Testimonies

by Patrick O'Brian

Delmore Schwartz, the most influential critic in postwar America, wrote of Patrick O'Brian's first novel Testimonies: "A triumph...drawn forward by lyric eloquence and the story's fascination, [the reader] discovers in the end that he has encountered in a new way the sphinx and the riddle of existence itself."

Schwartz' imagination was fired by this sinister tale of love and death set in Wales, a timeless story with echoes of Thomas Hardy and Mary Webb.

Joseph Pugh, sick of Oxford and of teaching, decides to take some time off to live in a wild and beautiful Welsh farm valley. There he falls physically ill and is nursed back to health by Bronwen Vaughn, the wife of a neighboring farmer. Slowly, unwillingly, Bronwen and Pugh fall in love; and while that word is never spoken between them, their story is as passionate and as tragic as that of Vronsky and Anna Karenina.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Literature, Classics

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

Patrick O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series of historical novels has been described as "a masterpiece" (David Mamet, New York Times), "addictively readable" (Patrick T. Reardon, Chicago Tribune), and "the best historical novels ever written" (Richard Snow, New York Times Book Review), which "should have been on those lists of the greatest novels of the 20th century" (George Will).

Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, O'Brian's twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician (and spy) Stephen Maturin. The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. The books are now available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book format.

In addition to the Aubrey-Maturin novels, Patrick O'Brian wrote several books including the novels Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, and The Unknown Shore, as well as biographies of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He translated many works from French into English, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir, the first volume of Jean Lacouture's biography of Charles de Gaulle, and famed fugitive Henri Cherriere's memoir Papillon. O'Brian died in January 2000.

The Aubrey-Maturin Series on Goodreads

Reviews

[Jason Koivu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost 200 pages into a 224 paged book and now something finally happens?! Jeez Louise! The only reason I muscled through all that nothing is because I love Patrick O'Brian's work. I was sure there would be a payoff, and there was, but it came in the third to last chapter with no preamble, no teasing along, not even the tiniest of tidbits to make a reader's hope linger.

Testimonies is O'Brian's first adult novel. He had written a few as a boy and made a name for himself. That name must have been somewhat deflated by these meandering pages of character sketches and setting description.

Since the book is set in the hilly wilds of Wales and because O'Brian is an expert scene describer, these pages often make for gorgeous reading. His prose flows like a breeze over grassy downs, occasionally whipping through a craggy pass atop some barren rise. Truly, you will say, this is a master wordsmith.

However, at this point in his writing career O'Brian seemingly hadn't discovered plot yet . The book is not entirely directionless, but the point of it all is elusive at best. I can't recommend this, except to O'Brian fans looking to read his complete works, but neither can I claim this to be an outright failure. The characters are so very real - he did after all create them from his time spent in Wales - that one does grow an attachment to them. All the same, one wishes they'd do something.

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gut-wrenchingly painful novel to read. You can see the end coming like two trains on the same track heading at one another. This is Patrick O'Brian's first novel, written in the 1950s, and it is a dandy. You can't put it down, and the title, Testimonies, means everything! I have read O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series multiple times, and I honestly have to say that this is right up there with the very best of that series. I have always loved O'Brian's elegant writing style, and this very first effort sets the standard for all that was to come.

The novel takes place in a remote part of Wales shortly after the turn of the 20th century, but it has the feel of the mid- to late-19th century, and certainly has the feel of a plot crafted by Thomas Hardy or even George Eliot. It is ever so well written and completely brings you into the world of sheep-farming in the valleys and mountains of Wales.

I'll be reading this again to be sure. A solid 4/5 stars for me.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A staggeringly moving and painful novel about an undeclared love in bleak circumstances. Patrick O'Brian's strangely oblique and vivid style that his devotees adore in the Aubrey/Maturin novels is here, but this is written in a different key. Perhaps the mournfulness of certain episodes in the romance of Diana and Stephen, or the painful history of Clarissa Oakes, may prepare an O'Brian reader for the mood of this small, deep wound of a tale that will remain a weight on your heart for at least a month post-reading.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was slow but intense from beginning to end. I have never read anything like it. I don't know how many people would enjoy it, but in the end I had to give it 5 stars. I thought about it for weeks after finishing it. O'Brian has a gift for character, setting, and story, which makes a very strong combination. This was powerful and somewhat disturbing, but I think it left me a better person for having read it.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an early and little known O'Brian novel (having never been printed in paperback before this edition). One might think O'Brian's signature is adventure stories, or perhaps sea stories - in which case this would appear a-typical, being set in a remote valley in North Wales. Looked at a different way, this book is entirely in keeping with the more famous works of its author; it relies on deep character study and interaction to tell a powerful story.

