What is the author's style in The Surgeon's Mate by Patrick O'Brian?

The novel's language is generally simply and accessible. Standard English punctuation is used to indicate dialogue and interior thoughts and descriptive text are easily distinguished. Most of the places, some of the objects, and even some of the events referenced in the narrative are identifiable as real geographical locations or historic events—for example, the single-ship action between Shannon and Chesapeake. It is notable that the novel was originally written and published in England and uses standard English punctuation and spelling styles which may somewhat unfamiliar to American readers.