The Greater the Honor

"The Greater the Honor" is not the ususal sailing ship book. Indeed the first 40% revolves around a U.S. naval court marshal. This is by far the best part of the book. Set in the period leading up to the war of 1812, we get another look at Decatur and his fictional officers. Decaur is a running sterio-type. Some of the fictional characters are utilized to bring out the sectionalism that afficted the United States before and during the war of 1812. Otherwise this is yet another sailing ship romp perhaps not as good as O'Brien or Forester but certainly cast in the same mold. mjc

This is a fine addition to writing on our infant Navy and it's response to the Barbary Coast pirates of 1803-04. As Age of Sail fiction, it's written more for the newcomer, rather than old salts, and would be a good book to start out with. Very good and very readable. Any writing that takes us back to our early struggles and the extraordinary sailors of that time is very welcome!

I have read all of Mr. White's books and have enjoyed them all. Mr. White has a wonderful way of taking history and making it come alive for his readers. In this his latest novel Mr. White shows us a 14 year old child who enters into naval life and we watch him grow as he and members of his ship face the Tripolitans.A great read.

White's fourth book is his best effort to date. The novel is a 'coming of age story' about a young sailor named Oliver Baldwin who signs on as a midshipman in the US Navy during the early 1800's. Historically accurate, the novel's main focus surrounds the Barbary Wars where the fledgling country, The United States of America, is defending its merchants from Mediterranean pirates.Unique to this novel is the way that White introduces young Baldwin to the trials and tribulations of life as a sailor. The various parts and names of 18th century sailing ships can cause the novice to this period shy away from these types of stories. White does an excellent job teaching the reader as Baldwin learns and grows accustomed to life aboard a naval ship. I frequently found myself fully engrossed in the story, looking over Baldwin's shoulder as he works aboard the ship, makes friends with his fellow shipmates, and fights the pirates of the Mediterranean. The novel is fast paced, and the descriptions are truly magnificent. From the sea spray in your face, to the boom of the guns, to the heat of the battle, White truly puts you in the front row seat for all the action.When the story ended, I wondered what happened to Baldwin in the rest of his life. I think White sets himself up nicely for a sequel as Baldwin grows older and wiser in the ways of as sailor and an officer in the US Navy.

Be transported back two centuries as you accompany young Oliver Baldwin as he embarks on the "road to manhood" where he begins his naval career aboard ship and under the command of Stephen Decatur en route to the Mediterranean Sea and Barbary Wars. In "The Greater the Honor," Mr. White has made history come alive with a humanity that history classes and textbooks often fail to reveal. Through Oliver Baldwin, his shipmates and other characters, factual and fictional, one can clearly see and feel the action of battle; the peacefulness of the starry sky and calmly rolling sea as witnessed from the deck during the night watch or the power of the sea during a storm; and feel the excitement, fear, anxiety, honor, glory, and maturation of the 14 year old lad from Philadelphia to the able seaman and man of honor. A great read that leaves one awaiting Mr. White's next book.