Easton

Description

191 pages
$16.95
ISBN 1-894463-64-1
DDC C813'.6

Author

Publisher

Year

2004

Contributor

Reviewed by R. Gordon Moyles

R. Gordon Moyles is professor emeritus of English at the University of
Alberta, co-author of Imperial Dreams and Colonial Realities: British
Views of Canada, 1880–1914, author of The Salvation Army and the
Public, and the editor of “Improved by Cultiv

Review

Peter Easton was one of the most notorious pirates of the early 17th
century. He became familiar with Newfoundland when, as a loyal British
seaman, he commanded a small fleet that visited the island on a voyage
during which he rescued the Irish Princess, Sheila NaGeira, who
reputedly bore the first “Newfoundland” child. Later, after becoming
a pirate, Easton made Harbour Grace his headquarters, raiding the
fishing villages and stealing men for his own vast fleet. Around 1611,
he is supposed to have attacked British vessels in St. John’s and
captured the governor, Richard Whitbourne, holding him prisoner for 11
weeks and releasing him only on the condition that he would seek a
pardon for Easton from the king of England.

Those bare facts form the basis of this swashbuckling romance.
Whitbourne and Captain George Dawson are duped by Easton, taken
prisoner, and sent on a voyage to the Caribbean. The story is
fast-paced, action-packed, and replete with horrific deaths, frequent
tests of will, a somewhat improbable love match, and a satisfying
denouement. Butler is a very good writer, creating both colour and
suspense with assurance, and, in spite of the many improbabilities
involving shipboard life, his novel is fun to read.

Citation

Butler, Paul., “Easton,” Canadian Book Review Annual Online, accessed November 2, 2024, https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/14540.