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Caribbee
(Doubleday, 1985) 'Action-crammed, historically factual novel . . . is a rousing read, ably researched by Hoover Publishers Weekly Barbados and Jamaica 1648. The lush and deadly Caribbean paradise, domain of rebels and slaveholders, of bawds and buccaneers. Colonists fight a wishful war for freedom against England. Idea Slavery, slaves, Caribbean, sugar, sugar mill, bu
1054 pages, Nook
First published January 1, 1985
264 people are currently reading
869 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Hoover
31 books23 followersThomas Hoover has a doctorate in oceanography and served as senior vice president of an architect-engineering firm in New York, where he has lived for several decades. His vices include being an avid sailor and a recognized collector of the classical music of India. He began his writing career with two classic non-fiction books on Far Eastern art and religion and then moved into fiction writing with two critically acclaimed novels about English sailors in the early Seventeenth century.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
January 5, 2020
After lingering on my KOBO unread shelf for years and spending all of 2019 on my "what I read next" shelf, I FINALLY gave this 1985 historical romance my attention. It had a really rough beginning, but it offered a promising little known story, which unfortunately floundered.
Think about it. We never belonged to England; we belonged to the Crown. But the monarchy's been abolished and the King's patents invalidated. I say we should join with the other English settlements and declare the Americas a new nation. Barbados should lead the way and declare our own independence.
So in 1648, 98 years before the American Revolution took place, there were people on the island of Barbados that saw the shift in England with Cromwell taking over the head of government and saw the opportunity to try and form an independent nation. Of course the English don't want to lose their precious sugar economy and as expected trouble is brewing.
Into this narrative is Hugh Winton, a gentleman turned buccaneer who couldn't really care enough except that he is attracted to the governor's daughter, Katy Bedford, who is engaged to another but cannot resist Winton and his wet jerkin(wether on land or sea-AMAZING) . It's just sex and she won't fall in love!,
It took almost 30% of the story before I actually appeared to approach the central plot and it's a bit of a letdown as it soon hurries the characters on to Tortuga/Jamaica and a meeting with a pirate named Jacques.
Goodreads review published 05/01/20
Think about it. We never belonged to England; we belonged to the Crown. But the monarchy's been abolished and the King's patents invalidated. I say we should join with the other English settlements and declare the Americas a new nation. Barbados should lead the way and declare our own independence.
So in 1648, 98 years before the American Revolution took place, there were people on the island of Barbados that saw the shift in England with Cromwell taking over the head of government and saw the opportunity to try and form an independent nation. Of course the English don't want to lose their precious sugar economy and as expected trouble is brewing.
Into this narrative is Hugh Winton, a gentleman turned buccaneer who couldn't really care enough except that he is attracted to the governor's daughter, Katy Bedford, who is engaged to another but cannot resist Winton and his wet jerkin(wether on land or sea-AMAZING) . It's just sex and she won't fall in love!,
It took almost 30% of the story before I actually appeared to approach the central plot and it's a bit of a letdown as it soon hurries the characters on to Tortuga/Jamaica and a meeting with a pirate named Jacques.
Goodreads review published 05/01/20
February 9, 2016
Having visited Barbados many times, I liked the setting and the historical detail but the author seemed undecided whether to write historical fiction or historical romance, throwing in the stereotypical beautiful, independent female character (quite unrealistic for the time I would have thought) and some incongruous love/sex scenes. I thought the story would have been quite interesting enough without this. Also the Kindle edition has been poorly proofread...the most notable example is that wherever the word "defiance" appears it is shown in italics as "Defiance", this being the name of the male protagonist's ship even where the ship is not being referred to. A bad case of unchecked find and replace!
January 23, 2011
This historical fiction book had some good points including strong and interesting female characters, alluring scenes of passion, and a unique historical perspective on the early days of the Caribbean Islands. However, I think the major failing of the author was his inability to focus the story on one particular set of main characters. This lead to some good initial character development, but then lack of utilization of those characters consistently throughout the novel. In addition, there was something very unrealistic about the copious amounts of dialogue during the battle scenes. Overall an interesting read, but it took some coaxing to finish.
August 14, 2011
At first, I thought this had the potential to be quality historical fiction, but it just ended up reading like a wannabe historical romance. Blah.
November 21, 2011
--From Red Adept Reviews--
I downloaded Caribbee, by Thomas Hoover, as a free book from Amazon.com.
