It seems that people really like talking about novels. My unremarkable comments last Friday have not just generated two derivative posts , but also far more email responses than I was expecting. Now even a blogger from Australia has weighed in . . . and at some length.
Thanks to everyone for the advice and reflections. As promised, I bought Master and Commander yesterday afternoon and am enjoying it thoroughly. It makes me want to flee Manhattan for the Mediterranean, or wherever I can find a cheerful Spanish chambermaid “so very like a dusky peach” ( Master and Commander , Ch. 1).
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