The Nutmeg of Consolation

Aubrey/Maturin Series, Book 14

By: Patrick O'Brian

Narrated by: Patrick Tull

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

When last seen, Jack and Stephen had been shipwrecked on a desert island in the glittering South China Sea. The Nutmeg of Consolation opens as the castaways fashion a makeshift vessel from the wreckage, only to have it destroyed in a fiery attack by Malay pirates. Only the wondrous ingenuity of Stephen, along with the unexpected appearance of one of Jack's oldest allies, leads them to escape, and to dubious safety in a penal colony at New South Wales.The fourteenth installment of Patrick O'Brian's hugely successful Aubrey/Maturin series.

Don't miss the rest of the Aubrey/Maturin series.

©1991 Patrick O'Brian (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic Reviews

"What Mr. O'Brian has created is no less than a tapestry of English life in the early 19th century that is almost Dickensian in its scope." (New York Observer)

I read novels with the utmost pertinacity.

“I read novels with the utmost pertinacity. I look upon them - I look upon good novels - as a very valuable part of literature, conveying more exact and finely-distinguished knowledge of the human heart and mind than almost any other, with greater breadth and depth and fewer constraints.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Nutmeg of Consolation

For action, this book is a bit light. There is a bit of fighting when the crew of the shipwrecked HMS Diane are trying to building a schooner. Tobacco and alcohol might soon run out and the ship is nearing St. Famine's day (not marked by a famine of food, but smokes and booze). Things might get rough. After losing a few members heading off an attack of some local pirates, they eventually chase down a French ship. I won't give those details away. However, after that, the book ends up in Australia (New South Wales) where Dr. Maturin contemplates happiness, money, family and addition. He also confronts the harsh conditions in New South Wales, where everything has been degraded by the penal colony economy.

It might have been a 3-star (the first?) book, if not for the beautiful musings of Stephen throughout. I really do love these novels.

The Nutmeg

Patrick Tull does his usual great job in narrating this story. This book picks up where the last one left off on a deserted island building a boat to escape. I love the description of Stephen and Martin on their naturalist wanderings. I found the description of the Nutmeg as a sweet smelling ship interesting and then how they had to "sweeten" the Surprise when returning to her. Great sea stories and battles in the exotic Malay seas.

Another masterpiece

I’m on my third circumnavigation of this series and it is exciting as the first. I pick up something new every time. Patrick O’Brian had a unique way of phrasing things that will absolutely captivate the reader. This book is full of adventure, and also gives you a look at every aspect of sea life as well as the characters personalities.
If you’re into the Napoleonic era wars then I recommend this book and every other in the series. Start at the beginning and follow the life and careers of Captain Aubrey and Dr Steven Maturin. You won’t regret it. There is some fairly technical terminology throughout, but don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed by it. Just keep reading and in a short time you’ll be a salty sea dog yourself. Enjoy!

Disappointed

This was my least favorite of the series, and I'm a big fan. The plot was just not there.

Another excellent O’Brian adventure!

The story, the storyline, the characters, the location descriptions, all combine into a vivid and spellbinding tale that, once started, was near impossible to halt,

Awesome

This is a classic from a tremendous author
Totally engrossing world and characters history fiction at its best

Great, as usual!

The first few chapters are good. Of course.

The end is better than the beginning!

Jane Austen at Sea

Many people read this series of novels over and over again and I certainly understand why. By all means, start at the beginning so you understand the relationships of the characters. You could read this and use O'Brian's excellent exposition to bring you up to speed, but you would miss the long character development arc of Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturing and the other folks we know and love in these books. Check out the companion podcast, "The Lubber's Hole: A Patrick O'Brian Podcast" as you make your way through the canon.

Brilliant as Usual!

Patrick O’Brian is peerless in his ability to weave story with the vast histories of nautical, natural, political, geographical and naval, with a solid dose of philosophical muses, subtle humor, and emotional rumination thrown in the mix. This book, like the others in this series, delivers with such stylistic consistency, I will no doubt revisit it yet again and again! What a spectacular contribution to literature, entertainment, and reflection this series is!

Another great one

Another great story. Love the the adventures of these two. Can't wait to see what happens next.