The Reverse of the Medal (Aubrey/Maturin Novels, 11) (Book 11)

Above all else, Patrick O'Brian is a patient writer. It is absolutely astonishing how slowly and carefully he is willing to develop his stories, amazing now when we have all of his books before us, and even more amazing when they were written, when he took years to bring plot details to fruition. Those who have not read this books would be absolutely stunned to discover their true nature. Before I had read these books, I had assumed they were nautical slugfests, thick with the smoke of battle and the stench of gunpowder. Yet in this, one of the best books in the series, there is next to no fighting, at least of the naval kind. The book is broken roughly into two parts. The first contains the final leg of what is anticipated to be the final voyage of H.M.S. Surprise before she is to be either broken up or sold by the British navy. Though still one of the finest sailing ships in the navy, she is underpowered compared to other ships of the line, and her timbers will not allow the fitting of heavier guns. She spends the last part of her career as a British ship chasing an American privateer, only just failing to capture her. The second half of the novel takes place upon the return of Jack and Stephen to England. Jack hopes to buy the Surprise, and after receiving a stock tip by a mysterious individual who offers him a ride to London upon his arrival in England, he firmly believes that he is about to come into a very great deal of money, and being the generous soul that he is, he quickly shares the stock tip with all of his friends. But he soon discovers that the tip was actually a ploy by the political enemies of his Radical father, and he finds himself hauled before the law for stock market fraud. Meanwhile, Stephen is, with one exception, hardly faring better. He returns to London to discover that his wife Diana has left him and that his lodgings have burned down to the ground. Furthermore, the secret service that he loves and serves is being undermined by nefarious undertakings, and perhaps even by treason that extends as high as the cabinet. And despite his most ardent exertions, he is unable to prevent Jack from being found guilty before the law and sentenced to a stiff fine and being pilloried, though the latter provides the occasion for one of the most remarkable scenes in the entire series, as Jack's fellow seamen and officers congregate en masse at the scene of his shame, preventing others from pelting him or even getting a good look at him, while cheering him. The novel ends with Jack being removed from the active list of serving commanders, suffering the horrendous shame of being booted from the navy he so dearly loves. All would be despair except for one result of the lone big of good fortune that Stephen experienced: his exceedingly wealthy Spanish patron died and left the bulk of his enormous estate to Stephen. With his newfound riches, Stepehen buys the Surprise and outfits her with a Letter of Marque, installing his friend Jack

Some critics have referred to the Aubrey/Maturin books as one long novel united not only by their historical setting but also by the central plot element of the Aubrey/Maturin friendship. Having read these fine books over a period of several years, I decided to evaluate their cumulative integrity by reading them consecutively in order of publication over a period of a few weeks. This turned out to be a rewarding enterprise. For readers unfamiliar with these books, they describe the experiences of a Royal Navy officer and his close friend and traveling companion, a naval surgeon. The experiences cover a broad swath of the Napoleonic Wars and virtually the whole globe. Rereading all the books confirmed that O'Brian is a superb writer and that his ability to evoke the past is outstanding. O'Brian has numerous gifts as a writer. He is the master of the long, careful description, and the short, telling episode. His ability to construct ingenious but creditable plots is first-rate, probably because he based much of the action of his books on actual events. For example, some of the episodes of Jack Aubrey's career are based on the life of the famous frigate captain, Lord Cochrane. O'Brian excels also in his depiction of characters. His ability to develop psychologically creditable characters through a combination of dialogue, comments by other characters, and description is tremendous. O'Brien's interest in psychology went well beyond normal character development, some books contain excellent case studies of anxiety, depression, and mania. Reading O'Brien gives vivid view of the early 19th century. The historian Bernard Bailyn, writing of colonial America, stated once that the 18th century world was not only pre-industrial but also pre-humanitarian (paraphrase). This is true as well for the early 19th century depicted by O'Brien. The casual and invariable presence of violence, brutality, and death is a theme running through all the books. The constant threats to life are the product not only of natural forces beyond human control, particularly the weather and disease, but also of relative human indifference to suffering. There is nothing particularly romantic about the world O'Brien describes but it also a certain grim grandeur. O'Brien also shows the somewhat transitional nature of the early 19th century. The British Navy and its vessals were the apogee of what could be achieved by pre-industrial technology. This is true both of the technology itself and the social organization needed to produce and use the massive sailing vessals. Aubrey's navy is an organization reflecting its society; an order based on deference, rigid hierarchy, primitive notions of honor, favoritism, and very, very corrupt. At the same time, it was one of the largest and most effective bureaucracies in human history to that time. The nature of service exacted great penalities for failure in a particularly environment, and great success was rewarded greatl

