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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
I have really mixed feelings about this book.
Positives:
-Sapphic relationship
-Coming to terms with sexuality and gender identity/expression in a healthy way even though the character's surroundings were so against anything that wasn't 'normal' showed unique strength that I was interested in reading.
-A tiny bit of pirate life
-The pacing was simply lovely. I was really proud of myself when I guessed correctly that the author was going to end the book with the first chapter.
Negatives:
- Most of the book was about homophobia and sexism and yes, it was accurate for the 1700s but it was SO MUCH of the book that it just became uninteresting.
-NOT ENOUGH PIRATES. A good portion of this book didn't even take place on a pirate ship. I want action scenes and pirate shenanigans if I'm reading a book about pirates.
- This is a weird critic but the description of the setting was so sparse. I had no idea what it was like in new providence because it was never described.
Positives:
-Sapphic relationship
-Coming to terms with sexuality and gender identity/expression in a healthy way even though the character's surroundings were so against anything that wasn't 'normal' showed unique strength that I was interested in reading.
-A tiny bit of pirate life
-The pacing was simply lovely. I was really proud of myself when I guessed correctly that the author was going to end the book with the first chapter.
Negatives:
- Most of the book was about homophobia and sexism and yes, it was accurate for the 1700s but it was SO MUCH of the book that it just became uninteresting.
-NOT ENOUGH PIRATES. A good portion of this book didn't even take place on a pirate ship. I want action scenes and pirate shenanigans if I'm reading a book about pirates.
- This is a weird critic but the description of the setting was so sparse. I had no idea what it was like in new providence because it was never described.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
*2.5 stars
This book is about Mary Reade who dressed up as a boy for her whole life, because her mother didn’t want a daughter but a son. Her grandmother thinks she has a grandson, instead of a granddaughter, and pays her to visit (as a boy). This is the only income she and her mother have. At some point she decides to join a privateer (?) ship, as a boy, with a friend of hers. At some point they are split up, and her goal is to find him again. She ends up in a fight with another ship; during the fight she sees that one of the attackers is actually a girl. So she decides to kill her own captain, and join this female pirate. The story takes off from there.
What I thought:
For a pirate book I expected a lot of action, in which this book really disappointed me..
This book starts in the middle of a fighting scene, which was great. And later on there was another small fighting scene, I would say may 35 pages total of action?
Besides those fighting scenes the book mainly focuses on all the love dynamics, which was still interesting but not what I wanted from this book.
Recommend for: readers who like romance, with not a lot of action.
This book contains bisexual representation. Be aware This book also contains a lot of homophobia and sexism (which is accurate for the time, but just so you know).
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc, all opinions are my own
This book is about Mary Reade who dressed up as a boy for her whole life, because her mother didn’t want a daughter but a son. Her grandmother thinks she has a grandson, instead of a granddaughter, and pays her to visit (as a boy). This is the only income she and her mother have. At some point she decides to join a privateer (?) ship, as a boy, with a friend of hers. At some point they are split up, and her goal is to find him again. She ends up in a fight with another ship; during the fight she sees that one of the attackers is actually a girl. So she decides to kill her own captain, and join this female pirate. The story takes off from there.
What I thought:
For a pirate book I expected a lot of action, in which this book really disappointed me..
This book starts in the middle of a fighting scene, which was great. And later on there was another small fighting scene, I would say may 35 pages total of action?
Besides those fighting scenes the book mainly focuses on all the love dynamics, which was still interesting but not what I wanted from this book.
Recommend for: readers who like romance, with not a lot of action.
This book contains bisexual representation. Be aware This book also contains a lot of homophobia and sexism (which is accurate for the time, but just so you know).
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc, all opinions are my own
The Unbinding of Mary Reade by Miriam McNamara is historical fiction inspired by a woman who disguised herself as a man to be a pirate and sailed with Anne Bonny and Calico Jack — and then fell in love with Anne.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comments_04/unbinding_of_mary_reade.html
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comments_04/unbinding_of_mary_reade.html
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from KidLitExchange and Sky Pony Press. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Rating: 3/5
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 16+ (homophobia, transphobia, sexism, abuse, sexual assault)
Pages: 336
Author Website
Amazon Link
Synopsis: There’s no place for a girl in Mary’s world. Not in the home of her mum, desperately drunk and poor. Not in the household of her wealthy granny, where no girl can be named an heir. And certainly not in the arms of Nat, her childhood love who never knew her for who she was. As a sailor aboard a Caribbean merchant ship, Mary’s livelihood—and her safety—depends on her ability to disguise her gender.