Overall: 3 3/4 Stars
Plot/Storyline: 4 1/2 Stars
The opening scene grabbed my attention; a good pirate raid will do that. But once the main story began, it took awhile for the pace to pick up again. After that point, the rising action was consistent: numerous buildups to intermediate climax points as the overall tension of the book consistently rose to the finale.
The plot of this novel weaves several threads together into a rich tapestry: romance and politics, greed and rebellion, civilization and lawlessness, desperation and faith. If I could book passage to the world that Mr. Hoover has described in this book, I would.
The Caribbean’s image in Caribbee is portrayed intentionally as a pre-colonial-America, with dedicated—if flawed—people and their desire for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The message I took away after reading was one of both realism and hope, elements the world can always use more of.
Character Development: 4 Stars
The novel portrayed several opposing factions: loyalists, separatists, slaves, owners, traders and pirates. It’s true that some of the characters were reduced in areas to a single driving emotion, but I feel that was a perfectly natural extension of the stress the plot was placing on them.
Numerous characters, including the main character Hugh Winston, suffered from a chronic inability to trust, and it wrenched the plot in new, tragic directions with frightfully enjoyable regularity. You know a book is written well when you can identify at least somewhat with every side, and it’s hard to tell who the worst villain is.
Everyone received detail and background. Usually it was enough to make them unforgettable; occasionally, it was too much, irrelevant to the plot and distracting. One of the main characters came across as anachronistic, a feminist and civil rights activist three centuries early. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her. She just felt a little out of place: a romance character lost in a political history novel.
Writing Style: 3 1/2 Stars
Mr. Hoover has clearly done his research, and it shines through in his writing style. He takes his time, embroidering each scene, embedding it with careful details. His world took shape around me, and I was immersed in the past. This effect happily extended to dialogue as well. I enjoy reading period speech, and Mr. Hoover did not disappoint. He had a wonderful mix of British, African, Dutch and French speech patterns, and where appropriate he stirred together mixtures of several languages to reflect the melting pot that was the Caribbean at that point in history.
The other side of the thoroughness coin, however, revealed the unfortunate habit of including a plethora of details, to the effect of bogging down the story. One detailed explanation was repeated later in the novel. The slower pace sometimes felt like reading a history book, and during action scenes it became consciously frustrating. In another instance, what was supposed to be a big, end-of-book reveal to one of the characters as well as the reader ended up being easily predicted much earlier on, thanks to too many flashbacks, musings and hints.
Editing: 2 1/2 Stars
I have to include this section, because so much of what little was negative about this book occurs here. The ebook was plagued with errors, most notably a lack of spacing between scenes, making smooth transitions difficult. A find-and-replace error left all instances of “defiance” posted as Winston’s sailing ship “Defiance”, which added unintended hilarity. Typos and other mistakes cropped up often enough to be annoying: I stopped noting them halfway through due to sheer volume. With a simple read-through, this book’s readability could be vastly improved, and a lot of the reader’s confusion and distraction would be avoided.
I downloaded Caribbee, by Thomas Hoover, as a free book from Amazon.com.
Overall: 3 3/4 Stars
Plot/Storyline: 4 1/2 Stars
The opening scene grabbed my attention; a good pirate raid will do that. But once the main story began, it took awhile for the pace to pick up again. After that point, the rising action was consistent: numerous buildups to intermediate climax points as the overall tension of the book consistently rose to the finale.
The plot of this novel weaves several threads together into a rich tapestry: romance and politics, greed and rebellion, civilization and lawlessness, desperation and faith. If I could book passage to the world that Mr. Hoover has described in this book, I would.
The Caribbean’s image in Caribbee is portrayed intentionally as a pre-colonial-America, with dedicated—if flawed—people and their desire for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The message I took away after reading was one of both realism and hope, elements the world can always use more of.
Character Development: 4 Stars
The novel portrayed several opposing factions: loyalists, separatists, slaves, owners, traders and pirates. It’s true that some of the characters were reduced in areas to a single driving emotion, but I feel that was a perfectly natural extension of the stress the plot was placing on them.
Numerous characters, including the main character Hugh Winston, suffered from a chronic inability to trust, and it wrenched the plot in new, tragic directions with frightfully enjoyable regularity. You know a book is written well when you can identify at least somewhat with every side, and it’s hard to tell who the worst villain is.
