Customer Reviews

The Privateer

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This was Josephine Tey's (Gordon Daviot's) last published work before her death. It's one of only 3 non-mystery novels. Only her final (8th) mystery, "The Singing Sands" was published later (posthumously). The other 2 non-mysteries are: Kif (rather good, especially for one of her early works) & The Expensive Halo which I haven't read yet. Her work greatly improved over time, so if you've only read some of her early works (e.g. Man in the Queue or A Shilling for Candles) try a later one. This one is an historical novel about the life of Henry Morgan--some call him pirate, others privateer. Similar to her excellent mystery novel, Daughter of Time, Tey debunks the stereotype of her protagonist. In this work, she outdoes herself--providing a deeper characterization than in her mystery novels. This rivals Daughter of Time as her best work (though I haven't read The Singing Sands yet). This work is long on adventure as well. It's a sea story, it's a love story, it's a history...As usual, Tey includes wonderful languaging, humorous dialog, and delightful supporting characters (e.g. Elizabeth & Bart). It's also, by far, her longest novel & (of the 9 I've read so far) the only one mostly set in the New World. It's a delicious gem. Enjoy!

The man behind the rum. Morgan was a great leader, not the blood thirsty pirate that Exquemelin painted him to be. Many books have been written about him, even Steinbeck took a turn at the legend in his first novel Cup of Gold. Body builder Steve Reeves also played him in Morgan the Pirate. Tey does a great job of capturing Morgan the man. Well researched, it is a great read for all those that love pirate adventures; read great accounts of Morgan's sack of Maracaibo and his amazing capture of Panama, the greatest pirate feat of all time!!!