The French Admiral [Hardcover]

Dewey Lambdin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 1990

Alan Lewrie is a scandalous young rake whose amorous adventures ashore lead to his being shipped off to the Navy. Lewrie finds that he is a born sailor, although life at sea is a stark contrast to the London social whirl to which he had become accustomed. As his career advances, he finds the life of a naval officer suits him.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This second novel in a new sea adventure series continues the story of Alan Lewrie, the reluctant British midshipman. This time, Alan finds himself involved in the battle of Yorktown during the American Revolution. His unhappiness with the Royal Navy also begins to be replaced by a sense of dedication and duty. The story is technically correct and historically accurate, but sea genre fans will be disappointed that so much of the action takes place on land. Though Lewrie observes the battle of the Chesapeake, he is on duty with the defenders of Yorktown and barely sees his ship during half the novel. Still, this is an excellent and exciting adventure in what promises to be the best naval series since C.S. Forester. Recommended for public libraries.
- C. Robert Nixon, M.L.S., Lafayette, Ind.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A grand satisfying yarn. . . . Series fans as well as newcomers will relish Lambdin’s unerring depiction of . . . late-18th century life." -- Publishers Weekly

"Fast moving at sea . . . a hugely likeable hero, a huge cast of sharply drawn supporting characters; there’s nothing missing. Wonderful." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Lewrie is a marvelous creation . . . a voyage filled with historically authentic characters and events, realistically drawn naval action…" -- James L. Nelson, author of the Brethren of the Coast Trilogy

I am an enormous fan of the informed, superbly witty adventures of Dewey Lambdin`s Alan Lewrie. -- Gregory McDonald, author of Fletch --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 414 pages
• Publisher: Donald I. Fine (May 21, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556112084
• ISBN-13: 978-1556112089
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 5.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,334,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dewey Lambdin is the author of fourteen previous Alan Lewrie novels. A member of the U.S. Naval Institute and a Friend of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, he spends his free time working and sailing (he's been a sailor since 1976). He makes his home in Nashville, Tennessee, but would much prefer Margaritaville or Murrell's Inlet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best book of a great series., April 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: French Admiral/The (Mass Market Paperback)

Lambdin's flawed hero is always exciting and matures quite a deal in this novel. Great excitement and true to the rough nature of the American Revolution. While this book is now only available in libraries and used book stores, the back cover of one of his more recent novels stated that it will be rereleased in fall 1999. Don't miss it.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the series; can't get the book!, November 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: French Admiral/The (Mass Market Paperback)

I am an old salt and a devoted reader of O'brian, Nelson, Marryat, Forester, etc. I have read Lambdin's first Alan Lewrie novel, The King's Coat and thoroughly enjoyed it. I bought the rest of the series - all but the second, The French Admiral, in which a major adversary is introduced. For some unexplained reason, the publisher has failed to republish this single book in the series. I am now attempting to locate a copy because I wish to read the series in order.It is a major absence in the highly engaging narrative and in the development of the fascinating characters!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better and better . . ., May 7, 2004

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The French Admiral (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures) (Paperback)

This is the second installment in what is developing into quite an enjoyable naval series. In _The King's_ Coat, Alan Lewrie, an illegitimate sixteen-year-old London rakehell, was essentially forced into going to sea in 1779 as a midshipman after being framed by his moneygrubbing father and his two half-siblings. He had a very rocky start in his new career but was beginning to learn his trade and had made a few friends, as well as more than a few enemies. He had also managed to come to the notice of at least two men of note, and well-placed interest was always paramount in advancing one's naval future. And there was the gorgeous young Lucy Beauman in Antiqua to whom he began paying court. Now it's two years since he left England and the rebellion in America is drawing to a close, buoyed by incompetence on the part of the British army and navy. And in the process, Alan finds himself trapped like a rat with Cornwallis at Yorktown. He escapes the disaster, partly through chance, partly through the aid of some Loyalist militia, and partly through his own intelligence and unexpected competence. By the end of the book, his future has improved in several important ways, both professionally and personally, and he has become a harder sort of person than he was at the beginning. And there's a new love interest, whether he wants to think so or not. Lambdin offers a welcome antidote to the rather proper style of Hornblower and even Audrey -- his sailors swear fulsomely, his protagonists can be just as narrowminded as anyone else in their society -- but he certainly knows his naval lore. And just when you're settling in to an adventurous episode, something horrible happens to remind you of just how bloody a true civil war the glorious American Revolution really was.