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Title: The Real Hornblower: The Life of Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Alexander Gordon, Gcb by Bryan Perrett ISBN: 1-55750-697-3 Publisher: Naval Inst Pr Pub. Date: 01 May, 1998 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (3 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: Not Hornblower--but a good biography
Comment: The author's attempts to draw parallels between the career of Admiral Gordon and the fictional Horatio Hornblower generally are stretches. I thought he needed to reread the Hornblower books before making some of the comments he did. His list of similarities in their careers in the forward would be more effective if they were accurate for Hornblower. However, the dates for different ranks are wrong. He also equates Gordon's enlistment at 11 with Hornblower's joining at 17 as both being "mere boys in 1793." Hornblower was actually old for a new midshipman.

However, we should be grateful that this dubious premise sold the book, because Perrett has provided us with a very solid biography of a typical naval officer of this period. Gordon is not in the first rank of Napoleonic naval officers, but the variety of his experiences and actions shows the type of man who made the British navy great. With the skill of the true historian, Perrett has dug out details of long forgotten actions and campaigns. His style is readable, and he has an eye for the sort of detail that adds zest to a biography.

Rating: 4
Summary: a good book, worth the money
Comment: The life of Admiral Gordon is very interesting and the book is a pleasure to read. The comparisons between Gordon and Hornblower are not overdone, and even readers who are not Hornblower afficionados (like myself) will enjoy the book.

Rating: 4
Summary: A good read for Hornblower fans and naval history buffs!
Comment: As a lifelong Hornblower/C.S.Forester fan, I read this book with some trepidation, but Perrett seems to be a fan as well. He proposes a new theory: that Forester created the character of Horatio Hornblower using the model of a real Royal Navy captain in the Napoleonic Wars : James Gordon (who eventually became an admiral). Perrett hangs most of the premise for his theory upon an apparent inconsistency in C.S. Forester's otherwise thorough nonfiction writing style. In Forester's NAVAL WAR OF 1812 (nonfiction),he barely mentions Captain Gordon's name, even though Gordon had had a brilliant and successful career. Perrett notes that Forester gives other brilliant naval officers full career write-ups, even including information on their families. This(in addition to a few other similarities in Hornblower's/Gordon's respective careers) has made Perrett feel that Forester was "hiding" Gordon, so to speak, so that future casual readers would not see the similarities between the real hero and the fictional one. This reader does not feel that there is quite enough evidence to support that theory, but the book is fascinating reading in its own right, and anyone who enjoys naval history will enjoy it. Gordon comes off as a brave, smart, and kind (but fair)captain, like Hornblower. But because we know so much about Hornblower's every thought,feeling, and motive (due to Forester's superb skills), Hornblower seems more real to me even than does Captain Gordon! Perrett, who has written at least 14 other books on military history, has however done a fine job himself, and Gordon's exploits are brought very much to life indeed. A very good read!