Blackbeard: A Tale of Villainy and Murder in Colonial America

by Margaret Hoffman

Blackbeard! For two years, until his untimely death in 1718, the notorious pirate wrecked havoc on Atlantic coastal shipping. Many tales have been told about the bold deeds of this tall and wild sea rover, but few know about a daring crime that linked Blackbeard with the highest levels of government, a crime that would send two colonies to war and foreshadow the American Revolution. In her page-turning narrative based on a true story, Margaret Hoffman spins a tale of political intrigue, villainy, and romance. Her infamous pirate emerges as a man of considerable charm and gallantry who not only becomes the confidante of the governor of North Carolina, but also wins the heart of a beautiful, young heiress. Legends and myths about Blackbeard continue three centuries after his death, but the true story is the most incredible of all. With the recent discovery of Blackbeard's sunken ship,"Queen Anne's Revenge," this book is sure to become as much a treasure as that ill-fated but much sought after shipwreck.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Pirates

300 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[Kait · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book had a hard time deciding if it was a biography or historical fiction. It was hard to get into because the characters read like an immature version of a stereotype

[Carolyn Reed Lawson · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing was just egregious on this one so I couldn’t finish the book. For starters, it was rife with pirate stereotypes, the titular character saying “Aargh” and the like. The editor should’ve been fired for all the mangled sentences that didn’t make sense and for the innumerable punctuation errors. I was disappointed because I really wanted to learn about Blackbeard.

[Lisa Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite well written as a historical novel. It was more intriguing because of the role Blackbeard played in North Carolina and its political machinations.

[Nancy G · Rating 3 out of 5]

There seemed to be great potential for this book/story, but it feel short of the mark.

[Jean]

More about Governor Eden and the conspiracy to take the Spanish silver than Blackbeard.

[K. Fox (Cahill) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The voice in which it was written did not match the story very well. It did not capture the spirit of the 1700s convincingly enough to engage me as a reader.

[Rob Mahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book from the author, Margaret Hoffman, in The Ship Store at Patriots Point, home of the USS Yorktown in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. She inscribed it for me, saying "May this book be an 'adventure'!"

As historical fiction, I thought Hoffman brought Edward Teach to life, making him not only the feared Blackbeard the Pirate, but also a very real man with very real human weaknesses.

It was quite an experience to buy the book from the author, not far from Charleston Harbor, where Blackbeard's flagship Queen Anne's Revenge lead a week long blockage in 1718 before being sunk off Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina.

[T]

I've learned about pirates and the current coast that I live about 5 miles from. I'm getting a taste for the historical aspect of this area, and I wanted to start with a pirate novel. :) it's been a quick read, thus far.

So, this novel took me longer to ingest than I normally would attack a book of this size and font. The reason being... yes, the holidays and a new job. I've allowed that to consume me - fully. But the book is shelved as read, and on to the next...

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very good!

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. It brought new light to North Carolina's pirate history.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, it left me wanting to know more about Edward Teach.