- Hardcover: 280 pages
- Publisher: BBC Books; First Edition edition (20 July 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0563371846
- ISBN-13: 978-0563371847
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.4 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 305,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
A self-contained community of 260 men and women make up the crew of "HMS Brilliant", a Royal Navy frigate, as it sets sail to resume duties in the Adriatic. Also on board is the author, who spent ten weeks closely observing them and gaining insight into life on a modern warship. The ship is in the fourth month of a seven-month tour of duty in Operation Sharp Guard - the enforcement of the UN arms embargo on all the countries of the former Yugoslavia. The political and military situation, however, serves only as a backdrop to the real focus of the book, which is concerned with describing the real experience of being at sea in a warship, both in a physical capacity and an emotional and psychological one. The book takes the form of a diary, describing various aspects of the ship's activities and focusing on the different characters on board. It also portrays the ship's company not just as so many sailors, but as a tight-knit community, who are on a specific mission and will achieve success only by joining ranks and working together.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book can be summarised in one word: "Brilliant". For the person interested in learning more about the inner workings of the tight-knit community that is a Royal Navy warship's complement, this is a very valuable resource indeed. It adds useful depth to the BBC TV series of the same name to which it is a companion volume (and which it would be very useful if the BBC cared to relese on home video, thank you), and it can be warmly recommended to anyone who found the series enlightening and entertaining, as I did. Many things -- all of them, to my mind, good -- can be said about the author's style, and the wry humour with which he approaches his subject, and the respect with which he approaches the highly unique individuals that comprise his "cast", but I shall not dwell on these things too long; suffice it to say, that the author has done a very good job. The one criticism that can be leveled at this work, as at so many good boks, is that in the end, it turned out to be far too short.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book gives a real insight into the the Royal Navy. I am considering a career as an officer and this book has helped me make the decision to go ahead with my plans. An exciting and accurate portrayal of Navy life and an insight into the personalities of the men and women on board HMS Brilliant. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Navy. An excellent read!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is a companion to a BBC documentary on the Type 22 anti-submarine warship HMS Brilliant, and covers her deployment on peace-keeping/blockade duties in the eastern end of the Mediterranean. It is not a technical book, but concentrates on the lives and day-to-day duties of the crew of men and women, their problems, their successes, and what it really is like to live in a cramped steel box for months on end.
The book does not sugar-coat life in the Navy, I think it tells it as it is, and as such it is an honest read. I enjoyed it very much, I wish the companion DVD had been released too. Maybe it is in the pipeline? I hope so. I recommend this book.
The book does not sugar-coat life in the Navy, I think it tells it as it is, and as such it is an honest read. I enjoyed it very much, I wish the companion DVD had been released too. Maybe it is in the pipeline? I hope so. I recommend this book.
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