Everyone received detail and background. Usually it was enough to make them unforgettable; occasionally, it was too much, irrelevant to the plot and distracting. One of the main characters came across as anachronistic, a feminist and civil rights activist three centuries early. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her. She just felt a little out of place: a romance character lost in a political history novel.
Writing Style: 3 1/2 Stars
Mr. Hoover has clearly done his research, and it shines through in his writing style. He takes his time, embroidering each scene, embedding it with careful details. His world took shape around me, and I was immersed in the past. This effect happily extended to dialogue as well. I enjoy reading period speech, and Mr. Hoover did not disappoint. He had a wonderful mix of British, African, Dutch and French speech patterns, and where appropriate he stirred together mixtures of several languages to reflect the melting pot that was the Caribbean at that point in history.
The other side of the thoroughness coin, however, revealed the unfortunate habit of including a plethora of details, to the effect of bogging down the story. One detailed explanation was repeated later in the novel. The slower pace sometimes felt like reading a history book, and during action scenes it became consciously frustrating. In another instance, what was supposed to be a big, end-of-book reveal to one of the characters as well as the reader ended up being easily predicted much earlier on, thanks to too many flashbacks, musings and hints.
Editing: 2 1/2 Stars
I have to include this section, because so much of what little was negative about this book occurs here. The ebook was plagued with errors, most notably a lack of spacing between scenes, making smooth transitions difficult. A find-and-replace error left all instances of “defiance” posted as Winston’s sailing ship “Defiance”, which added unintended hilarity. Typos and other mistakes cropped up often enough to be annoying: I stopped noting them halfway through due to sheer volume. With a simple read-through, this book’s readability could be vastly improved, and a lot of the reader’s confusion and distraction would be avoided.
May 26, 2011
Wow, did I love this amazing book! It truly was like a James Clavell or Leon Uris historical novel where a great deal of research has gone into the accurate historical background, and the fiction and fictional characters were created to fit into the history--rather than recreating history to fit the whims of the author's fiction. I know, because this book had me bouncing all over the internet reading maps and histories to delve deeper into the stories. I should have been awarded three college credits for how much I learned before I was done and I now know more about the Puritan Reformation and Caribbean history than I will ever need to know again. It was a complex story that could have been written in two volumes, but wasn't, and even though it was a double-sized story, I was still heart-broken to finish it knowing how hard it would be to move on to lesser books, but, hey, give me a few years, and I'll be reading it again. I do have some criticisms--like wasn't the hero just a bit too noble and patient for a dissolute smuggler--but they are outweighed by the sheer enjoyment of the adventure, indeed, battles and adventure galore. This is a book for lovers of historical fiction who love history, rather than lovers of "historical fiction" who love bodice-rippers. It may be more of a "man's book" than chick lit, but that's okay with me; I like grit but not mush.
January 9, 2018
“Caribbee” is a loosely-based historical fiction novel covering a period in the mid 1600’s. The general plot does include other Caribbean islands, but is largely based on the island of Barbados. I use the term ‘loosely’based’ for two reasons. First, the author chose to portray events that took place in multiple locations involving numerous people over about a 10-year period. As such, a lot of history and action is pinned on the main characters, which seemed to make for an ambitious and somewhat unbelievable plot. Second, parts of the novel felt more like a romance story complete with steamy sex scenes.
I did some limited research on my own, and I thought the primary plot was greatly exaggerated in the novel compared to what actually took place on the island of Barbados. There were some elements of truth in the story, but it seemed the author was pretty liberal in adding in elements involving buccaneers, piracy, and a desire to speak out against the brutality and injustice of slavery. If you can distance yourself from what actually happened during this timeframe, you wind up with a pretty fun pirate story.
One phrase that particularly bugged me was some form of “… as sure as I’m a Christian”, which was typically uttered in conjunction with non-Christian ideals. I think the author was potentially trying to show the hypocrisy of the Protestants (Puritans) and Papists (Catholics), but even the pirates used some form of the phrase to describe their actions. I didn’t see any sense of Christian motivations and actions in the book, and perhaps that was the point the author was trying to make as people were motivated by greed, lust, and alcohol.
Overall, the book was an okay read for me because I like my historical fiction novels to more closely follow history and the frequent and somewhat graphic sex scenes made me feel like I was reading a romance novel.
I did some limited research on my own, and I thought the primary plot was greatly exaggerated in the novel compared to what actually took place on the island of Barbados. There were some elements of truth in the story, but it seemed the author was pretty liberal in adding in elements involving buccaneers, piracy, and a desire to speak out against the brutality and injustice of slavery. If you can distance yourself from what actually happened during this timeframe, you wind up with a pretty fun pirate story.
