REVIEW: Books - LOVE, WAR AND ONE FINAL KISS.
Byline: Richard WilliamsonNelson Breaking The Line by David Donachie (Orion, pounds 17.99) IT'S always been a bit of a mystery as to why the dying Nelson should have said: ``Kiss me, Hardy''.
You'd have thought a smacker from a tough sea captain would have been the last thing on his mind as his life ebbed away at the very moment of his triumph at Trafalgar.
But David Donachie has a plausible explanation. What the great hero actually said was ``Kiss me, Emma'', meaning his mistress, the flamboyant Lady Hamilton.
Mindful of the great man's public reputation, a loyal servant then changed it to Hardy, to avoid any scandal tarnishing his name.
Seems reasonable but perhaps we should remember that Mr Donachie is writing an historical romance which follows on from On A Making Tide (Orion, pounds 7.99) -- a pair of books as epic as their subject.
Donachie's plan is to tell the parallel stories of England's greatest naval hero and that of the woman in his life. Emma, in this sympathetic portrait, is the poor girl who finds fame by using her beauty as a courtesan. But, used and abused by men, what she really seeks is true love and respect. There are times when RN seems to stand for ``raunchy navy'' in these rumbustious books.
But we do also get the full drama and the horror of the epic sea battles that turned Nelson into a god for the English masses.
RW
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| Publication: | Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England) |
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| Date: | Dec 16, 2001 |
| Words: | 246 |
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