Books with title The Sea Beggars

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 listener into the action, fighting alongside Jan and Hanneke against Alva and the Spaniards who seek to crush their revolution.

Sam King, a down-on-his-luck garbage collector, just upgraded from living under a bridge to a ramshackled one-room apartment. As he is about to end his miserable existence, he encounters a mysterious beggar who claims to have been Gabriel Taylor, the CEO of the world's largest chemical company. The Beggar reveals to Sam that life has a formula, and nothing is a coincidence, or chance. The mysterious Beggar shows Sam, that each and every one of us, has a predetermined purpose to accomplish in this life. After spending hours talking to Sam about how to let life unfold and free his mind from worry about the future and regret and anger about the past, the beggar mysteriously disappears. This sends Sam on a search for the truth about Gabe, himself, life, and love.

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.”

John Wycliffe is a famous Oxford professor who translated the Bible into English. Wycliffe believes that everyone should be able to read the Bible. Arnold Hutton hears Wycliffe's teachings and is inspired by his ideas. Arnold learns that Wycliffe's enemies are sending spies to his lectures and encouraging Oxford students to riot. Will Arnold be able to convince Wycliffe that he is in danger? Will they be able to save the English translation of the Bible? For 9-to-14-year-olds.

Sam King, a down-on-his-luck garbage collector, just upgraded from living under a bridge to a ramshackled one-room apartment. As he is about to end his miserable existence, he encounters a mysterious beggar who claims to have been Gabriel Taylor, the CEO of the world's largest chemical company. The Beggar reveals to Sam that life has a formula, and nothing is a coincidence, or chance. The mysterious Beggar shows Sam, that each and every one of us, has a predetermined purpose to accomplish in this life. After spending hours talking to Sam about how to let life unfold and free his mind from worry about the future and regret and anger about the past, the beggar mysteriously disappears. This sends Sam on a search for the truth about Gabe, himself, life, and love.

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 revolution.