At least, that’s what she thinks is true. But then pirates attack the ship, and in the midst of the gang of cutthroats, Mary spots something she never could have imagined: a girl pirate.
The sight of a girl standing unafraid upon the deck, gun and sword in hand, changes everything. In a split-second decision, Mary turns her gun on her own captain, earning herself the chance to join the account and become a pirate alongside Calico Jack and Anne Bonny.
For the first time, Mary has a shot at freedom. But imagining living as her true self is easier, it seems, than actually doing it. And when Mary finds herself falling for the captain’s mistress, she risks everything—her childhood love, her place among the crew, and even her life.
Breathlessly romantic and brilliantly subversive, The Unbinding of Mary Reade is sure to sweep readers off their feet and make their hearts soar.
2018 is the year of the YA sea-faring books so I found another sea faring book to review! I found this book to be an interesting read. The main character was very complex and I’m still not sure what to think about her. I also thought that this book was unique in that it showed a cross-dressing female.
However, I’m very concerned with how trans and genderqueer people were shown and portrayed and treated in this book. There was a lot of abuse and hurtful statements towards them and it was really hard to read. The way the book was written was also really jarring and it took me out of the book each time it shifted. The plot was also really weak and the pacing was super slow. I didn’t feel the romance in this book and honestly there was a lot of it for what I thought would be an awesome sea-faring book.
Verdict: I’d really like to know your opinion if you are LGBT+ on this book. I honestly feel there are some really upsetting parts about this book and I fear that it will be hurtful to people in the long run. In my opinion, I think it can be hurtful and I even got upset reading the book. But I’d like to know your opinion about it.
Rating: 3/5
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 16+ (homophobia, transphobia, sexism, abuse, sexual assault)
Pages: 336
Author Website
Amazon Link
Synopsis: There’s no place for a girl in Mary’s world. Not in the home of her mum, desperately drunk and poor. Not in the household of her wealthy granny, where no girl can be named an heir. And certainly not in the arms of Nat, her childhood love who never knew her for who she was. As a sailor aboard a Caribbean merchant ship, Mary’s livelihood—and her safety—depends on her ability to disguise her gender.
At least, that’s what she thinks is true. But then pirates attack the ship, and in the midst of the gang of cutthroats, Mary spots something she never could have imagined: a girl pirate.
The sight of a girl standing unafraid upon the deck, gun and sword in hand, changes everything. In a split-second decision, Mary turns her gun on her own captain, earning herself the chance to join the account and become a pirate alongside Calico Jack and Anne Bonny.
For the first time, Mary has a shot at freedom. But imagining living as her true self is easier, it seems, than actually doing it. And when Mary finds herself falling for the captain’s mistress, she risks everything—her childhood love, her place among the crew, and even her life.
Breathlessly romantic and brilliantly subversive, The Unbinding of Mary Reade is sure to sweep readers off their feet and make their hearts soar.
2018 is the year of the YA sea-faring books so I found another sea faring book to review! I found this book to be an interesting read. The main character was very complex and I’m still not sure what to think about her. I also thought that this book was unique in that it showed a cross-dressing female.
However, I’m very concerned with how trans and genderqueer people were shown and portrayed and treated in this book. There was a lot of abuse and hurtful statements towards them and it was really hard to read. The way the book was written was also really jarring and it took me out of the book each time it shifted. The plot was also really weak and the pacing was super slow. I didn’t feel the romance in this book and honestly there was a lot of it for what I thought would be an awesome sea-faring book.
Verdict: I’d really like to know your opinion if you are LGBT+ on this book. I honestly feel there are some really upsetting parts about this book and I fear that it will be hurtful to people in the long run. In my opinion, I think it can be hurtful and I even got upset reading the book. But I’d like to know your opinion about it.
