Cup of Gold

John Steinbeck

I'm glad I'm not much of a rum drinker because I've lost my taste for all things Captain Morgan after reading this, Steinbeck's first novel.

How does a human being have their first attempt at writing a novel be this good?

The writing is fantastic, and the portrait of Captain Henry Morgan as a brutal and ruthless pirate is incredibly believable.

I will never again be able to see a bottle of Captain Morgan Rum without thinking of the sacking of Panama(The Cup of Gold) and Morgan's obtuse lust for the beautiful woman known as "La Santa Roja."

Steinbeck so well illuminates this horrific time in the history of the western world that it is hard to take.

It makes me want to drink...whiskey.