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Clarissa Oakes

Aubrey-Maturin Series, Book 15 (Unabridged)

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Clarissa Oakes

By: Patrick O'Brian
Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
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About this listen

Captain Jack Aubrey sails away from the hated Australian prison colonies in his favourite vessel the Surprise, pondering on middle age and sexual frustration. He soon becomes aware that he is out of touch with the mood of his ship: to his astonishment he finds that in spite of a lifetime's experience he does not know what the foremost hands or even his own officers are thinking.

They know, as he does not, that the Surprise has a stranger aboard: and what they, for their part, do not know is that the stranger is potentially as dangerous as a light in the powder magazine itself.

©1992 Patrick O'Brian (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Contemporary Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Stranger
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Great story. Well read. Kept me going all the way. Rik Jerom is the man. So well read.

Very enjoyable

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Can't get enough of the Aubrey/Maturin series. I was a serial reader and now I'm a serial listener!

As before...

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Not a bad listen but did get lost with it now and again but ok .

Clarissa Oakes

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Very good background material and a very fortuitous, maybe a little convenient, witness has some key information for the wider narrative’s development.
The full power of canister makes for an interesting meal.

Coincidence and canister.

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Although this story is in my opinion one of the weakest in the Patrick OBrien series, the narrator Ric Jerrom does a masterful job here. His narration is clear and understandable with none of the asinine faux accents that make other audiobooks so annoying.

Ric Jerrom at his best.

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Rik Jerome is superlatively good at reading these books. He gives each character their own voice, which makes for a delightful, vivid listening experience.

"Killick, there!"

Amazingly well read

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As always the characterisations and story are captivating for those of us who follow Lucky Jack and Stephen Mturin through their voyages. For me again it is made all the more enjoyable by the fantastic narration of Ric Jerrom. I love my audio books replacing the little time I have for reading these days with the joys of listening to a master telling me the story as i travel to and from work. He seems to have the knack of making all the characterisations real and enjoyable and unlike many narrators it does not grate when a male narrator tries to dramatise a female character. Enjoyable stuff as always. On to the next one. As long as they keep churning out the books narrated by Mr Jerrom I will keep downloading them. Thanks Audible and thanks Ric

Fantastic again....

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or is it? another cracker, well narrated with tropical adventure aplenty for jack and Stephen

A woman on board is always bad news.

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Patrick O'Brian's four-novel sequence of Aubrey and Maturin's great voyage around the world is an incredible achievement, especially considering it didn't begin until the 13th book in the series. But if there's one that's slightly less satisfying than the others, perhaps it's this. O'Brian is clearly fascinated by the character of Clarissa Oakes and the effect she has on the ship's company, but the way it plays out leaves credibility stretched thin. Stop reading now if you'd rather avoid spoilers...

...but the way O'Brian seeks to explain Clarissa's apparent willingness to sleep with every officer in the ship, (excepting Jack and Stephen) just doesn't wash. No joy from the physical act of love after a childhood of abuse...okay, we'll buy that. Though surely that would make someone less willing, rather than more? Ignorant of men and the social contracts around adultery...no, that doesn't really wash. Yes, there was the sheltered up-bringing, but then she kept the accounts in a brothel, killed someone, endured arrest, trial and transportation. A steep learning curve in every aspect of real life and common sense. And she likes to be liked. Well, so do we all, but not to THAT extent.

The other thing that dips slightly below the usual O'Brian standard is the lack of action. Not just action in the military sense but of anything really happening. There's a situation elsewhere in the Pacific that needs dealing with and they eventually get round to it, but that's your lot in the ten lengthy chapters. Otherwise, all the good stuff is still present: the characters, the language, the botanising, the seamanship, the letter-writing. But as a book, it's really just one extended chapter in a longer story. On to The Wine-Dark Sea!


A weak (ish) link?

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Very interesting story laced with history and once again superbly narrated by Ric Jerrom.

Brilliant

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