The Sea Beggars
A Novel
Cecelia Holland
- A
- sixteenth-century
- family
- joins
- with
- pirates
- and
- William
- of
- Orange
- to
- fight
- the
- Spanish
- Inquisition
- in
- this
- novel
- of
- the
- Dutch
- Revolt
- by
- “a
- first-class
- storyteller”
- (People).Consistently
- ranked
- among
- the
- top
- authors
- of
- historical
- fiction,
- along
- with
- Mary
- Renault,
- Mary
- Stewart,
- Phillipa
- Gregory,
- and
- Diana
- Gabaldon,
- the
- great
- Cecelia
- Holland
- now
- transports
- readers
- to
- the
- sixteenth-century
- Netherlands
- in
- an
- exciting
- tale
- of
- resistance
- and
- rebellion
- against
- cruel
- Spanish
- oppressors
- that
- combines
- unforgettable
- fictional
- characters
- with
- real
- historic
- personages.No
- one
- was
- safe
- from
- religious
- persecution
- in
- the
- Dutch
- Low
- Countries
- when
- the
- “conqueror
- king,”
- Phillip
- II
- of
- Spain,
- dispatched
- the
- Catholic
- Church’s
- Inquisition
- to
- the
- Netherlands
- in
- the
- late
- 1500s.
- The
- van
- Cleef
- family
- has
- suffered
- mightily,
- with
- a
- father
- executed
- by
- a
- Spanish
- hangman
- and
- a
- mother
- driven
- into
- madness.
- Now
- their
- children,
- Jan
- and
- Hanneke,
- must
- survive
- on
- their
- own
- by
- any
- means
- necessary
- as
- fate
- carries
- them
- down
- separate
- but
- equally
- dangerous
- paths.Jan’s
- destiny
- is
- on
- the
- high
- seas—and
- ultimately
- in
- the
- royal
- court
- of
- England’s
- Queen
- Elizabeth—as
- he
- and
- his
- uncle
- Pieter
- boldly
- retake
- the
- old
- man’s
- captive
- ship
- and
- join
- the
- infamous
- pirates
- known
- as
- the
- Sea
- Beggars
- in
- their
- quest
- to
- drive
- the
- enemy
- invaders
- from
- Dutch
- waters.Remaining
- behind
- in
- Antwerp,
- Hanneke,
- meanwhile,
- is
- forced
- to
- endure
- a
- series
- of
- devastating
- trials
- that
- would
- crush
- a
- young
- woman
- of
- weaker
- spirit
- and
- sensibilities.
- Strong,
- courageous,
- and
- independent,
- she
- embarks
- on
- a
- harrowing
- journey
- to
- Germany
- in
- the
- company
- of
- refugee
- ruler
- William
- of
- Orange
- ahead
- of
- the
- impending
- terror
- of
- Spain’s
- sadistic
- Duke
- of
- Alva.
- But
- young
- Hanneke
- soon
- realizes
- there
- can
- be
- no
- escape
- or
- safe
- haven
- anywhere
- as
- long
- as
- her
- country
- is
- in
- chains,
- and
- she
- vows
- to
- dedicate
- her
- life
- to
- the
- perilous
- cause
- of
- freedom.A
- sweeping
- and
- epic
- historical
- novel
- rich
- in
- color
- and
- stunning
- period
- detail,
- Holland’s
- The
- Sea
- Beggars
- is
- an
- enthralling,
- action-packed
- adventure
- that
- interweaves
- fact
- with
- brilliant
- invention.
- It
- is
- yet
- one
- more
- fictional
- excursion
- into
- the
- breathtaking
- world
- of
- the
- past
- by
- an
- author
- the
- New
- York
- Times
- praises
- as
- “a
- literary phenomenon.”
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