One phrase that particularly bugged me was some form of “… as sure as I’m a Christian”, which was typically uttered in conjunction with non-Christian ideals. I think the author was potentially trying to show the hypocrisy of the Protestants (Puritans) and Papists (Catholics), but even the pirates used some form of the phrase to describe their actions. I didn’t see any sense of Christian motivations and actions in the book, and perhaps that was the point the author was trying to make as people were motivated by greed, lust, and alcohol.
Overall, the book was an okay read for me because I like my historical fiction novels to more closely follow history and the frequent and somewhat graphic sex scenes made me feel like I was reading a romance novel.
January 1, 2012
While I found this book to be at best, mildly interesting, my overall feeling is one of disapointment. This effort would have been better served had it been split into two seperate books. This would have allowed for a more focused plot development. I found the numerous side stories to be a distraction, and felt they detracted from the overall focus of the book. This book had potential, which was never realized, due, in my opinion, to the reader never really being able to determine what the main storyline was supposed to be. The most interesting and informative portion of the book is the Afterword, where the Author outlined the figures from History who were the inspiration for the different charachters within the fragmented, unfocused, and otherwise un-remarkable book.
May 28, 2013
Historical Fiction about Barbados, Tortuga and Jamaica in the mid-1600's. The author pieced together a story based on real people and events. Interesting read with good characters and story line. Learned a little about the Caribbean islands history, slavery, Cromwell's Puritans, sugar cane industry and buccaneer history, all set in a tale that kept me interested.
Pretty good read!
Pretty good read!
July 2, 2022
This book had been biding its time, sitting on my TBR undisturbed for almost a decade after I picked it up somewhere, somehow, I really have no idea where it came from. Apparently what it was waiting for was me in the grip of my latest round of obsession with all things pirate-related, when all it took for me to decide I must read this with no further delay was one look at that gorgeous cover.
Set in Barbados and Jamaica in the mid-1600s, it weaves a gripping historical tale loosely based on real historical figures and events, following a large cast of characters from different walks of life. Hoover does an excellent job bringing his settings and the history of the Caribbean islands to life, incorporating much detail from his research into colonial history, slavery, buccaneers, the sugar industry, Cromwell's Puritans and their greed and brutality unleashed in their American colonies.
Set in Barbados and Jamaica in the mid-1600s, it weaves a gripping historical tale loosely based on real historical figures and events, following a large cast of characters from different walks of life. Hoover does an excellent job bringing his settings and the history of the Caribbean islands to life, incorporating much detail from his research into colonial history, slavery, buccaneers, the sugar industry, Cromwell's Puritans and their greed and brutality unleashed in their American colonies.
November 16, 2024
I was hoping this would be a swashbuckling tale of buccaneers in the early days of the Caribbean. And I did get some of that. But what I mostly got was 436 pages of setting up cannons, and I could probably load and fire one myself, given all the detail provided in this novel. There were also lots of pompous men brandishing guns and insulting each other.
The dream of main character Hugh Winston is to take over the island of Jamaica as a free port. The hapless English Navy shows up to spoil the fun at every turn. What should have been the final showdown dissolves into a confusing mess, a total letdown. I should have declared a DNF when I started skimming.
The dream of main character Hugh Winston is to take over the island of Jamaica as a free port. The hapless English Navy shows up to spoil the fun at every turn. What should have been the final showdown dissolves into a confusing mess, a total letdown. I should have declared a DNF when I started skimming.
June 7, 2024
I enjoyed this book but felt the author tried to fit too many events and characters into one book. As a history major I did enjoy researching the events that this book is based upon because I was not aware of these events. The book has a lot of action and as a firearm enthusiast I enjoyed the parts about matchlocks versus flintlocks. I felt the ending was rushed a little. Spoiler alert this book has more of an R rating for the relationship between the lead male and female characters.
July 24, 2017
I thought this book took quite a long time to come to the boil but I persisted with it because I enjoyed another of his books 'The Moghul'. Not a bad effort by any means but not as good as some of his other works.
December 31, 2020
This book was an adventure that I connected with. All the experiences were educational, revealing truths, friendships gained, and the growth of character that I found captivating throughout this book. Love it!
