Master and Commander Summary
Patrick O'Brian

Master and Commander Summary

This is the story of Captain Jack Aubrey's first command, and the beginning of what has been called one of the greatest literary buddy stories in recent history. Master and Commander is the story of the maturing and tempestuous relationship between a ship's Captain and the ship's surgeon, Dr. Stephen Maturin, two unforgettable characters revealing themselves for the first time in Patrick O'Brian's first book about Captain Jack.

The book itself begins with a small concert in Italy, where the Aubrey, at that moment a lieutenant, meets Stephen, who will become his companion on many voyages. The meeting is not sanguine, because Stephen manages to offend the Jack, who has irritated him by his crude attempts at rhythmical thumping during the concert. It is hard to imagine that these two will become very serious musical partners, Stephen on the cello and Jack on the fiddle, during their long voyages.

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