I just finished reading The Privateer by Josephine Tey, and I enjoyed it very much.
It is a historical fiction about the rise of Sir Henry Morgan (yes, the same guy in the red coat on Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum). I found it to be well written and the story moves along at a good clip. It is not bogged down with romance, as pirate stories may prone to be. Rather, it follows his life from released indentured servant to Lietenant Governor of Jamaica.
The distancing of the author and the character came in and out of focus. Sometimes Ms. Tey was in the mind of Morgan, sometimes in the mind of Spaniards and sometimes a history professor. But it all balanced well with her choices.
At first I wondered if the Morgan portrayed in the book would have been real. He seemed to be a chivalric knight on a crusade against Spain. Perhaps he was, perhaps he wasn't. The book does make me want to research Morgan more.
The story is a heroic one, in which a man uses his wits to become a strong leader of men and accomplishes great deeds against the odds. It is stirring to read the narrative of his exploits, albeit fictional ones... but well researched.
I liked the references in the book to Exquemline and his book The History of the Buccaneers of the Americas. I own it and read it years ago, so it was a nice reflection. In the authors note at the end, she cites a book that I want to read by Brigadier-General E.A. Cruikshank: The Life of Henry Morgan. Seemingly it paints a different picture of the buccaneer turned givernor.
If you are interested in historical fiction, and particularly pirate fiction, see if you can grab this out-of-print book from the Library or Yahoo. It is worth the read.
Click the image to learn more about the book.