September 17, 2017
I would rate this 4.5 stars if that was possible. I quite enjoyed this work, as I love the Caribbean. Lots of great history built into this story.
October 28, 2017
Very good.
Looking for similar sea stories.
English navy & on the spanish main.
Also expeditions in usa africa and the sea
Looking for similar sea stories.
English navy & on the spanish main.
Also expeditions in usa africa and the sea
March 2, 2019
Good read
A great stand alone novel filled with action and characters to love and hate in equal measures. A really good read.
A great stand alone novel filled with action and characters to love and hate in equal measures. A really good read.
September 13, 2019
The historical part was good. Overall a quick and easy book to read.
March 10, 2020
Good read
I enjoyed reading this book from the start. Not from the era that I normally read, it was a change. Well written.
I enjoyed reading this book from the start. Not from the era that I normally read, it was a change. Well written.
July 7, 2021
Caribbean by Thomas Hoover
A very enjoyable book on a topic of which I know little about. It has a strong historical basis and a number of intriguing characters. Highly recommended!
A very enjoyable book on a topic of which I know little about. It has a strong historical basis and a number of intriguing characters. Highly recommended!
December 9, 2022
Book started out great, about 3/4 way in it lost me.
December 16, 2023
A good read
It has some suspenseful moments and parts where I was logging to know what would happen next. It wasn't too bad.
It has some suspenseful moments and parts where I was logging to know what would happen next. It wasn't too bad.
September 11, 2024
DNF. A quarter of the way in and I'm not interested enough to keep going.
February 12, 2013
A true swashbuckling story derived from the true history of Hispaniola, Jamaica, Tortuga, basically all the Caribbean Islands of legend and the men & women of the 1600's to the 1700's in Charles II & Cromwell's rule of England. Before slavery had taken hold in the Americas, instigated by the Puritans & Roundheads of the time, while chastising the Roman Catholics for their Church policies, were in a lot of instances worse than the people they were at war with, which is so often the case.
This is a wonderful book giving a true colorful description of the times, morals, habits and accurate picture of life in their non air conditioned, sweaty, often filthy, disease ridden society, where the people the upper levels scorned were often a step a head of the 'superior' ones who had enslaved them. The corruption, greed, desperation go beyond belief in this fascinating look into the reality of the famous Spanish Main. Some spelling errors are the only errors that I found marring this piece, so I give it a 4.9 on the 5.0 scale of excellence. Don't miss this one as I couldn't put it down once I started it.
This is a wonderful book giving a true colorful description of the times, morals, habits and accurate picture of life in their non air conditioned, sweaty, often filthy, disease ridden society, where the people the upper levels scorned were often a step a head of the 'superior' ones who had enslaved them. The corruption, greed, desperation go beyond belief in this fascinating look into the reality of the famous Spanish Main. Some spelling errors are the only errors that I found marring this piece, so I give it a 4.9 on the 5.0 scale of excellence. Don't miss this one as I couldn't put it down once I started it.
October 8, 2013
I read another book by Thomas Hoover several months ago, set in India, and quite enjoyed it. This one...a bit less. I was bored several times, and actually had to force myself to finish it. The majority of the story takes place on Barbados, and tracks the settlement of the island by the English up to the point the first slave ship arrives.
Throughout the first 3/4 of the book, the main character talks about and thinks about taking over Jamaica. The last few pages of the story are set on Jamaica. So there is a constant build up to not a lot of story. It felt unbalanced somehow.
With the genre "historical fiction" there is almost always some romance element, which is fine, and the same is true here. There are actually two romantic stories, and they are both just okay. The first, between the two main characters is expected and predictable, and the second is less explored, therefore less interesting.
Overall, this is a good story for people who are interested in historical fiction, particularly the period of English empire-building. It doesn't require much thought and probably won't stick with you for too long.
Throughout the first 3/4 of the book, the main character talks about and thinks about taking over Jamaica. The last few pages of the story are set on Jamaica. So there is a constant build up to not a lot of story. It felt unbalanced somehow.
With the genre "historical fiction" there is almost always some romance element, which is fine, and the same is true here. There are actually two romantic stories, and they are both just okay. The first, between the two main characters is expected and predictable, and the second is less explored, therefore less interesting.
Overall, this is a good story for people who are interested in historical fiction, particularly the period of English empire-building. It doesn't require much thought and probably won't stick with you for too long.
