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Colours Aloft  By  cover art

Colours Aloft

By: Alexander Kent
Narrated by: Michael Jayston
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Publisher's summary

Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho finds himself the new master of the Argonaute, a French flagship taken in battle. With the Peace of Amiens in ruins, he must leave the safety of Falmouth.

What lies ahead is the grim reality of war at close quarters - where Bolitho will be called upon to anticipate the overall intention of the French fleet. But the battle has also become a personal vendetta between himself and the French admiral who formerly sailed the Argonaute.

©1986 Highseas Authors Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Colours Aloft

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another top flight tale from Mr Kent!

I don't know why I even bother to post reviews of Mr Kent's Books about Richard Bolitho!
I invariably rave about them & the first class narration of Michael Jayston!
All I can say is, if you are interested in the sea warfare of this era, then you will be enthralled by this series.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another great naval story

What made the experience of listening to Colours Aloft the most enjoyable?

The characters in the story who

What was one of the most memorable moments of Colours Aloft?

Several some funny and some emotional

Have you listened to any of Michael Jayston’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, and as always he did a great job on all of the characters, he is a true professional

If you could take any character from Colours Aloft out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Richard B of course or maybe Admiral Hood

Any additional comments?

Look forward to reading may more of this series

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Very disappointing

Would you try another book from Alexander Kent and/or Michael Jayston?

I'm afraid not. I've enjoyed his Bolitho series but this one is quite boring, with long asides about Bolitho's nostalgia for his wife and his feelings for his officers and men, which is fine as a human being but isn't this supposed to be an adventure about fighting Napoleon on the high seas?

What could Alexander Kent have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

He could have focussed more on naval action.

Did Michael Jayston do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, he is a good narrator.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

I couldn't finish listening to the whole book

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Too inconsistent and horribly fragmented

Definitely the worst I have read of the series but I do plan to read more since the others have been very good.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

Very well Written, enjoyed the book. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

the series is missing many books

the series is missing a lot of novels that throw the story line off.... but I love these novels

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another Near Run Victory For Admiral Bolitho,

But the costs are increasingly heavier. How much longer can this go on...? Michael Jayston turns in another fine performance, but I keep thinking I've read this same story five times over... Only the ships names change, as Bothlito's Band of Happy Few grows smaller with each new novel. Retire him while there is still time! ... but alas, we all know the eventual sad outcome of this tale...

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

What is wrong with this book?

This is the most disjointed and poorly written book in the series so far. I hope the rest of them aren’t like this. Why did they record this one but not the earlier books? Also a vice admiral of the red is a very serious rank so why does he mention it’s such a junior rank like three dozen times. The only thing worse than a poorly told story is one which has some much potential poorly done

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Annoying changes to pronunciation of name

After narrating 11 books with Richard Bolitho as the protagonist, Michael Jayston inexplicitly decides to change the pronunciation of Richard Bolitho's last name from BOWL-LIE-THOUGH to BOWL-LEE-THOUGH. I found this very annoying.

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