Book info

• Title The Happy Return
• Author C. S. Forester
• Year 1937
• Genre Historical

June, 1808 – and off the Coast of Nicaragua Captain Horatio Hornblower has his hands full. Now in command of HMS Lydia, a thirty-six-gun frigate, Hornblower has instructions to form an alliance against the Spanish colonies with a mad and messianic revolutionary, El Supremo; to find a water route across the Central American isthmus; and ‘to take, sink, burn or destroy’ the fifty-gun Spanish ship of the line Natividad – or face court-martial. And as if that wasn’t hard enough, Hornblower must also contend with the charms of an unwanted passenger: Lady Barbara Wellesley...

Thoughts

This is the second Hornblower book in a row that I’ve really enjoyed - this time our hero is sent on a difficult mission that requires a lot of decisions and a heck of a lot of bravery. The scenes where they are chasing down the enemy whilst under fire… oof, so hard. And along the way, Horatio finds time for a little bit of romance as well, giving a nice mix of moods to the book.

Rating: 5 / 5