19 h 42 minAudiobook5 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 19 h 42 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does loyalty mean when a hidden past can pull duty and survival in different directions?
In Anna Maria Hall's The Buccaneer, England lives in the aftermath of civil war under Oliver Cromwell. Loyalties divide, secrets matter, and the sea holds danger as well as freedom. This historical novel brings together ships, hidden pasts, and the uneasy pull between conscience and the need to survive.
The tale belongs to the tradition of historical romance, with adventure set against political upheaval. Its title points toward a sea adventurer's uncertain ground between lawful service and piracy. Secrecy and loyalty shape the world you enter: a place where a concealed purpose makes trust a difficult matter.
What you’ll discover
- An England divided Enter Cromwell's England, where the aftermath of civil war gives divided loyalties their weight.
- Danger beyond the shore Discover the sea as a place of freedom, risk, and uncertain boundaries.
- The pull of secrets Explore the tension of hidden pasts and purposes concealed from others.
- Loyalty under pressure Consider what duty demands when conscience and survival pull in different directions.
- Adventure with a conscience Find a historical romance that brings moral questions into its world of ships and danger.
Who will love it
Readers who love sea adventures, smugglers' caves, hidden identities and tangled family secrets will enjoy it, as will anyone curious about Cromwell's England, with its Puritans, Cavaliers and spies.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A buccaneer climbs the cliff by night
- Dalton demands a pardon from Sir Robert
- Two suitors, one funeral, and a swordfight
- The Gull's Nest and its crooked guardian
- Constance, her locket and a forced bargain
- Mutiny aboard the Fire-fly
- The Protector's court and Robin's disguise
- Barbara's wedding-day danger and Zillah's vengeance
- What the story is really about
Who’s who
- Hugh DaltonA weathered buccaneer and master of the Fire-fly, he seeks a pardon so that his daughter need never be ashamed of him.
- Barbara IverkA gentle Puritan maid at Cecil Place who trusts everyone, and who does not know her father is the pirate Dalton.
- Robin HaysA small, misshapen, sharp-witted smuggler's friend who is fiercely loyal to Dalton and secretly loves Barbara.
- Constance CecilA dignified heiress in mourning who will sacrifice her own happiness to shield her father from a terrible charge.
- Sir Willmott BurrellA handsome, scheming knight who hides vice behind Puritan piety and wants Constance's lands.
- Walter De GuerreA young Cavalier in disguise who loves Constance and carries a secret about who he truly is.
- SpringallA brave, talkative boy sailor of the Fire-fly, devoted to his captain and quick to warn him of danger.
- Lady Frances CromwellThe Protector's lively youngest daughter, who loves gossip and wit but proves a true friend to Constance.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 19 h 42 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 5 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.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Buccaneer in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Buccaneer
by Anna Maria Hall · 1832
A pirate captain climbs a Kent cliff by night to force a pardon from a baronet who dreads what he knows.
Challenging10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
A smuggler's captain climbs a cliff in the dark to demand a pardon from the man he can ruin. So begins The Buccaneer, a historical romance by Mrs.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A buccaneer climbs the cliff by night
In February 1656 a small skiff lands in a hidden bay. Hugh Dalton, master of the brigantine Fire-fly, climbs a dangerous cliff path and leaves the boy Springall to keep watch above.
A cloaked stranger grabs the boy and demands the name of his captain. The boy refuses, yet the stranger learns it anyway, which shows how much he already knows.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Buccaneer
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Buccaneer about?
It follows the outlaw Hugh Dalton, who in 1656 seeks a pardon from Cromwell for the sake of his daughter. His fate is tied to the Cecil family on the Isle of Sheppey and to a villainous suitor, Sir Willmott Burrell.
Is The Buccaneer a true story?
No, it is a novel. Cromwell, his daughter Frances, Milton and Manasseh Ben Israel are real people of the time, but Dalton, the Cecils, Robin Hays and the plot are invented by the author.
Who is Hugh Dalton?
He is the captain of the brigantine Fire-fly, a smuggler and former pirate. He is rough and fearless, yet tender toward his daughter Barbara, and he wants an honest name for her sake.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
