22 h 37 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A storm brings a stranger to Shetland—and makes a sea captain’s hidden life everyone’s concern.
In Walter Scott’s The Pirate, bare cliffs and fierce tides frame a world shaped by old Norse customs. Mordaunt Mertoun longs for company beyond his gloomy father’s home. At Burgh Westra, generous Magnus Troil and his daughters, Minna and Brenda, offer the lively company he craves.
Then a shipwreck brings Captain Clement Cleveland ashore, rescued from the surf by Mordaunt. Handsome and commanding, Cleveland conceals the true nature of his trade. As romance and rivalry take hold, Minna’s hunger for a hero meets a troubling question: what makes a person worthy of admiration?
What you’ll discover
- Islands shaped by memory Enter feasts and conversations where old Norse habits still shape daily life.
- Two ways of seeing Meet Minna’s love of heroic tales beside Brenda’s practical eye for people.
- A feared island woman Encounter Norna of the Fitful Head, whom islanders believe can command the winds.
- Secrets behind the welcome Follow Mordaunt between his father’s guarded solitude and the warmth of Burgh Westra.
- The cost of glory Look beyond a captain’s commanding presence to questions of loyalty and admiration.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who enjoy Scott's mix of romance, landscape and folk custom, and anyone curious about Shetland's Norse past. If you want fast action from the first page, the slow, talky opening may test your patience.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Shetland is a world of its own
- A gloomy stranger and his restless son
- A shipwreck delivers Captain Cleveland
- Norna and the old fears of the islands
- What the story says about glory and loyalty
- How Scott builds the islands on the page
Who’s who
- Mordaunt MertounA bold, warm young man who lives with his silent father near Sumburgh and longs for the lively company of Burgh Westra.
- Basil MertounMordaunt's gloomy, solitary father, who keeps away from his neighbours and hides a painful past.
- Magnus TroilThe generous, loud udaller of Burgh Westra, who loves the old Norse ways and distrusts Scottish newcomers.
- Minna TroilMagnus's serious elder daughter, who loves sagas and heroic tales and longs to admire a truly bold man.
- Brenda TroilMagnus's cheerful younger daughter, practical and quick to see people as they really are.
- Clement ClevelandA handsome, commanding sea captain cast ashore in a wreck, who hides the true nature of his trade.
- Norna of the Fitful HeadA strange, feared woman who lives by a wild headland and is thought to command the winds.
- Claud HalcroA vain, kindly old poet and constant guest at Burgh Westra, who adores Dryden and loves to recite.
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 22 h 37 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Le Pirate
by Walter Scott· 1821
A shipwrecked captain unsettles island friendships and brings romantic rivalry.
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Language: Français
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Shetland is a world of its own
The novel opens in a place that feels cut off from the rest of Britain. Shetland in this period is ruled by ancient habit as much as by law. Many families hold their land by Norse tradition, and the great men among them are called udallers. They owe little to any lord and count themselves free.
The chief of these is Magnus Troil, a big, warm, loud man who keeps open house at his home, Burgh Westra. Guests come by boat and pony, eat enormous meals and stay for days. There is music, dancing, storytelling and a great deal of drinking. Magnus loves the old ways and distrusts the Scottish newcomers who are bringing new rents, new farming and new rules.
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The author
Walter Scott
1771–1832 · Scottish novelist and poet
Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a Scottish novelist, poet and playwright. He was born in Edinburgh and lived in Scotland, including at Abbotsford near Melrose, where he died. He wrote Marmion (1808), The Lady of the Lake (1810), Waverley (1814), Rob Roy (1817) and Ivanhoe (1819).
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What is The Pirate by Walter Scott about?
It tells of a Shetland landowner's family, a gloomy neighbour and his son, and a charming sea captain who is washed ashore in a wreck. Love, jealousy and hidden pasts drive the plot against a rich picture of island life.
Where and when is The Pirate set?
It is set in Shetland, in the Scottish northern isles, around the end of the seventeenth century. Scott based the setting on his own visit to the islands in 1814 and on Norse traditions that survived there.
Is The Pirate based on a true story?
The main plot is invented, but Scott drew on real pirate tales of the Northern Isles and on local lore. He also used what he had seen on his visit to Shetland, so the setting and customs feel authentic.
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