December 31, 2012
I got a little history I did not know. It covers a few years around 1650 when the English took a deep-dive into slavery and slave trading in the Carribean for the sake of white gold (sugar). It preceded and predestined same in Virginia. I learned about Barbado's brief fight for independence, Cromwell's failed plan to take over the area from the Spanish, Dutch traders, and bucaneer's efforts to confound them all. What a rollicking decade. It was a generally good read, but unfortunately you have to take in a bit of bodice ripping along the way. I would have given it 4 stars but every chapter seems to have a token "bodice-rip" in it (just for fun tried my new Kindle search function which says there were 26 "bodice" and 35 "breast" mentions); just got silly in parts. If you don't mind scanning by a few pages, it was worth the pennies Kindle charged.
July 3, 2013
I really enjoyed this book! I wanted to give it 4.5 out of 5.
A story that never drags with plenty of love, action, treachery and surprises to keep you engaged.
The setting in the 17th century on Barabados at the start of the slave trade was intriguing and although I have little knowledge of those times, seems to ring true.
The characters were a little sterotyped though (hero is an ace shot, heroine beautiful, etc).
Another doubt was about the quantity of rum that people drink. I'm no stranger to alcohol but surely they would have all fallen down inebriated before breakfast as they constantly seem to guzzling the stuff?
Enjoyable? definately, totally beleivable? maybe not.
Lead me to get hold of another of his books Syndrome - will see how that goes.
A story that never drags with plenty of love, action, treachery and surprises to keep you engaged.
The setting in the 17th century on Barabados at the start of the slave trade was intriguing and although I have little knowledge of those times, seems to ring true.
The characters were a little sterotyped though (hero is an ace shot, heroine beautiful, etc).
Another doubt was about the quantity of rum that people drink. I'm no stranger to alcohol but surely they would have all fallen down inebriated before breakfast as they constantly seem to guzzling the stuff?
Enjoyable? definately, totally beleivable? maybe not.
Lead me to get hold of another of his books Syndrome - will see how that goes.
December 2, 2014
The first American revolution didn't start in the New England, along the Atlantic coast or in Pennsylvania -- it started in Barbados. In the mid-seventeeth century a group of English settlers revolted against the rule of
Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth. The fighting force was a mixed group: planters (slave owners) who feared losing their lucrative cane profits, English loyalists, Irish indentured servants who hated what Cromwell had done to Ireland, Dutch sea captains who traded in Barbados, and a few who longed for an independent, slave-free society.
Well research story with beautiful descriptions of the island. The author wrote that the characters were based on a number of actual people -- some I admired, some I hoped would lose.
No graphic sex or violence
Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth. The fighting force was a mixed group: planters (slave owners) who feared losing their lucrative cane profits, English loyalists, Irish indentured servants who hated what Cromwell had done to Ireland, Dutch sea captains who traded in Barbados, and a few who longed for an independent, slave-free society.
Well research story with beautiful descriptions of the island. The author wrote that the characters were based on a number of actual people -- some I admired, some I hoped would lose.
No graphic sex or violence
June 30, 2016
Interesting and informative
This is a excellent book based on the historical efforts by England in the mid-17th century to own the Caribbean islands. Based on factual accounts, this book gives you an insight into the greed of Oliver Cromwell and the beginning of the slave trade from Africa. It is a powerful study into man's inhumanity to man and the subsequent reasoning behind it and ultimate outcome.
I would highly recommend it. It held my inte
rest as it educated me. The characters are strong and well described. Slavery, pirating and politics of the times are thoroughly discussed and explained. All the main characters are based on actual people.
This is a excellent book based on the historical efforts by England in the mid-17th century to own the Caribbean islands. Based on factual accounts, this book gives you an insight into the greed of Oliver Cromwell and the beginning of the slave trade from Africa. It is a powerful study into man's inhumanity to man and the subsequent reasoning behind it and ultimate outcome.
I would highly recommend it. It held my inte
rest as it educated me. The characters are strong and well described. Slavery, pirating and politics of the times are thoroughly discussed and explained. All the main characters are based on actual people.
September 8, 2015
Decent story, interesting version of that period of history, a couple problems held it from a higher rating. First, the whole thing could have been tightened up considerably. There were large sections where the author backtracked to cover something in the past, and then the story would get too sprawling. Next, too much French and Spanish for my taste; I don't speak or read either, although I know enough to muddle through. Lastly, this book needed major editing. Mispellings, random hyphenated words all throughout, glaring typos, all these could have been cleaned up for a smoother read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews