Mr. Midshipman Hornblower

Ahoy! Those who would read tales of daring adventure and follow the career of a young man as he travels the world with the British Navy in the late 1700s ought to find Horatio Hornblower an agreeable reading companion.

Born July 4, 1776, Horatio is the son of a middle class doctor, and his family has managed to scrape together the funds to purchase him a commission in the King's Navy. Midshipman Hornblower has never set foot on a ship, but his bright eyes and desire to excel at everything he does soon have him swabbing the decks and climbing the rigging with the best of the experienced sailors. Whether he is keeping his men from breaking the rules during the long, cold winters, or saving the lives of three admirals during a Spanish fire-ship attack, Hornblower does not have to fight to keep the attention of his audience.

The book itself is written in episodes, each chapter neatly containing its own little story. The only thing that might prevent someone from reading them out of order is the fact that each story is a step in the young seaman's career. By the end of his eleven book series, Forester takes his bright young hero to the illustrious rank of Admiral.

Hornblower's character and personal values make him an ideal role model for young people. Whether you are trying to teach them the importance of being honorable or just the benefit of a good work ethic, Hornblower's ability to adapt to his surroundings, learn from his mistakes and keep himself accountable makes him a fabulous character to add to anyone's literary collection of friends.

Reading level: Approximately 6th grade, but enjoyable even if you're post-collegiate.

My apologies for the brevity of this review. I have been much busier than I anticipated these past two weeks. Hopefully in the future these reviews will give us a chance to have an intelligent discussion about literary techniques and writing styles.

I have always found books incredibly alluring... something about the smell of the pages and the reverent hush that can only be found inside the walls of a library drew me into the mystical realm of the bookworm when I was very young. Even at the age of four, when my taste in literature tended toward books with more pictures than words, I found something uniquely satisfying in witnessing the adventures and worlds that someone had placed inside the pages of a book. Perhaps they had intended those minitature realms and quiet escapades to be private, but I had discovered them. And I spent hour after captivated hour completely absorbed someone else's imagination.
Somewhere around the audacious age of thirteen, simply witnessing other worlds was no longer good enough. I began to create them. At one point my ambition reached beyond one world at a time. I created an entire galaxy whose fate hung in the balance. (Of course, as an honest literary critic, I would never recommend anyone read those early works. The characters were shallow, the plots were thin, and most situations created by the young author were incredibly melodramatic.)
Adolescence came and went. Two rounds of college later and I discovered a new joy--reading with my brain fully engaged. No longer were the novels, short stories, essays and dramas simply an escape into another author's world... they had become a new way of looking at the world I lived in. Plot, character, motifs, themes... all the aspects of a story suddenly took on meaning. It was my task and pleasure to discover that meaning and tell the world about it.
... And that brings us to the purpose of this blog. Reading is a pasttime for so many people. But how many of us actually read with our brains engaged? What do the words on the page in front of you really mean? What makes a story enjoyable or... not? Why would a critic admit that a story is essentially trite but still praise the authors methods and work? I'm not a professional reader by any stretch of the imagination, but one of my favorite college professors told me a secret: even the greatest critics had to start somewhere. And the only way to get better is to practice. So, forgive me while I practice in public web-space...and if anything you see here intrigues you... let me know. Perhaps we could have an intelligent conversation about it.