The Mauritius Command

The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels Volume 1: The Mauritius Command by Patrick O’Brian (2016 Harper Collins hardcover 324pp)

 

 

 

First an apology – It’s been close to a month since I finished reading this book and plenty of other things have happened in the meantime. So as a result, I don’t have a crystal-clear memory of the story synopsis and this review will be brief and to the point.

The fourth Aubrey-Maturin novel begins with ‘Lucky Jack’ Aubrey once again land-bound. He’s living the domestic life with his new bride, their new twin babies and his Mother-in-law in a small run-down cottage in the English countryside. He longs for life on the high-seas and after a visit from Stephen Maturin he gets his wishes. He is given a temporary promotion to the rank of Commodore and takes command of a small fleet of ships tasked with taking control the French Indian Ocean island possesions.

In this volume gone are the long passages detailing the arduous sailing journeys to far-flung destinations. Instead, we seem to dart between locations from paragraph to paragraph. I found this change disconcerting and feel it lost something as a result. However, the author had a story he wanted to tell and some economies of words were probably warranted.

This time out Aubrey doesn’t really have much chance to show off his sailing skills, instead he’s reduced to over-seeing the strategic situation. He must coordinate the various Royal Navy captains and the land forces to be used in the combined operations, something that turns out to be akin to ‘herding cats’.

When the actions come, the detail is fine and for the first time we see, through Stephen’s eyes, a British failure and what it costs them in man and material. O’Brian doesn’t spare us the gory details of the result of combat.

In the end, as in history, the Fleet succeeds – but not entirely by force of arms alone. Maturin runs what we’d now call ‘PsyOps” against the defending French forces and their allies. Many lose the will to fight and surrender outright.

I felt this was perhaps a lesser book in the series (having only read 4, maybe I’m not in a good position to judge yet), we catch up with a few old friends, some action occurs but not much changes for the main characters in the end. If you’re a fan by this stage you’ll read it regardless.

 

Puff Piece

 

Puff Piece by John Safran (2021 Penguin Softcover 353pp)

 

I’ve been a fan of Australian multimedia host, agent provocateur and journalist John Safran for over 20 years now. He first turned up on our televisions in the late 1990s and I’ve enjoyed pretty much everything he’s produced since. In the last decade he’s stepped back from the cameras and microphones and become a writer, going quiet for long stretches then popping back up with a new book of investigative journalism every few years.

His latest effort is “Puff Piece” wherein he takes on the might of the Philip Morris tobacco company. The company is trying to change its image and is claiming it is now trying to stop people from smoking. Instead, it offers an electronic heating device, the IQOS, into which you insert “HeatSticks” which according to the company PR are definitely not cigarettes even if they look and act just like them. Safran goes down the rabbit hole of claims and counter-claims and finds Phillip Morris using doublespeak the world over as it tries to keep its business running. The company opposes vaping in one country but in another it uses its resources to lobby the law-makers to liberalise the laws on electronic smoking devices and so on. He meets the spokesmen, lobbyists and ordinary workers in the industry and tries to make sense of the often-contradictory information he finds. He comes across moral dilemmas – should he attend a free lunch paid for by Philip Morris? Should he write about a friend who is being funded by tobacco industry money?

The investigation is interesting enough but for me it was the little slices of Safran’s domestic life that made this book all the better. His self-doubt and self-depreciation, his friends and family all add to the mix and make things more enjoyable. He uses his former radio co-host, Father Bob – an Aussie character himself, for sage advice and generally acts as a human rather than a detached investigator.

Safran has a distinctive voice and I couldn’t help but hear it as I read his words. It’s a fun ride but seems to peter out slightly before the end. COVID-19 arrives in Melbourne and seems to rob the author of what would have been a natural conclusion.

If you’re already a fan of John Safran, you won’t want to miss this. If not, it may be something of an acquired taste.

Hungry

 

Hungry by Grace Dent (2021 Mudlark softcover 292pp)

 

It’s been a week or so since I finished reading Grace Dent’s Hungry – some details of the text have faded already but the main themes remain in my thoughts - food, family and the long road to fame & fortune.

Grace Dent is a minor celebrity in the UK now days. I personally hadn’t heard of her really even though I’d probably already seen her appearances on TV programmes like “Master Chef” etc. She writes a widely-read restaurant review column in The Guardian and is increasingly in demand to comment on matters of food and popular culture. This book was recommended online and then I stumbled across her excellent podcast “Comfort Food” which sealed the deal for me.

There are three main threads to the story told in this book. Firstly, Dent’s somewhat deprived childhood in insular Carlisle and how the introduction of Supermarkets and discount stores changed the local lifestyle. The novelty of previously exotic foods and products - how they didn’t always change things for the better. Intertwined is the story of her family relationships, in particular with her father who she discovers has been keeping several secrets. The father-daughter dynamics are strong and makes her reaction to his later health struggles all the more harrowing to read. The third main topic covered is that of Dent’s writing career. She seems to have done everything from the lowliest tasks on student magazines all the way up to fashion magazines to national newspapers. Many tales of job-related excess and debauchery are told.

She writes with a light touch and a twinkle in her eye. Even during the most serious, dark sections you are only ever a page or two away from something that will make you smile or chuckle. I enjoyed reading this book and can heartily recommended it if memoirs are your thing.