After years of encouragement from my father, I finally began to read the Aubrey/Maturin series last winter. As I finished each book, he would say "wait until you get to Reverse of the Medal." Now that I have just turned its last page, which came all too quickly, I know what he meant. "The Reverse of the Medal" is heartbreakingly heroic and one of the best stories I have ever read.Several reviews here give praise to the ending. I will go further and say it rivals the best 50 pages to be found in any masterpiece you could put forth. When Aubrey is led to the pillory, to be publicly humiliated, his spiritual rescue by his fellow Naval officers and his devoted crew is tense and extremely moving. I could hardly believe I was reading a modern writer. Great books and movies are defined by certain moments that fulfill a yearning for the triumph of Spirit or Truth or Love. The emotional cheer at the pillory and Stephen's subsequent meetings with Duhamel, the French agent, are two of these perfect artistic moments that say to anyone ready and open for the experience, yes, this is what life is about and what friendship for your fellow Man should be.This is what great literature, great art, does. It changes you. So do yourself a favor: ignore the multitude of self-help books. Pass by the latest celebrity biography or expose. Dismiss the soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture-or-mini-series pulp.If you read one thing during the rest of your lifetime, let it be these novels by O'Brian. It will alter your molecules, your view of life itself.

The late Patrick O'Brian had absolutely no peer when it came to sea stories. He knew his subject inside and out. For example, here's a passage that demonstrates his knowledge of the square-rig and sailing:"'Man the fore clew-garnets.'"His mind was wholly concerned with making up these lost miles, for not only had the Spartan gained this flying start, but the Surprise's former gain was now so much handicap. The first high gusts reached the frigate's royals and skysails: she swung round: she gathered steerage-way, and as the sun went down, turning her nascent wake blood-red, he began to make sail. Hitherto she had been beating up, with an array of sharply-braced square sails and staysails reaching almost to the sky; now she was to have the breeze on her quarter, or very near, and he set studdingsails aloft and alow, with a ringtail to the driver, bonnets, of course, and save-alls under the studdingsails and even the driver boom, brought the foretack to the cathead with a passaree, cast off the maintack and hauled the weather-clew of the maincourse to the yard." (page 97-98)O'Brian was not simply making up those archaic terms. He was describing actual procedures and using real ship's nomenclature of the day. For the non-sailor, to whom the terminology might as well be in Greek, his main point is plain. There was a chase on. He was clearly using every trick in the book. For the knowledgeable sailor, it is sheer delight to read.In this story, replete with London politics, intrigue and espionage, the heroic Captain Jack Aubrey innocently runs afoul of the law thrrough an ill-advised investment scheme, and is disgraced and humiliated by being punished on the pillory. The ensuing adventure gives O'Brian's brilliant characterization and often beautiful prose full play.That Patrick O'Brian was prolific in no way detracts from the quality of his work. Each story is a masterpiece. He demonstrates a marvelous insight into human emotions, and engages you with his characters, showing their weaknesses and strengths; in short, making them come to life.I have never read any author who so skillfully caught me and addicted me to his stories. He was a true master.Joseph Pierre, Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity

I find Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series a challenge to read, albeit an excellent, well-connected long novel. I could not put down the eleventh in the series, The Reverse of the Medal, once I began it. Although most of this book occurs on land, where Captain Jack Aubrey is naive and awkward, O'Brian exploits this: the force of the plot is as strong as the earliest, more typically naval stories in the saga. The climax brought tears to my eyes, and the last chapter's denouement evoked a cheer for Maturin and his dear friend. I went right to the Web to order the next two novels.