Cup of Gold Audiobook By John Steinbeck, Susan F. Beegel - introduction cover art

Cup of Gold

A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, with Occasional Reference to History

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From the mid-1650s through the 1660s, Henry Morgan, a pirate and outlaw of legendary viciousness, ruled the Spanish Main. He ravaged the coasts of Cuba and America, striking terror wherever he went. Morgan was obsessive. He had two driving ambitions: to possess the beautiful woman called La Santa Roja and to conquer Panama, the “cup of gold.” Steinbeck’s first novel and sole work of historical fiction, Cup of Gold is a lush, lyrical swashbuckling pirate fantasy,  and sure to add new dimensions to readers’ perceptions of this all-American writer. This edition features an introduction by Susan F. Beegel. Historical Fiction Sea Adventures Pirate Adventure Literary Fiction Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Latin America

Critic reviews

By the Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
Beautiful Writing • Impressive Debut • Vivid Childhood Portrayal • Vivid Landscapes • Magical Elements • Excellent Prose

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A romantic adventure with sad end. Pirates, ships, rum smell and tobacco smoke mixed with love and passions.

Nice story by the early Steinbeck.

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This pleasant first Steinbeck is a fictionalization of the historical pirate Henry Morgan. It is quite different than the rest of Steinbeck's fiction...Less stark, with romance and adventure. It is far from my favorite Steinbeck but I nevertheless enjoyed it quite a bit. The prose are excellent if the characters are a bit thin.

The narration was good, but not exceptional.

Early Steinbeck Magical Realism

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Some of the writing was little too flowery, but it was an interesting deviation from Steinbeck’s other work. It does make me want to listen to other buccaneer books though!

A different kind of Steinbeck

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Steinbeck rules! One of the best writers of our time. I love John Steinbeck a lot.

Steinbeck rules!

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Well told, skips over most of Morgan's pirate career in favor of fictional romance and mystical character exposition.

Good, could have been better

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