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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Slavery
Minor: Racism, Rape
In this tale of swashbuckling adventure, Peter Blood goes from being a doctor to a slave to a pirate captain and beyond. It is the measuring stick against which other pirate novels are measured.
So why did I only give it a three? It's pretty slow moving. Blood doesn't become a pirate until over a third into the book. The writing style didn't exactly thrill me either. Other than that, I enjoyed it.
So why did I only give it a three? It's pretty slow moving. Blood doesn't become a pirate until over a third into the book. The writing style didn't exactly thrill me either. Other than that, I enjoyed it.
Reminds me of The Scarlet Pimpernel as far as accessibility of a classic and pure enjoyment. Great characters, great adventure story, solid writing. A great way to end my 2020 reading list.
Having only known the story from the Errol Flynn movie, I found the book to be a fantastic adventure. Yes, the movie cut some things out, and in the book, it works. Fun, rousing adventure with one of the original masters of sass.
The audio narrator does a really good job. My only complain is that sometimes the editing was jarring and very obvious.
The audio narrator does a really good job. My only complain is that sometimes the editing was jarring and very obvious.
Intermittently tedious with melodrama that I learned to skip over, it nevertheless offers plenty of action and comeuppance.
This was a sort of historical swash buckler, I suppose. Peter Blood was a physician who had spent time in France as a soldier of fortune, fighting against the Spanish. But, he's back in England being a respectable physician. There's a bit of a local insurrection against King James II of England. He doesn't take part in the insurrection per se, but he gets caught up when he goes to patch up a local worthy who had been wounded. The local authorities claimed he was giving aid and comfort to the enemy, so gathered him up with the insurrectionists. Rather than hanging them, they were sold into slavery in Barbados. They were bought by a Col. Bishop and put to work on his plantation.
Well, a Spanish fleet came into the harbor and began taking things over. The English were more interested in protecting themselves than in guarding their slaves, so Blood and his cronies escaped. Not only did they escape, they managed to take over one of the Spanish ships, a ship which was lightly guarded because much of its crew were ravaging the town in Barbados.
Thus began Blood's career as captain of a privateer, basically, he became a pirate. But he was a good pirate, sort of, he only pirated Spanish ships.
Well, lots happens, among them is that Blood finds himself rather attracted to Arabella Bishop, Col. Bishop's niece and ward. How can that work out well? Well, read the book to find out. Lots of high adventure and skulduggery. Rather a classic of the genre.
Well, a Spanish fleet came into the harbor and began taking things over. The English were more interested in protecting themselves than in guarding their slaves, so Blood and his cronies escaped. Not only did they escape, they managed to take over one of the Spanish ships, a ship which was lightly guarded because much of its crew were ravaging the town in Barbados.
Thus began Blood's career as captain of a privateer, basically, he became a pirate. But he was a good pirate, sort of, he only pirated Spanish ships.
Well, lots happens, among them is that Blood finds himself rather attracted to Arabella Bishop, Col. Bishop's niece and ward. How can that work out well? Well, read the book to find out. Lots of high adventure and skulduggery. Rather a classic of the genre.
A very promising beginning, but it failed to keep me interested throughout. The writing itself is excellent and the character of Blood is magnetic, but the plot doesn't hold up by modern standards, following familiar and predictable tropes by the midpoint.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An excellent book! This is a very entertaining story of the constancy of a good man's character names him once traitor and knave, and finally lord and gentleman under shifting law. As entertaining as the Three Musketeers and of similar appeal.
Just the sort of romantic swashbuckling adventure on the high seas I enjoy reading.