The Black Swan

Sabatini novels are just so fun. The exploits are daring. The heroes are dashing, and the women bring a fresh dimension and a sweet romance. This book has everything, and is a great, relaxing read.

It's hard to write engaging action scenes, but Sabatini's are always exciting. There are naval battles, sword fights, and battles of wit that keep the reader on their toes. The hero, Charles de Bernis, is a cocky yet brilliant buccaneer. Sabatini's heroes tend to be good at everything, so they can come off as a bit Marty Stu, but this didn't bother me about de Bernis. While he was daring and charming, he seemed realistic. The stakes were believably high, and I think that was largely in part due to the presence of Priscilla. Everything de show more Bernis did was for her safety, and his anxieties for her (initially chivalric but later romantic) humanized him because they showed his vulnerable side.

This review comes on the heels of my second time reading this book, and I picked up on things I had missed previously. Most notably was the character of Priscilla. We meet her lounging upon a daybed onboard a ship bound for England. She is wealthy and spoiled, but not mean. Over the course of the novel, she grows into a self-sufficient woman who both balances out her romantic partner and complements him. She has a lot more agency than I remembered, which I enjoyed reading about. She does need saving from time to time, but this is a book written in the 1920s about the eighteenth century, so it's in keeping with the time period. Astute yet quiet, Priscilla is a likable heroine because she neither simpers nor faints too often but rather faces danger head on.

If you're looking for a light read about pirates with an authentic feel yet uncomplicated characters, then I recommend this book. You can't go wrong with Sabatini, in general, but this book is one of my favorites of his. show less

Solid, enjoyable swashbuckler by one of the masters of the pirate-fiction trade.

The action and adventure did not disappoint. But, never having read Sabatini before, I was surprised by the focus on finely-drawned characterization and the dry, rather complex prose. To wit:

Every man's life is based upon his own experiences. Like drawing like unto its intimacies, the vile man meets only vileness and therefore accounts the world vile...

As you can see, here is no pound-out-the-purple-prose guy, like, say Frank Yerby or Robert E. Howard. But then Sabatini was Italian by birth, spoke several languages, and lived in Britain from age 17. This is an urbane, sophisticated writer of excellent adventure stories.

Perhaps really only 3.5☆ but I do love the romance and adventure of a good pirate tale ;)

Not quite as good as Sabatini's classic [b:Captain Blood|1083383|Captain Blood|Rafael Sabatini|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328861986l/1083383._SY75_.jpg|2125579] but the romantic aspect was better.

One of Sabatini's best.

No Dust Jacket