The group has selected Captain Blood by Raphael Sabatini for our July read, with discussion opening August 1.
Per Google:
Captain Blood is a classic swashbuckling adventure novel by Rafael Sabatini, published in 1922. It follows Dr. Peter Blood, an unjustly enslaved English physician who escapes his captors, becomes a legendary Caribbean pirate, and ultimately clears his name to win the heart of the woman he loves.
Sounds like fun! Bonus points if you watch the Errol Flynn movie, too!
Here’s what Mustich has to say about this one (and I swear, some day his name is going to show up as “mustache”) :
Captain Blood, ca. 1937
The Greatest Swashbuckler of Them All
Rafael Sabatini’s perennially popular adventure yarn opens on a tranquil scene: “Peter Blood, bachelor of medicine and several other things besides, smoked a pipe and tended the geraniums boxed on the sill of his window.” The promise inherent in that teasing phrase about extracurricular qualifications is soon realized. Doctor Blood’s quiet life in the seventeenth-century English countryside is shattered when he finds himself unjustly arrested for treason. Convicted, he’s then transported on a slave ship to Barbados, where he eventually escapes from the clutches of a brutal plantation owner during a pirate attack. This sets the stage for Blood’s own career as a pirate—and before long, he is the greatest buccaneer of them all. Raids, sea battles, sword fights, acts of gallantry and low cunning: The stuff of Blood’s action-packed odyssey is recounted with zest and skill, in chapter after page-turning chapter, by a robust, natural-born storyteller. Filled with despicable enemies (in English, French, and Spanish flavors), an attractive romantic interest, and the inspiring élan of a dauntless hero, the book dares you to put it down. You won’t.
Captain Blood and Rafael Sabatini have had millions of admiring readers through the years. According to George MacDonald Fraser, the author of the Flashman books, it is “one of the great unrecognized novels of the twentieth century, and as close as any modern writer has come to a prose epic.”
What: Novel.
When: 1922.
Reading Note: Don’t be put off by Sabatini’s at-times-ornate prose and rich vocabulary (for example, armigerous, pannikin, pusillanimity). Under the spell of his storytelling, you’ll soon come to relish both.
Also By: The Sea-Hawk (1915). Scaramouche (1921). Bellarion the Fortunate (1926). Captain Blood Returns (1931) and The Fortunes of Captain Blood (1936) document further twists and turns in the Blood saga.
Try: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope. Captain from Castile by Samuel Shellabarger.
Adaptation: Captain Blood (1935), one of the silver screen’s grand old swashbucklers, was directed by Michael Curtiz; it features stirring music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and—unforgettably—stars Errol Flynn as Peter Blood.
“Some years ago I was asked by a magazine what were the ten most important books in my development. The book I listed first was Captain Blood. Then came Das Kapital.” —Norman Mailer
@1000_Books friends, the discussion for Captain Blood is now open! Post away!
I haven’t finished Captain Blood yet, but was initially somewhat surprised at the use derogatory racist terms in the book, but then again not surprised. It was written in the 1920s when casual racism was a common everyday occurrence and the British Empire in the 1600s, the period the book is set in, most definitely fully embraced colonialism and racism.
I was never really interested in pirate stories, so I did not pick up CAPTAIN BLOOD with a great of enthusiasm. Did I ever change my mind! The book turned out to contain an engaging story that was very well written. It is one of those books that is difficult to put down, and the author had a knack for ending each chapter with a dramatic conclusion that compelled me to immediately keep reading.
I especially like historical fiction with the culture of the time in which it is set. CAPTAIN BLOOD does this and helped me understand the world in the late 1600’s a little better. It also helped me understand that piracy was not based solely on the imagination of fiction writers, but it played an actual role in the world at that time.
The book was written in the 1920ĘĽs by an English author so that some of the prose can be a little bit difficult to navigate. I frequently found myself having to reread some lines to understand what was said. At first this was annoying and slowed my reading. After a short time, this proved to an enjoyable process and became a game for me.
Overall reading this book was an unexpected pleasure. I highly recommend it and can understand why it remains popular after a century of publication.
I started listening to Captain Blood one roadtrip weekend when I had a lot of windshield time. What a fun and captivating book! More than once I found myself spending extra time in the car after reaching my intended destination in order to listen to the end of a chapter.
Captain Blood was a likeable character given his strong honor code, for example, evidenced in his approach to dealing with people and respect for contracts. Additionally, his creative problem solving kept the story entertaining.
The ever-changing relationship between England, France, and Spain was historically interesting. While I had an appreciation of the three countries’ history on the continent, I never really thought about how the tensions would play out on the seas and in the colonies.
For audiobook enthusiasts, I recommend the unabridged version of Captain Blood narrated by B J Harrison. He brought the story to life for me.
What a reading adventure and view of piracy! I thoroughly enjoyed CAPTAIN BLOOD and cheered for him throughout his story. I echo previous comments. Isn’t it amazing that a book written over a hundred years ago still captivates readers?
Pirate ships and politics were interwoven during this time period. Yes, there was ruthlessness, murder, and hardships. Sabatini described some aspects but also created a swashbuckling character having a moral compass. Blood made the most of his early sentence and proved to be an admirable man.
I imagine the movie was popular when released. Would a remake be successful or a flop? Perhaps the Johnny Depp “fantasy” movies would make a new Captain Blood seem too tame for young, modern viewers.
This book has spurred my interest in historical piracy. I want to delve deeper into this topic. And that says a lot about one of the 1000 Books!
Excellent choice!
I’m glad everyone seemed to find this one as much of a hoot as I did. The one thing that surprised me was the level of brutality the author wrote about, particularly as regards those enslaved in Jamaica. I didn’t know that England enslaved their criminals on that island, so that was new, as was the back-and-forth political situation.
I listened to it in audiobook format, and like @Gabi_J I got the version narrated by B.J. Harrison. I only chose that one because it was free with my Audible subscription. It took me a little while to get into it; it felt a bit dated at first. But I ended up really liking his narration a lot, particularly the Irish lilt he gave Blood.