Throwback Thursday: Pirates!

Pirates! by Celia Rees 2003
Bloomsbury


Rating: 4/5


IQ "She laughed a little, and I smiled at the picture her words painted. I felt my spirits lifting. She had brought hope to me, as a wind springs from nowhere to take a ship out of a flat calm, to fill her sails and send her singing through the water, speeding on her one true course." Nancy pg. 375


Squee! You guys LOOK at that cover. Minerva's face is on the front! I would have bought this book on the spot based on the title and cover. A Black Female pirate?! Sadly I own the U.S. paperback version in which Nancy's face is on the front and Minerva's is on the back (I wonder if Nancy's face is on the back of the UK paperback?). *sigh* I wish I owned that copy instead. Besides Minerva and her one ruby earring being on the cover, I really like the font used and the purple. Plus I love that Minerva is so realistic looking. She's not airbrushed (I don't think), her hair is all over the place probably due to the wind from a pirate ship. Yeah I don't many black girls have hair that looks good windblown and it's nice to see that fact displayed on a cover ;) I also think it's cool that the cover could be a portrait. I don't know, I will investigate. However, I do like my copy too. Minerva looks very determined on the back cover and the one ruby earring that she and Nancy wear stands out more. I'm indifferent about Nancy's side of the cover.


*Ahem* Enough cover talk, back to the book. Nancy Kingston did not plan to initially become a pirate. But when she realizes that the men in her life have planned out her entire future, she realizes she must leave. The man she is supposed to marry is cruel and much older than her sixteen year old self. Nancy is living in Jamaica on her family's plantation, Fountainhead and she is attended by a slave, Minerva Sharpe. Nancy and Minerva decide to leave the plantation together and they end up being taken on by the pirate ship, Deliverance. However, the man Nancy is engaged to (Bartholome) has "pledged to follow them over the seven seas". More importantly, the man Nancy loves, despises pirates. He is a sailor in the Royal Navy and Nancy isn't sure that he will take her back or if she will ever see him again.

This book is about pirates, what's not to love? That practically guarantees that there will be lots of fights, cursing, romance, and travel. Something I really liked about this novel was when Minerva and Nancy run away, Nancy doesn't have to "adjust" to a slave not waiting on her hand and foot. It may not have been wholly realistic, but it was relief to read historical fiction about a white girl who is not used to be waited on hand and foot. The story is dramatic but in a good way. The battles are described in vivid detail as is daily (ordinary) life on a pirate ship. The attention to detail that the author has is wonderful and makes for a more engaging read.

I wish that the novel had been told from Minerva's perspective. I think it would have been even more interesting. Minerva was bold, courageous, and resolute. Nancy's side of the events made for a delightful read, but it could have really been great from Minerva's point of view. Nancy was too passive for me, she never seemed to really take charge of her destiny, instead she let it be shaped by the events occurring around her. I was also bothered by the book being told from Nancy perspective as she looks back on her past. The constant "if we had only known"... spoiled aspects of the story because you knew something big and bad was about to go down.

Pirates! is a gripping read. There is always something going on, always an air of inevitable danger. The pirates have dynamic personalities, good or bad. The men don't want women on board at first, but most of them come around. There are various incidents along the way, but they all lead up to the big showdown between the pirates and Bartholome. The historical accuracy (well I assume it's accurate since such great care was taken to report everything) makes the book an even better read. Not only are historical details about pirate life included but so are details about life in Jamaica in the 18th century as well as life in England during that time. It covers the role of women, sailors, and Black people. The only thing that detracts from the book is the wistful voice that looks back on the past (along with my personal preference of Minerva over Nancy). Nancy reflects on how Captain Broom seems to know when his men (and women) need their spirits lifted. This book has a lot of blood and unfortunate events, but it has moments of levity (some of them surprising) that keep this from solely becoming an action-based book. One of my personal favorites (it was a reread).

Disclosure: Bought with my own cash money!

Throwback Thursday is hosted by Take Me Away

Sorceress

Sorceress by Celia Rees 2002

Rating: 4/5

IQ "On their own they [wampum beads] fall and scatter. Put them together, though, and you've got something else. Together they make up something big. Together they preserve the words. This is how I figure it: you, me, Mary, the people in her life, the folk Alison has found out about, Alison herself-we're like the beads on this belt. Look at us apart and you can't tell a lot. But put us together and then you can read the whole story." Aunt M pg. 310

Sorceress is the sequel to Witch Child by Celia Rees and I recommend that you read Witch Child first to really understand what's going on, I may review it later on (after I get through my mountainous tbr pile). Agnes Herne, also known as Karonhisake (Searching Sky) attends college in Boston. She reads a book about Mary Newbury (the main character of Witch Child, an orphaned girl who comes to America and lives with the Puritans. She is forced to flee her home when people begin to suspect she's a witch. Mary does not deny it) and believes she may be related to her, since it is thought that Mary lived with a Native American tribe for much of her life. Agnes is of Mohawk descent and her Aunt M has told her stories about an unnamed young woman who sounds a lot like Mary Newbury and Aunt M has a box containing personal artifacts that may have belonged to Mary.

I don't want to spoil the book too much for those who haven't read Witch Child yet. I really enjoyed Sorceress. Agnes is essentially 'possessed' by Mary Newbury. She sees events through Mary's eyes. Mary lives in the time leading up to King Phillip's War and after the war. King Philip was the English name for a powerful Wampanoag chief who was the leader of the Native Americans fighting against the English (read here for more information). Since I love history, I really liked reading a more personal perspective on King Philip's War. It was an appealing read, especially when I learned that not all Native Americans wanted to fight the English, even though the English were stealing their land. I also really enjoyed reading about the powers Mary and Agnes have. I don't know anything about shamans and I thought it added an intriguing element to the story.

I would have liked to see more character development of Agnes. I understand that this was Mary's story, but if that's the case I don't really think Agnes should be mentioned. Her part was interesting, but I didn't get to know her at all. All I know is that she's shy, a Mohawk and has medicine power. Same thing with all the other characters; Sim, Aunt M, Alison. The book is relatively a long read and it's not all that quick, there were some parts that weren't boring, but a bit slow to unravel. So adding more details about the characters would have lengthened the book a bit, but I think it's necessary, since I think the characters all have interesting stories. The ending was satisfying and I liked how it's written in a historical format called Background Notes, that includes interviews and diary accounts.

I didn't find any reviews that named Sorceress as a books that is disrespectful to Mohawk/native American culture. I think it did a pretty good job, especially because Aunt M rallies against white people who put precious Native American artifacts (like wampum belts) in museums and don't take care of them. The book provided good insight into why some Native Americans don't want their history and belongings being displayed in museums. It's clear Celia Rees did her research, even though she lives in England, she mentions in her Acknoweldgements that she visited America a few times and talked to Mohawks and historians of Iroquois tribes (the larger umbrella Mohawk falls under, there are six Iroquois nations). A good historical fiction read with an element of supernatural/fantasy. I especially recommend this book to fans of Witch Child, it's a good sequel. 8th grade and up.