Customer Reviews

Lieutenant Hornblower

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Here is the series order: Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, Lieutenant Hornblower, Hornblower and the Hotspur, Hornblower During the Crisis, Hornblower and the Atropos, Beat to Quarters, Ship of the Line, Flying Colours, Commodore Hornblower, Lord Hownblower, Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies. The other titles you'll see are different 3-in-1-cover combinations of the above titles, though not always in series order (go figure), Cadet versions of the same titles above by different titles (REALLY go figure), and companion books.

Lieutenant Hornblower is not a novel that should be read in isolation. It was originally published in the early 50s after the success of earlier, although chronologically later, Hornblower books and a movie. Forester's purpose was to show the development of the character of Hornblower while providing a good sea story in itself. He succeeded on both accounts.

Lieutenant Hornblower is set in 1803, several years after Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. We are told nothing of what has occurred to Hornblower in years preceding the book. Lieutenant Hornblower is seen through the eyes of Lieutenant William Bush, a brother officer, who although slightly senior comes increasingly to look to Hornblower for leadership. Although initially distrusting, Bush sees greatness in Hornblower and the two develop a strong friendship. Bush is portrayed as a dull, stodgy and not too bright English career naval officer. He is also a very decent man and solid friend. One is reminded of the friendship between Holmes and Watson and Conan Doyle's device; which was to make Holmes appear more brilliant by making Watson appear to be slow. In fact, I could imagine a young Basil Rathbone and a young Nigel Bruce playing the Hornblower and Bush roles.

As the novel runs its course, the two men overcome a mad captain, a Spanish fort, an attempt by prisoners to overtake the ship, a night in the fleshpots of the Caribbean, a court of inquiry, and perhaps most challenging of all, peace. Forester skillfully develops Hornblower's character while creating some unanswered questions. Was Hornblower responsible for the mad captain's downfall? What was the relationship between Hornblower and the servant girl in London? We learn more about Hornblower but mystery is maintained, perhaps even enhanced.

One of the most important things that we learn about Hornblower is that while he is a brilliant warrior, he is also highly aware of war's cost. Hornblower is a reluctant warrior but when driven to fight, he does his duty magnificently. Written as it was shortly after the end of World War II, one can see that Forester was striking a chord in both Britain and the United States. The men of the RN and USN would be the legitimate descendants of Horatio Hornblower.

Like Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, Lieutenant Hornblower does not reach its climax with a battle scene. Instead the climax is a game of wist. During peacetime, Hornblower is reduced to playing wist to survive and must gamble his limited resources to stay afloat. Britons must have been able to relate strongly to this post war poverty. Americans conversely could recognize the gambling scene from any number of westerns. As always, Forester is able to meet the conflicting demands of both British and American readers.

Young Mr. Gruffudd makes a marvelous performance and his well trained acting abilities pour through with astounding affect! He slides easily in and out of characters and accents. There's never a break to make one lose the feel and atmosphere of the story. And, he delivers the story surely as real as C.S. Forester could have dreamed it! One need only to close ones eyes and be taken back into the days of Horatio Hornblower!

As a long-time fan of the Hornblower series, I had not read Lieutenant Hornblower for many years. Imagine my surprise upon rereading this outstanding book when I discovered that Lieutenant Hornblower is a remarkable primer on management!

If you have not yet read Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, I strongly urge you to read that book before starting Lieutenant Hornblower. Lieutenant Hornblower is written from the perspective of one of Hornblower's superior officers, a senior lieutenant named William Bush. Bush is a master at getting a ship to perform under all circumstances, but has placed little emphasis on how to defeat the enemy. Without the background of Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, I'm afraid you will miss some of the nuances of what the author is suggesting in the book.

The book opens with Hornblower as the newest and most junior lieutenant on the Renown, a British ship of war about to head off on a lengthy cruise to parts as not yet disclosed. Captain Sawyer immediately begins accusing his lieutenants and midshipmen of conspiring to undermine his authority. At the same time, Captain Sawyer cannot do enough for his crew, including extra grog rations. Discipline is rapidly diminishing. What's a young lieutenant to do with a captain who isn't getting the job done? You will find the story fascinating if you imagine being a newly appointed general manager of a small division in a company where the CEO is running the firm into the ground. If the firm goes down, so do you!

Later, the ship finds itself under difficult orders, orders which if followed in the usual way will lead to death, destruction, and failure. What do you do now as a junior person in the situation? You certainly cannot dictate . . . but perhaps you might tactfully suggest alternatives. This circumstance recurs in the novel, and I draw your attention to the adroit way that Hornblower combines respect, a sense of his place, and timely suggestions to provide the same leadership that he might have applied as captain.

Students of game theory will also be fascinated by the ways that Mr. Forester included those kinds of concepts into the decisions that Hornblower makes.

In the end of the book, Hornblower has fallen on hard times. How he responds is a lesson to us all. He sees adversity as a temporary setback that will be redressed in due time by a shift in circumstances to match the underlying odds, not unlike sticking to good strategy for winning at cards. A strategy may not always win, but an effective one will win more often than not and will be profitable to pursue (such as card-counting in playing blackjack).

Hornblower also finds himself the potential beneficiary of kindness from friends. You will be interested to see how he is affected and how he responds.

Lead from wherever you are!

It's hard to write an objective review of Lieutenant Hornblower, chronologically the second novel in Forester's epic saga. Put simply, this was the book that addicted me to Horatio Hornblower and condemned to spend a small fortune acquiring the entire series.

This tells the tale of Horatio's first real mission. He is assigned to the Renown, a ship of the line destined to fight Napoleon in the Caribbean. It is here that Horatio really begins to distinguish himself -- helping his crew deal with a mad captain, then leading them into the teeth of a powerful Spanish presence in Haiti. We see his decisiveness, his daring and his courage -- as well as his darker side.

