The story takes place in the south of France, against the backdrop of the French Revolution, Napoleon's rise to power, and the French-English rivalry in the Mediterranean. Peyrol is a master-gunner in the French republican navy, pirate, and for nearly fifty years "rover of the outer seas." He attempts to find refuge in an isolated farmhouse named Escampobar on the Giens Peninsula near Hy�res. We read about Peyrol's attempt at withdrawal from an action and blood-filled life, his involvement with the pariahs of Escampobar ...
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The story takes place in the south of France, against the backdrop of the French Revolution, Napoleon's rise to power, and the French-English rivalry in the Mediterranean. Peyrol is a master-gunner in the French republican navy, pirate, and for nearly fifty years "rover of the outer seas." He attempts to find refuge in an isolated farmhouse named Escampobar on the Giens Peninsula near Hy�res. We read about Peyrol's attempt at withdrawal from an action and blood-filled life, his involvement with the pariahs of Escampobar farm, and the struggle for his identity and allegiance, which is resolved in his last voyage.
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The Rover is a classic by Joseph Conrad, set in post-revolutionary Toulon. It was one of the set books for University of London Board 'O'-level English Literature in 1966, which is when I first read the book. It's a short novel which took me all term to read because, at the time, I didn't get it! I reread a copy purchased from Alibris in 2 days because, now, I do get it! In 1966 I didn't realise that Conrad, back in 1923, was an englishman of the 'old colonialist' school who was just showing off his knowledge of french and France in an affected and pretentious way which is really irritating to read now that we are all much better travelled! Had I realised this, aged 15, I might have scored even worse than I did at O-level English!!