We Saw The Sea

Winton seemed to be suffering from depression when he wrote this. It has a general air of melancholy, and his characters are all aging remarkably quickly. At the end, his hero the Artful Bodger even says he's retiring from the Navy.Fortunately, Winton recovered in time for his next book, [b:Down The Hatch 193390643 Down The Hatch (Artful Bodger Naval Adventures) John Winton https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1689750474l/193390643.SY75.jpg 195137241], in which the Bodger is still in the Navy after all, he's been given command of a splendid new submarine (much to his surprise), the old characters have all been discarded in favour of a new bunch, and it's the happiest book of the series.