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[Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

O'Brian's first novel and a number of things that appear in the Aubrey-Maturin series turn up here. Not, of course, the subject matter. The book has much of O'Brian's signature ability to use irony. Telling the story of a fraught relationship through a series of different narrators allows each of the voices to both illumine and cast shadows on the others. The total effect is a kind of ironical distance--not for the first time, this skill of O'Brian's reminds me a great deal of Austen at her best. Unlike the other books by him I have read, this is done in first person narration, although the Bronwen sections (and some of the Pugh sections) are taken down like evidence for an inquest or a trial. Part of the allure here is that not everything is made explicit. Exactly what Emyr does, for instance, that puts his wife off early in their marriage, is never stated forthrightly. Similarly how Bronwen comes to her end is also kept somewhat opaque. There is deep poetry in many of Pugh's reflections and profound misunderstandings about what has come about as a result of his taking up residence in a Welsh valley. As first novels go, this is pretty polished and accomplished stuff.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

When reading the Master and Commander series, especially when Maturin and Aubrey huddle for late-night conversation in the captain's quarters, the astute reader soon realizes that author Patrick O'Brian is up to a lot more than merely spinning a few sea yarns. Yes, indeed, he is a "serious" writer. And I mean that in the best way possible. This work, written nearly 20 years before the start of that series, and standing as O'Brian's first novel after a 14-year break caused mostly by the second world war, is something close to a masterpiece.

The novel has nothing to do with the naval life. It is set in a remote Welsh valley, where a retired Oxford don goes to spend his remaining days in peace and solitude. There he falls in (platonic) love with a married woman. Eventually, things fall apart. This is a story as old as the hills, so what makes the book so good? The interweaving of the three title testimonies. The languid pace. The extremely specific, lived-in detail of what it's like to live and work on a sheep farm. The reflections on God, love, perception, and language. This book was a true delight.

[Neill Goltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first became aware of Patrick O'Brian via his late '80s obituary in the WSJ. This was my introduction to his Aubrey-Maturin ("Master & Commander") series to which I became a ‘devotee' and, as such, have described as "Jane Austen for men" based upon the richness of the conversations.

"Testimonies" is a very different O'Brian. This is a novel of unrequited love set in the upcountry of Wales. It is a tragedy caused by village pettiness and professional jealousy. The language is beautiful in the description of the high country and sheep keeping, and the characterizations of the people and relationships. It was a great joy to keep the Welsh word reference at hand!

Very different than Aubrey-Maturin, but very reassuring to realize that O'Brian has talents of description and emotion far beyond those so ably done against the background of high seas adventure in the Napoleonic Age.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 Extra: 4 Extra Debut.
A haunting tale of secret passion set in a remote Welsh valley in the 1950s. Stars Philip Madoc, Alan Moore and Manon Edwards.

[Andrew Conlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn.

Update 2/27/2024.

I was a good deal less mature of a reader last time I read this. O'Brian writes quietly and grandly simultaneously. A facet invisible the first time is the focus of a second or third or fourth reading. Both times I was affected, and both times it was a different experience. He sculpts the world, throws some wit and observation in, and lets the reader's mind pull forward that which matters. There's little else to match this immersion - and what a heartbreaking story! Confound that Ellis!

[Nan Lund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly descriptive language of landscape and people; story is well told from multiple perspectives. A quick read but memorable.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

You think it's going to be a quiet little book, but it packs a major punch. I've read it a couple times and really love it.

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

O'Brian wrote a love story? indeed, and it's well told.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Ann Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the setting and some of the writing was just beautiful - but overall found it hard to get into the characters.

[Avigail Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

More reviews: https://www.poppyhayoundesigns.com/bl...
I read Testimonies as quickly as I could. I had great hope that for a few reasons it would become on of my favorite reads, but about a quarter way through I realized Testimonies wouldn't be the sort of novel to make it to my 'favorites' shelf. Set in 1940's North Wales in a fictional village based on the village of Cwm Croeser where the author and his wife spend a holiday in Wales. The main character Pugh is a schoolteacher from Oxford who seeks respite from the rigors of academic life in a cottage in the Welsh countryside. Upon utterly and reluctantly falling in love with the young wife, Bronwen, of the son in the neighboring farm, Pugh struggles with his feelings and begins to understand as he spends more time with Bronwen and her in laws that Bronwen's husband is sexually violent towards her. The book doesn't get more explicit than that, thankfully, but here is inevitably trouble and no redeeming moment, which leads to a tragic ending that you should've seen coming from the first page. Despite O'Brian's rolling, lyrical writing that is very poetic at times, especially when describing the Welsh countryside, it was a dark novel that ends worse than it began. Just because a novel is well-written doesn't make it a good novel.

