Tested by Fate (The Nelson and Emma Trilogy) [Paperback]

David Donachie (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Nelson and Emma Trilogy | Publication Date: March 1, 2004

It's 1784 and Nelson is sent to the Caribbean to enforce the hated Navigation Acts. While there, he marries Fanny Nisbet. Ordered next to the Mediterranean, he engages in a string of spectacular naval battles: Cape St Vincent, Tenerife, and the Nile. The ravages of war take their physical toll on Nelson, even as he gains the fame and honor he desperately craves.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A compelling read and a probing exposition of the workings of the British Navy in the late 18th century." -- Edward Cline, author of the Sparrowhawk series

"Donachie has a masterful way of creating atmosphere and character . . . stunning impact." -- Kent Messenger

About the Author

David Donachie is an avowed lover of naval fiction with a stroke of mischief, and he has lately published a multivolume biographical novel about Lord Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton. Writing as Tom Connery, he is the author of the popular Markham of the Marines novels. A Scot by birth, he lives in Deal on the Channel coast of England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 406 pages
• Publisher: McBooks Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590130421
• ISBN-13: 978-1590130421
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,295,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horatio and Emma come to life with Donachie's novels, September 29, 2004

By 

C. Collier "Clint Collier" (Walnut Creek, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tested by Fate (The Nelson and Emma Trilogy) (Paperback)

Tested by Fate is the second of a three part series that follows the history of Horatio Nelson and Emma, Lady Hamilton.

Donachie has obviously read his history and put a lot of meat on the bones provided by the many biographies in print about these two individuals. The novel's chapters alternate between the lives of the two until, of course, they finally merge at the end of this second volume.

While the outline of the book(s) is historical acurate (but embelished as one would expect with a novel), Mr. Donachie could stand to pay a bit more attention to detail. An example of this is where he writes "Pasco [a midshipman accompanying Nelson on a visit to Adm. Caracciolo's flagship and who eventually would be his signal Lt. at Trafalgar who suggested the final wording of his famous signal] was enthralled as he listened to Nelson, watching his hands as they traced the various ships' postions on the hammock netting." Sounds great; unfortunately by the time of this paragraph Nelson has already been to Tenerife and lost his right arm. Hard to see how his hands, plural, could trace anything!

If you like O'Brian's approach to nautical detail in fiction based on fact you will love these books and willingly overlook such slight transgressions!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, January 15, 2006

By 

Dwain Colby (Camano Island, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tested by Fate (The Nelson and Emma Trilogy) (Paperback)

I read "On a Making Tide", book one of the Nelson and Emma trilogy, and was anxious to read book two. Turns out the first 272 pages of book two are the last 272 pages of book one. To my mind, that is not fair.
The story is well written and interesting but I expect to see fresh writing as I go from one volume to the next.