3.5 ⭐
This is the kind of book I'd love as a long teen and bought back that nostalgia. This book had me hooked but I can't pin point a major plot as to why.
This is the kind of book I'd love as a long teen and bought back that nostalgia. This book had me hooked but I can't pin point a major plot as to why.
I want more books like this.
I want more pirates. I want more ships. I want more ocean.
But most importantly I want more exploration of gender and sexuality!!
I will not say this book is without flaw, but I will say I think McNamara went about the harder topics of homophobia and sexism in a way that would be true to the time (the 1700's), AS WELL AS gave our main character so much strength that the message of that prejudice being okay would ever come home with the reader.
The element of self discovery and self exploration was probably my favorite part of the book. Our main character has my entire heart and being with her as she is learning about her mind and her body and how they coexist was really interesting. I will critique that she came into herself quite suddenly, but I personally like having that aspect of a story that has been building with momentum and then all the sudden there is this moment where fireworks go off and doves fly and everything is climactic and almost theatrical in a way. I like how Captain Kirk survives off dumb luck. I like it when I love a character so much I follow them blindly. Even when they are impulsive or dramatic I want to be with them during the crescendo of words painting their journey and making me CRY!!
I will admit I am sick of having to watch and read about women clawing at any scrap of power and I wish that it was more common in fiction to write about worlds of equality, but the way I see it is that I read for two reasons: 1. to learn and 2. to see myself, my friends, and the strangers I see walking beside me in my real life on the pages.
I can step back and realize this is historical fiction about two women who lived this life and I can feel hopeful for their ending. But more importantly I can feel happiness in knowing that someone who is struggling with their gender/sexual identity is going to come across this book, and see so much of themselves in the story.
I like to believe that more stories like this will lead to more stories with more diversity and more unquestionably equal societies instead of the ones we live in today or our ancestors have endured in the past.
I loved this book for a lot of reasons. It tugged at my heart, it made me cry, it made me fist pump in moments of victory,and by GODDESS I fell in love with Mary. Absolutely fell in love. I could have read this in one sitting if It wasn't so terrible to my emotions and I was put off about crying in front of my new roommate.
I will state this is heavily a romance, fueled by characters who are realistic, and also a dream, and sometimes a nightmare. I loved the way it was written. I (yes I) felt beautiful, like I was bobbing in the ocean, sitting on a mast, entangled with the ropes around me, smelling the sea, and hearing sounds I haven't heard in years. But I am a sucker for ship settings. I love the language and the life. I always wish for more of it, but the story captured me so much and the description had me there in my mind so vividly that I was content.
I just want anyone to be talking about this story. i could dissect it and discuss it for days. There are so many scenes and so many quotes that I will have with me now forever.
I want books like this, and I want more books better than it, because reading about Mary was an experience I will never forget and I want MORE!!
I want more pirates. I want more ships. I want more ocean.
But most importantly I want more exploration of gender and sexuality!!
I will not say this book is without flaw, but I will say I think McNamara went about the harder topics of homophobia and sexism in a way that would be true to the time (the 1700's), AS WELL AS gave our main character so much strength that the message of that prejudice being okay would ever come home with the reader.
The element of self discovery and self exploration was probably my favorite part of the book. Our main character has my entire heart and being with her as she is learning about her mind and her body and how they coexist was really interesting. I will critique that she came into herself quite suddenly, but I personally like having that aspect of a story that has been building with momentum and then all the sudden there is this moment where fireworks go off and doves fly and everything is climactic and almost theatrical in a way. I like how Captain Kirk survives off dumb luck. I like it when I love a character so much I follow them blindly. Even when they are impulsive or dramatic I want to be with them during the crescendo of words painting their journey and making me CRY!!
I will admit I am sick of having to watch and read about women clawing at any scrap of power and I wish that it was more common in fiction to write about worlds of equality, but the way I see it is that I read for two reasons: 1. to learn and 2. to see myself, my friends, and the strangers I see walking beside me in my real life on the pages.
I can step back and realize this is historical fiction about two women who lived this life and I can feel hopeful for their ending. But more importantly I can feel happiness in knowing that someone who is struggling with their gender/sexual identity is going to come across this book, and see so much of themselves in the story.
