Flying Colours (Hornblower Saga)

In all of the Hornblower books prior to "Flying Colours" Hornblower is a hard luck Captain. Although he generally succeeds in his missions, he does so despite hard luck and bad breaks, by the sheer virtue of his intelligence and determination. Prize money has eluded him for years, he marries poorly, and he is not of high birth. The first several Hornblower novels are the tale of an officer who succeeds in spite of a long run of bad luck and hard circumstances in a merciless and unforgiving service.In Flying Colors, this all changes, and Hornblower manages to finally capitalize on his achievements and success. This is a satisfying story of a brilliant man overcoming hardship and finally getting the rewards and fame that are justly his. While this novel is not quite in the class of "Beat to Quarters," "Ship of the Line," "Hotspur" and several other of the Hornblower novels, it is nevertheless a well-written and satisfying tale. In this novel, Hornblower's life finally comes together, and even in the class-ridden British Navy, competence finally shines through and our hero gets the rewards due him. This is a fine novel that anyone will enjoy, and Hornblower afficianados must not miss.

It is difficult to put this series of novels down. I anxiously go from one novel in the series to the next and each one seems to be better than the last. In this novel Captain Hornblower spends a great deal of time ashore so in addition to some life at sea and some great sea battles there is also a shore adventure that is also exciting.

It was with the greatest pleasure that I finished this chapter in H.H.'s saga. As usual the writing and plot draw you on relentlessly page after page. Indeed, just the experience of reading of it can be compared to "rounding the Horn"! With heroic battles, plots, delightful twists, sparkling prose and insightful humanity, the characters move from the frictional to flesh and blood. A truly satisfying read.

Flying Colours is the most introspective of the Hornblower novels. For those who want to understand who Hornblower really is, this book is probably the most revealing in the Hornblower series. Unlike the other stories which contain lots of naval action at sea, this book occurs mostly on the land of Spain and France, and the rivers of France. As a result, those who like the Hornblower novels for their battles and action will find this book to be one of the least satisfying in the series.We all know ourselves best when we face problems. After the many successes in his career, Captain Hornblower ended up in Ship of the Line fighting an impossible battle between his ship, the Sutherland, and four French vessels. Taking horrible casualties, Hornblower struck his colours and surrendered at the end of that book. Flying Colours opens with Hornblower in a Spanish prison, with the expectation that he will be tried and executed for having flown French colours as camouflage to aid an attack. His wife, Maria, is pregnant in England. Hornblower also yearns for Lady Barbara Leighton, the wife of his admiral, whom readers met in Beat to Quarters and saw again in the beginning of Ship of the Line. Hornblower is in despair as he visits the dying and imprisoned sailors who are in the same garrison. Many troubling questions go through Hornblower's mind. How well will he face death before a firing squad? Will his weak body betray him? His first lieutenant, William Bush, is also to be tried. At the end of Ship of the Line, Bush lost the lower part of one leg. Will Bush survive the injury and trial? What will happen to his wife and unborn child after he is dead?Can he resist sweet temptation, when it is offered?Can he escape death by firing squad?Even if he escapes, how can he hope to be exonerated in a court martial for losing the Sutherland? Captains aren't supposed to surrender their vessels, no matter how badly damaged. If he escapes the court martial, how will he handle being in love with Lady Barbara while being an unhappily married man with a new baby? Will he ever have a chance to command a vessel again?Anyone who has ever known self-doubt will find Hornblower's trauma realistic and refreshing. He becomes more like an ordinary person with normal feelings in this book. As a result, I found Hornblower to be much more appealing here than when his brilliant intellect guided him to smooth success in the earlier books. Eventually, Hornblower finds himself wanting in many of these regards . . . but moves on. Ultimately, he faces new satisfactions and disappointments that indicate to him that his idealistic, perfectionist view of the world is a flawed one. Everyone else is merely human as well. Hornblower is deeply disappointed. Forester raises an interesting point in the novel. There are real heroes in the book. These people are true to themselves and have total integrity. Public adulation will never be theirs, however. On the other hand, the world needs heroes . . .

My favorite of the Hornblower series. Both a good look at the character development of Hornblower and Bush, and a great sea yarn. As with many other reviewers of this series, I have been through it several times. First read Hornblower as the 3-volume single book "Captain Horatio Hornblower" in high school. It includes Beat to Quarters, Ship of the Line and Flying Colours, and I suggest that new readers start with these 3 and then go back to Midshipman Hornblower and read the rest of the series in chronological order. These are great books for action and sea lore, but also interesting for the introspection into the psychology of warrors and conduct in battle.