The Life and Times of Horatio Hornblower

I’m going to start off by saying that this is a must-read for Hornblower fans – although I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re working your way through the books until you are completely finished. While this book wasn’t written by C.S. Forester, C. Northcote Parkinson has done a good job at writing a fictional biography that stays true to the characters and events in the actual Hornblower series.

The book starts off with Hornblower as a child, and continues on until his death – as biographies tend to do. Each chapter touches on a different time in Hornblower’s life – or rather, a different position held during Hornblower’s career. While it goes into the events that happened during the books, it also talks a bit more about show more what happens between the books that Forester didn’t write about and you don’t get to read about. It also goes in depth with what the world was like. A good majority of the last part of the book talks about steam engines, their development, how it will be the future for boats, and Hornblower’s involvement with the development, which isn’t really touched on in the series. We also get to read about how other people react to Hornblower’s promotions and successes – a lot of his peers weren’t too happy with how quickly Hornblower got promoted in some instances, or the special treatment he gets, which (again) the books don’t really go into. It gives a bit more perspective to the series as a whole.

It’s a great book for going deeper into Hornblower’s life and career, and was definitely a good way to say goodbye to the series; it reminded me of everything I had read previously, and gave me a deeper glimpse into who Hornblower was. I feel I got to know Hornblower so much more in this book than in any of the previous Hornblower books I’ve read.

He was a penniless orphan and began from nothing, making his way in the service without interest of any sort, gaining each step by an entire concentration on the work to be done, unenvied by those who lacked, and who knew they lacked, his resolution, his knowledge and his skill. . . He was never fearless, as some men are, but forgot his fears after battle was joined. He became a legend for saying no more than he needed to say but I knew him as he really was, a man of humility, of humour, of kindness and charm. . . he will always be remembered in the Royal Navy as one of the finest officers of his day.

I have a feeling that when I revisit the Hornblower series, before reading one of the novels, I will read the corresponding chapter in this book, and see how that will effect how I perceive the novel. show less

If you like the Hornblower series you will probably enjoy this book. There is, of course, not a lot of new material about Hornblower. (Except in the appendices. Don't skip them!) But to fans it is very satisfying to have the whole laid out and treated as a serious life. There is also a good deal of historical background made clear that is taken for granted in the series. This book also follows the family after Hornblower's retirement.

BTW Isn't it high time I reread the series?

Excellent synthesized life of Hornblower by quite a good novelist in this Age of Fighting Sail era.

My husband and I bought this book when it came out in 1971, read it, and tucked it away in a box when we moved. I've just re-discovered it, slightly battered from being stored in an outdoor shed. It's a good today as it was then. Everything, including the blurb on the cover, presents this book as a detailed biography of a real historical figure including genealogical charts of his descendants up through 1949. And if you're a Hornblower fan, like we were, you'll want to believe every word is the truth.

Not much more really than a retelling of the Hornblower stories, although quite a bit of "filling in" is provided. I've loved every one of the Hornblower novels and was very happy to add this "biography" to my collection.

A companion to the Hornblower series by C.S. Forester, filling in many missing details of the great hero's life. A novel pretending to be a biography.

This reads like an actual biagraphy. Fun for one who loves both the fictional hero and actual biographies. I was almost convinced HH was a real person!