The Republic of Pirates

Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down

By: Colin Woodard

Narrated by: Lewis Grenville

Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's Summary

The untold story of a heroic band of Caribbean pirates whose defiance of imperial rule inspired revolt in colonial outposts across the world. 

In the early 18th century, the Pirate Republic was home to some of the great pirate captains, including Blackbeard, "Black Sam" Bellamy, and Charles Vane. Along with their fellow pirates - former sailors, indentured servants, and runaway slaves - this "Flying Gang" established a crude but distinctive democracy in the Bahamas, carving out their own zone of freedom in which servants were free, Blacks could be equal citizens, and leaders were chosen or deposed by a vote. They cut off trade routes, sacked slave ships, and severed Europe from its New World empires. And for a brief, glorious period, the Republic was a success. 

©2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2015 Blackstone Audiobooks

Reads like a novel

If you're into pirates, you're going to love this book. It follows the lives of several of the most notorious pirates in a narrative fashion that's engaging and exciting to follow.

Audible is better

I bought this book over 5 years ago and read half of it. The book is filled with so much information that's it's difficult to keep interested while reading, but the audible version is like having your very own personal story teller. The information, when being read to, seem to sink in a lot more, opposed to reading it myself. Over all, this book really captures the true nature of our maritime history and the propaganda that was created to end the golden era of the Pirates.

More Information than I expected

Would you listen to The Republic of Pirates again? Why?

Not sure if I will listen to the book over and over. I read it because I was interested in the subject. It did a good job of covering the topic and increasing my knowledge.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The pirates themselves and the way they thought were my favorite characters.

Which scene was your favorite?

This is a history so I did not have a favorite scene.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My reaction to the book was one of interest. Governments cared and then they did not care at all about the pirates and there territories. They used pirates as they wished. They commissioned them and they hanged them. It was a risky business to be a leader of a pirate band. Communication was very slow and because of this it helped and hurt the pirates and the colonial leaders in the area.

Any additional comments?

Colin Woodard really studied the subject well. It is the best book I have read on the subject and I have read several. Lewis Grenville did a very good job of presenting the book. I am just glad I was not born during that time.

Enjoyable for fans of the golden age of pirates

Slow at times, bogged down by too much detail, the book is still a lot of fun to listen to. If one wants to know more about the golden age, it is a wealth of information, and told as the story of Black Sam Bellemy, Blackbeard, Benjamin Hornigold, Charles Vane, Anne Bonney, and Woods Rogers as well as a few others. Well worth a listen.

Pretty interesting content, but crap narration

I've listened to 259 books in my 7 years as an Audible member, and this is only the second book I wasn't able to at least power through. The narrator has a really distracting rhythm, pausing at strange points during the reading. It's extremely unfortunate because it truly is an interesting story

Good research!

What made the experience of listening to The Republic of Pirates the most enjoyable?

Getting to know the pirates on a more personal basis than what History class taught;

Which character – as performed by Lewis Grenville – was your favorite?

Edward Teach (Blackbeard) was truly diabolical.

History that reads like fiction

Where does The Republic of Pirates rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is in my top 3 of pirate history books. Very compelling and well written.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Henry Avery. His story was fascinating and it would seem he did what he thought was the right thing at the time.

What does Lewis Grenville bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a very capable narrator. Clear diction, and no mouth or breath noises.

Excellent Book

if love history, pirates or both then this is the book for you. great info and we'll narrated

Raise the Black Flag!

Any additional comments?

I am not too familiar with this time frame but it seems like the author did some great research. He also put it into a story style narrative that was very engaging. The pirates were an amazing part of history and how they dominated the seas for a decade is absolutely astounding. Highly Recommended!!!

Some Incredible Stories, Told A Bit Too Rigidly

Some incredible stories of piracy and pirate-hunting within, but falls into that nonfiction trap of over-explaining certain aspects in obsessive detail, sometimes sabotaging its own inherently interesting subject matter. This book made me appreciate Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag a lot more, which features many of the same historical characters- I'd recommend playing through that one as you read this. Great audible narrator. [AUDIBLE]

An interesting read

The only thing I didn’t like was the American reader, American pronunciations to British places etc did jar somewhat. Overall a great and informative book.

Fascinating story spoiled by poor narration.

A rich and fascinating story of pirate history unfortunately spoiled by poor narration and pronunciation.

Genuinely interesting Pirate Lore

This is the only Audible book I have listened to multiple times. I love Pirate history and this is extremely comprehensive and well read/researched. It can be very detailed at times (great for me) but nothing that detracts from an excellent place to learn all about your favourite Pirates ☠

Superb.

Okay-ish

Starts of strong, great information on 3 most notorious pirats, who they were and how they got to be as they were. However, a metric ton of name dropping, some did not feel entirely relative, thus caused me to loose track and interest towards the end.

Should you listen to it?
If its your study area and you need to know all minor trivial details: Absolutely!

If you want to learn about pirates and history: Sure but be warned.

Very Interesting

A well written, interesting book. Overall I enjoyed it.

My only criticism is the narrator who at times doesn't know how to pronounce certain words. An example is the word quay, which is pronounced KEY, but the narrator repeatedly pronounced it KAY. Which triggered me a bit, but it's a minor gripe which didn't spoil my overall enjoyment of the book.

Worthwhile

a grand history based solely on source, I think i may need a reread with all the facts and dates flying by.

progresses in an interesting manned and leaves you in the realm of facts, not fiction. lovely read and well done!!

Couldn't ask for more

The book tells an interesting story from start to finish and you simply couldn't ask for more from a factual historical book about the golden age of pirates.

Well read history of pirates

Great audio book. Now I want the paper version. Which brings me to the only drawback of this audiobook. There is so much terminology concerning geographical locations, sailing jargon, types of ships, etc. that you need the reference sheet and/or maps that are probably in the paper version. Without it, I found it hard at times to create a mental image of what was happening in the book. E.g. What is the difference between a sloop and a sailing canoe? How many guns or masts or crew did a brigantine have? And did that mean Blackbeard had an advantage or not?

An interesting history of the golden age of piracy

Colin Woodard has created a fascinating history of some key figures in the history of piracy but his work is let down by a very much below par narration shot through with inexcusable mispronunciation of standard English words that should have been picked up during recording. A frustrating negative to an otherwise very good book.I

excellent

A very highly entertaining and gripping read. full of suspense and excitement. very much recommended.