I like to believe that more stories like this will lead to more stories with more diversity and more unquestionably equal societies instead of the ones we live in today or our ancestors have endured in the past.
I loved this book for a lot of reasons. It tugged at my heart, it made me cry, it made me fist pump in moments of victory,and by GODDESS I fell in love with Mary. Absolutely fell in love. I could have read this in one sitting if It wasn't so terrible to my emotions and I was put off about crying in front of my new roommate.
I will state this is heavily a romance, fueled by characters who are realistic, and also a dream, and sometimes a nightmare. I loved the way it was written. I (yes I) felt beautiful, like I was bobbing in the ocean, sitting on a mast, entangled with the ropes around me, smelling the sea, and hearing sounds I haven't heard in years. But I am a sucker for ship settings. I love the language and the life. I always wish for more of it, but the story captured me so much and the description had me there in my mind so vividly that I was content.
I just want anyone to be talking about this story. i could dissect it and discuss it for days. There are so many scenes and so many quotes that I will have with me now forever.
I want books like this, and I want more books better than it, because reading about Mary was an experience I will never forget and I want MORE!!
3.5 stars
I really loved the concept of this novel, but the book itself didn’t work out for me in the same way.
The chapters were too short and the many many flashbacks made the story fractured, rather than neatly tied together. I also did not approve of the decision of ending the novel with a flashback... The general writing was okay.
I thought the book would be more focused on the actual pirate adventures of Mary Reade and Anne Bonny - instead it was the backstory, which was interesting enough but kind of disappointing as I expected something else.
The idea was awesome though! I’m so here for queer lady pirates
Also, the cover is beautiful!
I really loved the concept of this novel, but the book itself didn’t work out for me in the same way.
The chapters were too short and the many many flashbacks made the story fractured, rather than neatly tied together. I also did not approve of the decision of ending the novel with a flashback... The general writing was okay.
I thought the book would be more focused on the actual pirate adventures of Mary Reade and Anne Bonny - instead it was the backstory, which was interesting enough but kind of disappointing as I expected something else.
The idea was awesome though! I’m so here for queer lady pirates
Also, the cover is beautiful!
I didn't like this very much at first (which shocked me because Pirates! How could I not like it??) because both Nat and Anne were total jerks but that changed as the story went on. Well, Nat was still a jerk, honestly. He'd have been great if he didn't insist on hanging out with such ultimate jerks and letting them shape how he views and acts around Mary. Anne, however, has Reasons for acting the way she does and she becomes much more of a sympathetic character as those reasons are revealed. I was also confused about how Mary felt about herself -- is she a trans boy? a bisexual girl who is just uncomfortable in female clothes / roles because she was raised as a boy? -- but that's because Mary is confused too. She comes to terms with herself at the end of the book and decides to own all the parts of her that don't fit society's expectations. The title is very appropriate. Because of the way the story is told, with alternating chapters in the past and present, it takes until near the end to get the whole backstory. But those last few chapters of backstory pack more of a punch when you know more of the present-day story, so I think the non-linear storytelling works well and I liked it very much by the end.
Mary has been forced to pretend to be her brother, Mark, for her whole life in order to get her brother’s inheritance from her stingy rich grandmother. Her best friend thinks she’s a boy, and even her mother seems to forget who she really is.
This is a fun queer coming of age tale, with all the tension and angst I remember from that age. It’s hard enough to figure out who you are, and then you have to consider who society thinks you should be.
Although this book is about a girl pirate, there isn’t a lot of the story told from pirate ships. I don’t think that detracts from the tale at all, as long as you don’t go into it attached to it being a pirating story.
I think this book belongs in YA libraries everywhere!
This is a fun queer coming of age tale, with all the tension and angst I remember from that age. It’s hard enough to figure out who you are, and then you have to consider who society thinks you should be.
Although this book is about a girl pirate, there isn’t a lot of the story told from pirate ships. I don’t think that detracts from the tale at all, as long as you don’t go into it attached to it being a pirating story.
I think this book belongs in YA libraries everywhere!