"In 1810, during the Napoleonic Wars, after returning home from a successful voyage to the Americas, Captain Hornblower is appointed to command his first ship of the line, HMS Sutherland. He has to work with Admiral Leighton, an inexperienced, over-cautious and incompetent commander who has married the love of Hornblower's life, Lady Barbara Wellesley. They only have half the crew they need, so they have to enlist a large number of fighting men in a hurry.
They put to sea as part of the fleet sent to harass Napoleon's flank, and blockade the Mediterranean coast of Spain to prevent supplies from reaching the French. He is successful at first, and when the Sutherland reaches the blockaded Catalonian coast of Spain, the crew stages astonishing solo raids against the French. But the fear of defeat and capture looms over captain and crew as the Sutherland single-handedly takes on a French squadron of four French ships of the line.
"
John Van der Kiste, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of A Ship of the Line
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 30% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
Time/era of story:
- 19th century
War Thriller
Yes
Armed Forces:
- Navy
Specific to
- Revolutionary War
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- navy soldier
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- navy soldier
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a substantial amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
- Spain
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 8 or more
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
