Peter Palafox, the son of a poor Irish clergyman, has never been more than a day's journey from his native village. But he wangles a place as a midshipman on Anson's Centurion and sets off to brave storms, raid the Spanish, and circumnavigate the world. Such is the plot of The Golden Ocean, a high-spirited seafaring yarn which celebrates adventure and youthful exuberance and which will delight children as well as adults. Written by Patrick O'Brian before his acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin novels, it exhibits a similar ability to transport the reader to another time and place and a similarly convincing feel for period detail.

June 1997

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Related reviews:

- books by Patrick O'Brian
- more historical fiction