Ramage

The Lord Ramage Novels, Book 1

By: Dudley Pope

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

In a daring foray, under the very nose of the French Mediterranean fleet, Lieutenant Lord Nicholas Ramage is to sail his tiny cutter close in to the Italian shore and rescue a party of stranded aristocrats from Napoleon's fast-advancing army.

©1965 Dudley Pope (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

A great character study

I greatly appreciated the focus on developing characters in this book. It allowed me to be driven further and further into the story. I found myself rooting for Ramage Gianna and Jackson while rooting against Count Pisano and Captain Croucher. All hallmarks of good writing. The tale itself had a decent amount of twists and turns that kept things interesting. I also enjoyed Commodore Nelson showing up like an intelligent guardian to Ramage. All in all I’m looking forward to continuing the series.

Pretty good!

If you are a fan of CS Forester's Horatio Hornblower and the Aubry/Maturin Series by Patrick O'Brian, you will like Ramage. However I believe that the plot of Ramage is unnecessarily expanded at certain points without any apparent gain in intrigue. The reader does a great job.

Great fun

I love historical fiction, and I love narrator Steven Crossley even more.
This story was entertaining and well acted. My only complaint was the slightly too long descriptions of things going on the war ship. I got a little bored during that part. Overall, a great listen , though.

Not Forester or O'Brian, but jolly fun

I read the Ramage series 40 years ago right after finishing the Hornblower Saga. After that anything would feel derivative, despite Pope's efforts to make Ramage the antithesis of Forester's hero. Ramage is wealthy, hansom, athletic, and comfortable in his own skin. The Ramage series is more swashbuckling than Hornblower which was an exploration into the psychology of a naval hero just as Aubrey/Matchurin books focused on the evolution of friendship as tested by war and shifting fortune. Pope knows his stuff and has written several naval histories. Taken for what they are, the Ramage books are fun.

The story builds slowly and does OK

What did you love best about Ramage?

He has a personality that makes you want to keep listening

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ramage?

Alot of things happened that make me want to keep reading

Which character – as performed by Steven Crossley – was your favorite?

Lt Ramage was one of his best but all of them were well done

Who was the most memorable character of Ramage and why?

Ramage and his crew were all interesting with different character patterns

Any additional comments?

This was a good book not the best on naval warfare but good enough I have listened to 7 more and as the story goes along they get alot more interesting

forgotten how much I enjoyed this series

the book was published in 1965, my father turned me on to CF Foster's Hornblower.... Alexander Kent.... an author pseudonym Douglas reedman in the Richard Bolitho series and Dudley Pope Ramage series most of them are historical fiction based on the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars it's good adventure with good sea stories it's not for everyone. I forgot how much I like it and the audio performance was well done.

Engaging

Dudley Pope (1925-1997) was a writer of nautical fiction. He was a friend of C. S. Forester, the author of Horatio Hornblower. Apparently Forester encouraged Pope to write fiction. Pope had written several non-fiction books about naval history. It was this information that triggered me to obtain this book and give Pope a try. I am glad I did.

It is 1796 and Lt. Ramage is serving on HMS Sibella. The book starts off right in the middle of a battle. The action continues throughout the book. Ramage is rich, a nobleman, father was an admiral, lived in Tuscany as child and speaks Italian and French. Ramage is a Lieutenant in this book. Napoleon has attacked Italy. The Captain of the HMS Sibella was ordered to rescue some Italian Nobles. Ramage continues the assignment after HMS Sibella was sunk and all officers except him are dead. I found the Court Marshall hearing fascinating could not stop listening.

There is so much suspense and action in the book but Pope does work in some humor and a romance. The beautiful Italian Marquesa Ramage rescued, turned out it was with her family he lived when he was a child. He and Lady Gianna fall in love. Pope has created some interesting characters and a plot full of adventure, daring rescues, heroic feats, great sea battles and romance. This is book one of a series. If you like historical nautical fiction circa 1790’s you will enjoy this story. Steven Crossley did a good job narrating the book.

Hidden Treasure

I am addicted to Sea Fiction around the time of the Napoleonic wars. I have purchased and listened to nearly everything Audible has to offer in this genre from
Patrick O'Brian/Jack Aubrey to Alexander Kent/Richard Bolitho and numerous others.
After listening to the 1st chapter of Ramage,the 1st in a series of novels by
Dudley Pope......So far I'm impressed.The beginning is different than any other novel like this in how it sets up the character in a bit of action from the get go.If the rest of the book continues in this vein[and I expect it to] I will have discovered a hidden treasure trove series of novels that I will continue to buy if Audible co-operates.After listening to the entire book I will modify and complete this review.

Enjoyed everything though the trial was a bit long

Looking forward to the next book. The battles were the most exciting and enjoyable parts of the book.

Great Action in the day of Fighting Sail!

Would you consider the audio edition of Ramage to be better than the print version?

I often find that a good narrator, and Steven Crossley is just excellent, breathes life to the prose.....thus making a richer experience of the story....and of course the story is everything. I have listened to many books narrated by Steven Crossley and he is one of my most favorites.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ramage?

The revelation that he had not failed his duty

What does Steven Crossley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a master of cadence and emphasis bringing just the right touch to each character he plays