The Far Side of the World (Aubrey Maturin Series)

‘She is the Surprise,’ said Stephen, and he whispered, ‘The joyful Surprise, God and Mary be with her.’

The end of this volume never fails to move me, such a dramatic, emotional, tumultuous ending. Listening to it again (again) I was struck by what a difficult journey they had of it, so many setbacks, and the final tense standoff marooned on a Pacific island. But those final paragraphs, where so much happens in a few terse, beautifully arranged sentences, is perhaps the most dramatic scene of all the books for me.