Patrick O'Brian is best known for his series of nautical historical fiction set in the years of the Napoleonic Wars featuring two very memorable characters, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. Referred to as The Master & Commander series, the series is 21 books long and though I have not finished the series yet, I have loved O'Brian's writing and decided to try out his other works of fiction.

Testimonies deliveries a short, dark, dramatic novel that does entertain, but it is not the sort of entertainment I am looking for.

2.5 stars for this short read. You can find it on my virtual shelf here but you wont' find it on my bookshelf at home as I don't keep books I don't enjoy in my library at Sunbird House.

You can find more reviews like these at
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Until the next book review, be well.
Avigail

[David Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, clever book with typically genius insight by the author into the way people really can be. The stories, atmosphere, landscape etc are described in such a clear, easy way that you feel part of it all. I've read the Aubrey Maturin series and the observations and chains of thought so often excellently made by Maturin in those books are here, especially in Pugh's reflections on his life and the people and country around him. An intriguing ending that correctly doesn't give a clear answer or solution, I can't stop thinking about it!

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange little book, one upon which I'll reflect as I run, drive, go about chores. I was attracted by the language and description of the Welsh countryside and national character. The book is talky and a bit tedious....mostly consisting of an interior monologue and curious set of interviews (the "Testimonies"). The story centers upon the unspoken but very real love between two very sad characters. This might be a good book for a discussion group.

[Gilly McGillicuddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished in two days. One thing I noticed before was that PO'B incorporated bits from almost all of his earlier short stories and novels into the Aubreyad and into Jack and Stephen's lives. Testimonies is interesting because it is a complete stand-alone. No links that I can find whatsoever. Not to the Aubreyad in any case, but it is like a Welsh version of 'The Catalans'.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a strange book. I think I see what Delmore Schwartz liked in it and why the British critics didn't.

The deeply researched descriptions of farming in the book bring the attention to technical detail that O'Brian would later apply to seafaring.

[lixy · Rating 2 out of 5]

sad, grey and depressing, though beautifully written. For fans of Aubrey-Maturin looking for something similar, this is not it!

[Nat Bond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Having read every on of the Aubry-Maturin series, I wasn't prepared for this book...O'Brian's first. What a beautiful and disturbing tale!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The descriptions of Wales are beautiful. Set in a farming area in a valley, the people in the town are a closed lot, friendly but reserved. Told in alternating chapters from several points of view was not as common in 1952 (when the book was published) as it is now. The changes of point of view, I found abrupt. There were seven or eight characters in the work and I think it would have been much more effective had the alternating chapters been the two main protagonists around whom the story moves forward. The setting and time and place are wonderful but the character studies are not up to that level.

[Daisy Jenel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant love story, set in the Welsh countryside in the 1950s, which is told from three separate viewpoints so that the three testimonies combine to give the reader a more accurate depiction of what actually happens. there isn't much action: instead, it's all to do with repressed love and longing, with confessions so subtle that things are hinted at rather than overtly stated - which is probably how things were in the 1950s.

[Sully Augustine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars out of 5 - I read a softbound from the library over the past week or so. The characters are as complex and vivid as those in O'Brian's Master and Commander series, and foreshadow them in part; but the arena in which they interacted simply wasn't as interesting, and the action was minimal. O'Brian clearly set out to write a literary novel (this was his first published fiction I believe), and he did so.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an American edition of this book which had a different title ("Testimonies") than the British edition. Great writing, but a somewhat confusing structure: It was never clear to me who the characters were giving testimony to (the novel takes the form of a series of interviews between the main character and Someone) and why.

[Stephanie Foust · Rating 4 out of 5]

A visiting pastor's fiery sermon plants suspicion in the local villagers against a Welsh farm wife and a vacationing Oxford professor. The first novel from the author more familiar for his Aubrey/Maturin novels.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an amazing perfect gem of a small sad book.

[Jack Sakalauskas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my type. Too artsy for me.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

O'Brian's Life #3
Third book from the old geezer is an average read which has some interesting moments but nothing that was really that memorable for me.