The Sea Beggars
by Cecelia Holland
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Against the background of the Protestant Reformation and conflicts between England and Spain, this novel relates the rise of the House of Orange and the beginnings of Dutch nationalism. The factual history of the conflict is long and complex, but Holland tells an insightful, if small, slice of a much bigger picture, through the stories of one Dutch family. Holland brings the reader into the action, fighting alongside Jan & Hanneke against Alva and the Spaniards who seek to crush their show more revolution. show lessTags
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The King Of Spain rules the Netherlands, and wants to introduce the Inquisition, from Spain, known as the Spanish Inquisition and the Dutch do not expect this. 'Nobody expected the Spanish Inquisition' they say. There follows a lot of oppression and revolt, told mostly through the eyes of a brother and sister, the brother fleeing to sea and piracy against the Spanish. 'Nobody expected the Dutch piracy,' the Spanish say. The sister hangs around in Antwerp before taking the road to Germany. William Of Orange bumbles around rather ineffectually, but earnestly. This is a very good book about ordinary, practical, even dull, people deciding they're not putting up with that sort of thing.
I did complete it after trying twice before. I'm not sure why I had a problem other than it is quite grim, particularly at first when the main characters are nothing but leaves in a bitter wind.
This was a difficult book for me. The plot was accurate but almost too depressing to continue reading. I just found the disintegration of the family too upsetting and had to stop reading.
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Author Information
52+ Works 3,324 Members
Born in Henderson, Nevada, Cecelia Holland was educated at Pennsylvania State University and Connecticut College, where she received her B.A. degree. She has served as a visiting professor of English at Connecticut College since 1979. Holland's historical novels have received broad critical acclaim. According to one critic, she "proves that there show more can be more to historical thrillers than swordplay and seduction." (Time) Among her novels is City of God (1979), which is set in Rome during the period of the Borgia family. Told from the point of view of Nicolas, a secretary to the Florentine ambassador to Rome, this novel brings to life the period of the Renaissance, including the political intrigue that characterized Rome at the time. Other works include Until the Sun Falls (1969), a story of the ancient Mongols and their empire, The Firedrake (1966), her first published novel, Great Maria (1974), The Bear Flag (1990), and Pacific Street (1991). Holland is very adept at capturing the period she writes about, including the clothing, furnishings, and customs of the time. One critic has noted that Holland "is never guilty of the fatuity which plagues most historical fiction: she never nudges the reader into agreeing that folks way back then were really just like you and me, only they bathed less often." (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Sea Beggars
- Original title
- The Sea Beggars
- Original publication date
- 1982
- People/Characters
- Nanneke van Cleef; Jan van Cleef
- Important places
- The Netherlands
- Important events
- Eighty Year's War
- Epigraph
- You can blow out a candle
But you can't blow out a fire.
Once the flames begin to catch,
The wind will blow it higher.
~ Peter Gabriel
Bilo - Dedication
- For Spike van Cleve
and his blue filly - First words
- The revolt of the Dutch against the Spanish monarchy in the late sixteenth century was the first of a long series of national revolutions that changed the nature of government and shaped the societies we now live in.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He slid his hands up to cover his face, blocking out the light.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 71
- Popularity
- 435,207
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.86)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 3
