Master & Commander - Patrick O'Brian

I'd added Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey/ Stephen Maturin saga to my reading list on the basis of "if you liked Sharpe, then you'll like this", supported by a few personal recommendations. I have to say, whilst I'm a stickler for historical authenticity (I can be flexible on complete accuracy, particularly the further back in time we go), I did find the sailing ship terminology and naval conventions a bit heavy going. It's a very male dominated cast and crew, and at present I'm not feeling terribly inspired to carry on with the next in the series. I like my heros a bit grubby, and Jack Aubrey's a bit too upright to fit the bill. Even though I've not seen the movie, I also struggled with Jack-the-character versus Jack-as-played-by-Russell-Crowe.

Amazon.co.uk link: Master & Commander - Patrick O'Brian