The Cup of Fury: A Novel of Cities and Shipyards by Rupert Hughes

(19 User reviews)   7059
By Ronald Gonzalez Posted on Jan 11, 2026
In Category - Leadership
Hughes, Rupert, 1872-1956 Hughes, Rupert, 1872-1956
English
Ever wonder what really built those massive early 20th-century ships and the cities that grew around them? It wasn't just steel and sweat. 'The Cup of Fury' pulls back the curtain on the shipyards of the 1910s, following the ambitious, flawed, and desperate people caught in the machinery of progress. Think of it as a historical drama where boardroom battles are just as tense as the dangers on the docks, and where a single man's obsession could ignite a city. If you like stories about ambition, class, and the hidden costs of building something monumental, this one's for you.
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Author of "We Can't Have Everything" "The Unpardonable Sin" etc. ILLUSTRATED BY HENRY RALEIGH HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS NEW YORK AND LONDON THE CUP OF FURY Copyright, 1919, by Harper & Brothers Printed in the United States of America Published May, 1919 ILLUSTRATIONS "It would be nice to be married," Marie Louise reflected, "if one could stay single at the same time." Frontispiece Facing p. He tried to swing her to the pommel, but she fought herself free and came to the ground and was almost trampled. 3 "This is the life for me. I've been a heroine and a war-worker about as long as I can." 75 "'It's beautiful overhead if you're going that way,'" Davidge quoted. He set out briskly, but Marie Louise hung back. "Aren't you afraid to push on when you can't see where you're going?" she demanded. 91 There was something hallowed and awesome about it all. It had a cathedral majesty. 166 How quaint a custom it is for people who know each other well and see each other in plain clothes every day to get themselves up with meticulous skill in the evening like Christmas parcels for each other's examination. 235 "So I have already done something more for Germany. That's splendid. Now tell me what else I can do." Nicky was too intoxicated with his success to see through her thin disguise. 270 Nobody recognized the lily-like beauty of Miss Webling in the smutty-faced passer-boy crouching at Sutton's elbow. 282 BOOK I IN LONDON [Illustration: He tried to swing her to the pommel, but she fought herself free and came to the ground and was almost trampled.] THE CUP OF FURY CHAPTER I Then the big door swung back as if of itself. Marie Louise had felt that she would scream if she were kept a moment outside. The luxury of simply wishing the gate ajar gave her a fairy-book delight enhanced by the pleasant deference of the footman, whose face seemed to be hung on the door like a Japanese mask. Marie Louise rejoiced in the dull splendor of the hall. The obsolete gorgeousness of the London home had never been in good taste, but had grown as lovable with years as do the gaudy frumperies of a rich old relative. All the good, comfortable shelter of wealth won her blessing now as never before. The stairway had something of the grand manner, too, but it condescended graciously to escort her up to her own room; and there, she knew, was a solitude where she could cry as hard as she wanted to, and therefore usually did not want to. Besides, her mood now was past crying for. She was afraid of the world, afraid of the light. She felt the cave-impulse to steal into a deep nook and cower there till her heart should be replenished with courage automatically, as ponds are fed from above. Marie Louise wanted walls about her, and stillness, and people shut out. She was in one of the moods when the soul longs to gather its faculties together in a family, making one self of all its selves. Marie Louise had known privation and homelessness and the perils they bring a young woman, and now she had riches and a father and mother who were great people in a great land, and who had adopted her into their own hearts, their lives, their name. But to-day she asked nothing more than a deep cranny in a dark cave. She would have said that no human voice or presence could be anything but a torture to...

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The Story

The book takes us into the booming world of American shipbuilding just before World War I. We meet John Murdock, a powerful and driven industrialist who is determined to build the greatest shipyard in the country. His vision reshapes a whole city, but it comes at a price. The story isn't just about Murdock, though. We also follow the workers, engineers, and families whose lives are tangled up in his grand project. There's love, betrayal, cutthroat business deals, and the constant, looming threat of disaster in a place where one mistake can be fatal.

Why You Should Read It

Hughes doesn't just give us dates and facts; he makes you feel the grit under your nails and the tension in the air. The characters feel real—they're proud, greedy, hopeful, and sometimes terribly wrong. I was fascinated by how the book shows the clash between old-world craftsmanship and new industrial might. It's less about the ships themselves and more about the human storm that creates them. You see how ambition can build a city and tear a community apart at the same time.

Final Verdict

Perfect for anyone who enjoys a solid, character-driven historical novel. If you liked the feel of something like North and South or the behind-the-scenes drama of Mad Men, but set in the smoke and sparks of a shipyard, you'll find a lot to love here. It's a forgotten gem that paints a vivid, unsentimental picture of a pivotal moment in America's rise.



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David Lopez
1 year ago

Surprisingly enough, the character development leaves a lasting impact. Exactly what I needed.

David Hill
6 months ago

As someone who reads a lot, it challenges the reader's perspective in an intellectual way. This story will stay with me.

Elijah Sanchez
5 months ago

The fonts used are very comfortable for long reading sessions.

Kimberly Brown
1 year ago

Fast paced, good book.

Christopher Lee
8 months ago

Text is crisp, making it easy to focus.

4.5
4.5 out of 5 (19 User reviews )

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