Series: Aubrey-Maturin

About the Author

Patrick O'Brian is the author of the acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin tales and the biographer of Joseph Banks and Picasso. His first novel, Testimonies, and his Collected Short Stories have recently been reprinted by HarperCollins. He translated many works from French into English, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir and the first volume of Jean Lacouture's biography of Charles de Gaulle. 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 was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by Trinity College, Dublin. He died in January 2000 at the age of 85.

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