The Golden Ocean (original 1956; edition 1996)

by Patrick O'Brian

Series: Golden Ocean (1)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
788	10	28,088	(3.88)	19
The first novel Patrick O'Brian ever wrote about the sea - and the precursor to the famous Aubrey/Maturin series - is now available in paperback for the first time in forty years. The Golden Ocean is the first novel Patrick O'Brian ever wrote about the sea. The novel shares the same sense of excitement and the rich humour of the Aubrey/Maturin novels, invoking the eloquent style and attention to historical detail that O'Brian readers admire so much. The protagonist of this story is Peter Palafox, son of a poor Irish parson, who signs on as a midshipman, never before having seen a ship. He is a fellow who would have delighted the young Stephen Maturin or Jack Aubrey... and quarrelled with them as well. Together with his life-long friend Sean, Peter sets out to seek his fortune, embarking on a journey of danger, disappointment, foreign lands and excitement. Written in 1956, this is a tale certain to please not only the many admirers of O'Brian, but any reader with an adventurous soul.… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	adzebill
Title:	The Golden Ocean
Authors:	Patrick O'Brian
Info:	W. W. Norton & Company (1996), Paperback, 288 pages
Collections:	Read but unowned
Rating:
Tags:	naval, exploration, aubrey/maturin

Work Information

The Golden Ocean by Patrick O'Brian (1956)

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English (9) Swedish (1) All languages (10)

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Showing 1-5 of 9 (next | show all)

This is the first of O'Brian's other series about life in the Royal Navy during the Age of Sail. It`s only one tenth as long as the enormously more famous Aubrey/Maturin series and set nearly 100 years earlier.

A fiercely proud Irish boy and his companions dash off rather naively to serve on a ship destined to traverse the globe and encounter numerous adventures along the way.

What makes this truly different from those other Royal Navy books is that we see life on ship from the perspective of junior officers, rather than senior ones, with characters that are much different and more broadly comic.

If you like anything else by O'Brian I'm confident you'll enjoy this one and if you enjoy a well told historical adventure this should go down well. Fine writing as usual.
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Arbieroo | Jul 17, 2020 |

My first PO’B book and probably my last. Story was okay, pace was okay, adventure and excitement were okay. Nothing more or less, just very average. I want more from a book. (

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untraveller | Jul 31, 2019 |

In 1956 O'Brian had hit on his style; a thicket of language and nautical terms, immersion in to the worldview of the 18th century, Irish characters, and humour, although none of it is quite as refined as the later volumes. This is a one-off jaunt that doesn't have characters of the same richness as Aubrey and Maturin, but is very reminiscent of, and feels like a long-lost prequel. (

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adzebill | Jan 18, 2015 |

First-rate. (

)

esswedl | Jul 17, 2012 |

In this meandering book, O'Brian shows off his talent for creating characters that it is a pleasure to follow on their travels. His Irish characters' dialogue is particularly enjoyable. (

)

Unreachableshelf | Nov 27, 2011 |

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Belongs to Series

Golden Ocean (1)

Belongs to Publisher Series

Peacock Books (73)

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1,000 Books to Read Before You Die Page-A-Day Calendar (2021)

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Canonical title

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1956

People/Characters

Peter Palafox

Sean

Important places

Important events

Age of Sail

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For Mary, With Love

First words

'Good-bye,' they were all crying.

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Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

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The Golden Ocean

▾Book descriptions

The first novel Patrick O'Brian ever wrote about the sea - and the precursor to the famous Aubrey/Maturin series - is now available in paperback for the first time in forty years. The Golden Ocean is the first novel Patrick O'Brian ever wrote about the sea. The novel shares the same sense of excitement and the rich humour of the Aubrey/Maturin novels, invoking the eloquent style and attention to historical detail that O'Brian readers admire so much. The protagonist of this story is Peter Palafox, son of a poor Irish parson, who signs on as a midshipman, never before having seen a ship. He is a fellow who would have delighted the young Stephen Maturin or Jack Aubrey... and quarrelled with them as well. Together with his life-long friend Sean, Peter sets out to seek his fortune, embarking on a journey of danger, disappointment, foreign lands and excitement. Written in 1956, this is a tale certain to please not only the many admirers of O'Brian, but any reader with an adventurous soul.

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