Customer Reviews

The Private Revolution of Geoffrey Frost: Being an Account of the Life and Times of Geoffrey Frost, Mariner, of Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, as ... (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England)

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

 

 

Having read a favorable review in the Washington Post, felt compelled to try the latest of the swashbucklers. I found it to be an interesting story, but hardly at the level of the Aubrey-Maturin series, or even Hornblower. More like the early Bollito novels by "Alexander Kent." Characters are about one molecule thick, and Our Hero is just way too heroic and an astonishingly perfect navigator in extremes of wind and weather. The action and story lines are plausible, and there is fine detail on the nuances of 18th century sailing ships. But, it's just TOO precious when Frost comes into possession of a chronometer, which were in extremely rare supply anywhere in the world during that period. All in all, I thought it was OK, but the next few stories need to sharpen and deepen the characters to keep my attention. I'd rather read the O'Brian series again!

Lovers of naval fiction in the days of sail are ordinarily treated to the escapades and adventures of the Royal Navy. There are exceptions but that is the general rule. Britania, after all, did rule the wave. This book does things a bit differently.

In the first place, the protagonist is an American from New Hampshire. The Brits are the "bad guys" in this book. In the second place, the time period is that of the American Revolution instead of the Napoleonic Wars. This too has been done before but it is much less common. Thirdly, the protagonist is not a naval officer but a merchant sea captain from the China trade. The facts of the revolution lead him somewhat reluctantly into a privateering career. It all combines to offer a fresher type of sea saga.

The book opens as Capt. Frost is coming home after an adventure in the Caribean. From there is slips into an extremely long flashback detailing the final days of the return journey, where a merchat ship successfully captures a British man of war, at a high cost. From there, it is time for him to consider his next adventure which leads him and his crew to attempt what normally tooks armies with siege trains: the capture of Louisbourg.

One of Fender's strengths is his familiar use not only of naval terms but of period vocabulary and syntax as well. This lends an air of antiquity to the whole thing which might be tiring for some but interesting for others.

This book is not as exciting as some other naval series but it
is well written and a good first attempt. At least one sequel has already been written and I look forward to reading it.

After Hornblower and the O'Brian books, it's great to read a series from the American point of view. The hero, Geoffrey Frost, is suitably larger-than-life, but still an interesting character with doubts and worries. The author certainly seems to possess the requisite command of naval lore, and he keeps the action moving at a brisk and exciting pace. A wonderful balance of seafaring adventure and historical detail.

I have read three of Fender's "Frost" novels now, and that says something about the fact that they are enjoyable reads with characters that grow on a reader, even if they don't grow very much more complex as the books go along. They are definately not Patrick O'Brian's equals, and I wonder even if the author had them in mind as models. To me, the real parallel is to the Hornblower series, where the good guys are obviously good, the bad guys are really bad, and all too often the hero carries the day with style. So, will I read the next 2--yes, certainly--but not today. I just wish that every once in a while Captain Frost would be a little less successful--a little less of a James Bond figure.

This series seems to be more in the style of Hornblower than the Aubrey set. Its is well phrased but the characters are rather shallowly defined. Plenty of exciting and well detailed naval action but occaisonal apparent inconsistencies or perhaps just confusing descriptions.

In his first book of what hopefully will be a long series, James Fender has shown promise of being a timely and worthy successor to Patrick O'Brian. "The Private Revolution of Geoffrey Frost" builds gradually into a fascinating and entertaining account of the stirring rescue of American prisoners held under brutal conditions at an obscure port in Nova Scotia. Like O'Brian, his story is based on real events, but from an American perspective and during the Revolutionary War period. I can't wait until the next volume of the series appears.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this novel. The protagonist is an interesting, well-rounded character, far from being a stock-issue hero. The plot has intriguing believable twists, and the Newfie dog that enters the picture just about steals the whole story! Outstanding - I look forward to any that may follow.

I would have loved this book regardless of where it was set, but the fact that it takes place in and around the area where I grew up made it even more special for me. Rich and believable characters, settings, and battles make for an exciting and compelling read.

The only detraction from an otherwise excellent book: it could have used a bit more (or maybe less?) editing. While Fender's writing is rich and excellent, it suffers from occasional punctuation errors in some places and from garbled phrasing that could have easily been cleared up in others.

That's just nitpicking, however. I recommend this book very highly and am looking forward to the rest of the series.

The first book of what will be a great historical and nautical fiction series.