This book is cunningly different from others in the series in that Hornblower is not the main character. Rather, we see him through Lieutenant Bush -- destined to become one of Horatio's closest companions. At first, Hornblower seems distant and aloof. With Bush, we question his abilities and courage. And like Bush, we quickly see Horatio's heroism and intelligence. And it ends with a flourish that will have you scrambling to amazon to buy the next volume.

Once again, I must deduct a little bit for Forester's occasionally opaque description of the working of a ship of the line. But most of the time, he makes the action clear as crystal. During the most intense rivetting action scenes, I was never confused as to what was going on.

This is where the Hornblower series really takes off. Don't even hesitate to buy it.

In this book Lieutenant Hornblower finds himself on a ship with a paranoid captain and a crew unfit for duty. But soon the ship finds itself under fire from heated shot, in a battle with Spanish prisoners (many of them women) and Hornblower comes out as a energy filled man of action (who still gets seasick). But right when things look great and it looks like Hornblower is about to go like a rocket up the chain of command the war ends. Oh, the horror. But don't worry, it always looks darkest before the dawn.

(If you like the Hornblower series, make sure to look for books on naval history. Lots of good ones out there.)

Lieutenant Hornblower is definitely one of the best books in C.S. Forrester's classic series! Set aboard the 74 gun ship of the line Renown, we see a Hornblower that is only apparent in this book. He still young enough to be the boyish hero, but with a maturity that gives him a presence that everyone from the lowest seaman to the highest admiral recognizes and respects. We see the birth of the lifelong friendship that forms between the loyal lieutenant William Bush and Hornblower. Bush outranks him, and is initially suspicious of our brilliant young hero, but soon grows to respect and like him as their captain's madness threatens the ship. This novel is unique in the Hornblower saga as it is told entirely from the perspective of Bush. This prevents the reader from having to listen to all the self doubt that plagues poor Horatio, which can get rather annoying after you've read 10 books of it. I wouldn't recommend starting with this book, as it is set between Mr. Midshipman Hornblower and Hornblower and the Hotspur. Follow a loyal reader's advice, and start with one of the Captain books. But, definitely read this one as soon as you can. The battles, the scenery, and even the characters are described in Forrester's typical fashion, in deep detail. The details really make the novel come to life. I would also recommend seeing the excellent Horatio Hornblower movies done by A&E. The Welsh actor who portrays Hornblower, Ioan Gruffudd, does an absolutely amazing job. See the movies, it doesn't matter whether you've read the books or not. Start these books when you've got a lot of free time, because I guarantee that you won't be able to put them down!

C. S. Forester wrote many novels, including "The African Queen," but is best known for the successful Hornblower series. The novels were written out of order and, in this novel, Forester stepped back to fill in the details of Hornblower's service as a lieutenant. This is the novel where he first meets Bush, who figures prominantly in other novels in the series (up through "Lord Hornblower" where Bush is killed).

The story is well known, although the latest motion picture (made for TV) series changed the details. Hornblower and Bush are serving under a somewhat sadistic captain, until the captain falls down a hatchway, is disabled, and later is conveniently killed. Hornblower is given the chance to distinguish himself, and plays a major role in carrying out the ship's successful mission. He survives when others fall.

Hornblower is given a field commission as Commander but, alas, the Peace of Amiens brings a temporary end to the war, and his commission is not confirmed. He finds himself on the beach as a half-pay lieutenant under stoppages, supporting himself as a whist player.

It is his ability at whist that puts him in the right place at the right time, and leads to the next novel in the series, "Hornblower and the Hotspur." This is also when he meets the woman who will become his first wife.

Forester was an exceptional writer, particularly when filling in Hornblower's early career after the fact. Most of his novels were about naval warfare, although "The General," "Rifleman Dodd," and "The Gun" were about land warfare. "The African Queen" was a somewhat unique book, taking place during World War I, mostly on a river - it was a popular motion picture.

Hornblower is as valiant and human as ever in this book. His involvement in the carribean campaign lets his true worth shine to all. It is also a dark chapter in the life of the hero though, as he faces a possible life of never being in the service of his country as a sailor again. Yet, Lieutenant Hornblower is an excellent book in the series. Lieutenant Hornblower differs from its predicessor in that the view has changed from Hornblower himself to his shipmate and friend, lieutenant Bush. But what Bush sees in Hornblower is completely satisfying to the readers view of the hero of the story. Forester has a magnificent writing style that leads the reader to subtle, yet poignant observations of the characters and plot. He is never so rude to address difficult subjects without a tremendous amount of tact and honor. His knowledge of the sea and life therein is impeccable. His knowledge of human nature is similarly trustworthy and completely satisfying from cover to cover

This book in the Hornblower series gives us the opportunity to observe Lieutenant Hornblower through the eyes of Lieutenant William Bush. Bush's perspective on Hornblower allows us to see some of why Hornblower is so able to advance in his naval career. Horblower's "moral and physical courage" make him attractive to his fellow naval officers and most likely this is what attracts the reader to Hornblower as well. Throughout the book we see Hornblower's courageous initiative mingled with his great respect for authority. He always knows just what to say to his commanding officers to move them in the right direction and he knows just how to say it so as not to usurp their authority or show disrespect. In the closing chapters we are also able to see that Hornblower is not simply a risk-taker when engaged in naval battle, but it is a part of his character in all situations and he always faces those risks with courage.

I have now read Mr. Midshipman Hornblower and Lieutenant Hornblower - next up, Hornblower and the Hotspur.

If you have seen the A&E video series based on this book, you will find that there is quite a difference in the ending. I found the mutiny resolution to be much more satisfactory in the book.