*whispers* I found I liked this better than her latest. *ducks in case she is reading*
This was a joy to read... I don't know why you yammered on so about its alleged shortcomings. It has all the warmth and fun of Novik's first novel, with Laurence meeting Temeraire and getting to know her, but with the wonderful Forester characters (I've suddenly got a yen to re-read the Hornblower series). You nailed Hornblower's character perfectly (and I loved the line about "busy not sleeping"). And Argentian is very Bush-y. So Horatio is suitably Hornblower-y and Argentian is Bush-y and Kennedy seems Kennedy-ish and Pellew Pellew-y (now there's a fun word to say... Pellooooooey!! Sounds like the bosun's whistle) Ahem... anyway...I'm wanting to read more of this. So shoo! Get busy writing, my dear. I need much more of this schmoopy friendship fluff!
(The only suggestion I might make, critique-wise, is that I found myself wondering what Horatio thought of Argentian's blue eyes... you describe Argentian's face all the way to the eyes but not the eyes themselves and I thought that was stopping a bit short of completion there. But that's a teeny tiny niggle. This really is wonderful!)
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-12-29 02:38 pm (UTC)*looks around to see if Naomi Novik is reading*
*whispers*
I found I liked this better than her latest.
*ducks in case she is reading*
This was a joy to read... I don't know why you yammered on so about its alleged shortcomings. It has all the warmth and fun of Novik's first novel, with Laurence meeting Temeraire and getting to know her, but with the wonderful Forester characters (I've suddenly got a yen to re-read the Hornblower series). You nailed Hornblower's character perfectly (and I loved the line about "busy not sleeping"). And Argentian is very Bush-y. So Horatio is suitably Hornblower-y and Argentian is Bush-y and Kennedy seems Kennedy-ish and Pellew Pellew-y (now there's a fun word to say... Pellooooooey!! Sounds like the bosun's whistle) Ahem... anyway...I'm wanting to read more of this. So shoo! Get busy writing, my dear. I need much more of this schmoopy friendship fluff!
(The only suggestion I might make, critique-wise, is that I found myself wondering what Horatio thought of Argentian's blue eyes... you describe Argentian's face all the way to the eyes but not the eyes themselves and I thought that was stopping a bit short of completion there. But that's a teeny tiny niggle. This really is wonderful!)