What is the book Master and Commander about?

‘Master and Commander’ is the first of Patrick O’Brian’s now famous Aubrey/Maturin novels. The story establishes the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey RN and Stephen Maturin, who becomes his secretive ship’s surgeon and intelligence agent.

Is Master and Commander a good book?

5.0 out of 5 stars Master and Commander will be one of your favorites. One of the best books I’ve ever read. This was a “guy” book, an adventure tale with battle scenes and naval strategy, yet I (a girl) found much in it to absolutely love. I look forward to enjoying some of the others in the Aubrey Maturin series.

Is Master and Commander based on fact?

Though not a bad moviemaking choice in any way, it should be noted for historical accuracy that the characters shown are fictional. The movie takes place in a real war, with a British ship that actually existed at some point, but the majority of the plot and characters are adapted from the fiction of O’Brian.

What happened at the end of Master and Commander?

After tying off all existing loose ends from its plot’s overarching conflict, it ends with a surprising scene in which Jack realizes the Acheron’s captain wasn’t dead as he supposed, but instead masquerading as the ship’s surgeon in order to attempt a takeover of the ship once it sailed away from the Surprise.

Is Stephen Maturin a spy?

Stephen Maturin. He is the ship’s gifted surgeon, but he is also a scientist, an espionage agent for the Admiralty, a man of part Irish and part Catalan birth—and a revolutionary.

What ship is in Master and Commander?

A replica 18th century British warship, used in the Russell Crowe movie “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” is a popular tourist attraction in San Diego.

Did Russell Crowe learn violin for Master and Commander?

Trivia (89) Russell Crowe learned to play violin for the film and referred to it as the hardest thing he’d ever done for a film. This film was intended to be the first entry in a franchise. The movie combines two novels – “Master and Commander” and “The Far Side of the World”.

Can Paul Bettany play the cello?

Crowe and Paul Bettany also learned to play the viola and cello, respectively, so that they could be filmed performing the proper bow and finger techniques. Bettany also spent pre-production learning to use period-accurate medical equipment, so it would seem fully natural in the film.

Who is the author of master and commander?

Master and Commander (1969) is the first in a twenty-book historical fiction series by Patrick O’Brian that primarily takes place during the Napoleonic Wars. The series follows the seafaring adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and his best friend, surgeon Stephen Maturin.

When does master and commander take place in?

The book proved to be the start of the 20-novel Aubrey–Maturin series, set largely in the era of the Napoleonic Wars, on which O’Brian continued working up until his death in 2000. The novel is set at the turn of the 19th century.

Is the movie Master and commander based on a true story?

The film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, released in 2003, is based on the series and stars Russell Crowe as Aubrey and Paul Bettany as Maturin. The book begins in 1800 in Port Mahon, Minorca, on the Royal Navy base. Aubrey is a lieutenant without a ship and running out of money.

Who are the main characters in master and commander?

As the first in the series, Master and Commander introduces several characters that are mainstays throughout the books. Other than Aubrey and Maturin, the book introduces crewmen, such as Tom Pullings, William Mowett, and William Babbington. This first novel also familiarizes the reader with the world of a nineteenth-century British warship.