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danniphantomreads's review
4.0
3.5⭐️I really wanted to read this book because it's a story about the two most famous female pirates! I was so excited to dive into an adventure. I will say it was well written, however I found myself a little annoyed because a lot of the information on these infamous pirates is scattered and I found the author attempting to fill in the spaces with extra info, and that's not bad I just noticed it. I would recommend to readers who just enjoy a tale of female pirates!
Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review
Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review
emilieanderson's review
3.0
I received a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I did enjoy reading this book, but it feels unpolished. The subject matter is fascinating - women pirates and their lives - but most of it is speculative. The writing style was basic and often repetitive; sometimes it seemed as though the author was trying to reach a word count quota. However, the stories of Anne Bonny and Mary Read are compelling, even if they are partially made up. Mary Read's story in particular was fascinating, as she spent much of her life disguised as a man and went through a lot on her way to becoming a pirate.
Overall I don't think this book was ready for publication, but with more work and better editing, I can see Rebecca Alexandra Simon coming out with some really wonderful narrative nonfiction in the future.
I did enjoy reading this book, but it feels unpolished. The subject matter is fascinating - women pirates and their lives - but most of it is speculative. The writing style was basic and often repetitive; sometimes it seemed as though the author was trying to reach a word count quota. However, the stories of Anne Bonny and Mary Read are compelling, even if they are partially made up. Mary Read's story in particular was fascinating, as she spent much of her life disguised as a man and went through a lot on her way to becoming a pirate.
Overall I don't think this book was ready for publication, but with more work and better editing, I can see Rebecca Alexandra Simon coming out with some really wonderful narrative nonfiction in the future.
fblizz's review
informative
medium-paced
5.0
I really enjoyed this biography. The author clearly did a lot of research and I appreciated her taking facts and sorting out the fiction around the women. It was very intriguing and the way they were able to navigate by their own rules was astounding back in those days.
wonderland24's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
An insightful book into the lives of Mary Read and Anne Bonny. The pacing was done nicely and even though the book is non-fiction I liked that the author told Mary and Anne’s stories in a fictional type manner, that definitely kept me hooked. I also really enjoyed the last few analysis chapters as well that discussed the societal intrigue that people had with pirates
gmzzn's review
5.0
(I received a free digital copy of this book via Netgalley!)
Every time I get the chance to learn more about a pirate I jump in joy despite knowing that most of the book will be full of speculations and narration coming from vague historical records. Even so, with all the hardship of doing historical research, especially over figures with so little documentation and a certain amount of fiction that contributes to the confusion around them, Simon did a wonderful job recreating the lives and experiences of Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
The author starts with Anne and Mary’s mothers, or what was possible to find about them and what could be possible considering their context in history, creating scenarios for how things could’ve been. Simon does the same for Anne and Mary, our protagonists themselves, and each of their lives joining piracy and then finding each other – until the very end, when Mary died in prison, while waiting to give birth, and the possible years Anne could have lived after that.
While these brief scenes dramatizing the events in their lives are interesting and well-thought, I think what Simon did best (besides the extensive research, of course) was making clear how Anne and Mary were (or might’ve been) affected by the views on gender during their time, as well as the impact they (and the news that circulated about them) had on women in the english-speaking world. This desire for freedom in the middle of decades when women had few rights was strong, and despite pirates and their inevitable deaths being treated as warnings – don’t step out of line, don’t join life at sea –, inevitably they created curiosity and interest, especially with the growing access to printed papers.
Simon crafted a book that flows so well through these women’s lives that when you get to the conclusion, you want to go back and see more of these pirates, know who else they might have interacted with, what else they could have done and what impacts they (and other gender defying ladies) could have caused. Of course the author doesn’t skip mentioning the big fiction around Anne Bonny, Black Sails, despite the lack of Mary Read in the show, which demonstrates how the myth around these two is still alive and strong.
As a bonus, there’s transcripts of the trial papers and documents like that by the end of the book, along with illustrations and scans.
(My biggest disappointment wasn’t quite related to the book, but to history itself. What do you mean they likely weren’t lovers? Please, give me lesbian pirates, @world etc.)
Every time I get the chance to learn more about a pirate I jump in joy despite knowing that most of the book will be full of speculations and narration coming from vague historical records. Even so, with all the hardship of doing historical research, especially over figures with so little documentation and a certain amount of fiction that contributes to the confusion around them, Simon did a wonderful job recreating the lives and experiences of Anne Bonny and Mary Read.
The author starts with Anne and Mary’s mothers, or what was possible to find about them and what could be possible considering their context in history, creating scenarios for how things could’ve been. Simon does the same for Anne and Mary, our protagonists themselves, and each of their lives joining piracy and then finding each other – until the very end, when Mary died in prison, while waiting to give birth, and the possible years Anne could have lived after that.
While these brief scenes dramatizing the events in their lives are interesting and well-thought, I think what Simon did best (besides the extensive research, of course) was making clear how Anne and Mary were (or might’ve been) affected by the views on gender during their time, as well as the impact they (and the news that circulated about them) had on women in the english-speaking world. This desire for freedom in the middle of decades when women had few rights was strong, and despite pirates and their inevitable deaths being treated as warnings – don’t step out of line, don’t join life at sea –, inevitably they created curiosity and interest, especially with the growing access to printed papers.
Simon crafted a book that flows so well through these women’s lives that when you get to the conclusion, you want to go back and see more of these pirates, know who else they might have interacted with, what else they could have done and what impacts they (and other gender defying ladies) could have caused. Of course the author doesn’t skip mentioning the big fiction around Anne Bonny, Black Sails, despite the lack of Mary Read in the show, which demonstrates how the myth around these two is still alive and strong.
As a bonus, there’s transcripts of the trial papers and documents like that by the end of the book, along with illustrations and scans.
(My biggest disappointment wasn’t quite related to the book, but to history itself. What do you mean they likely weren’t lovers? Please, give me lesbian pirates, @world etc.)
ecster's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.75
I struggle with nonfiction books but flew through the first bit of the book where the author tells the women's story. If you're into pirates, this is a great read that looks at the lives and legacies of Anne Bonny and Mary Read from all angles and a balanced account using some great research.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Murder
books_with_kayleigh's review
4.0
This was a truly fascinating look at two female pirates, from the infancy to piracy trial. Simon is very open about what parts of their histories had likely been fictionalised and provides plenty of historical context and speculation as to their lives.
I really liked how everything was laid out and found the language both engaging and easy to understand and while some things were repeated it was to provide clarity.
I liked the separation of the characters at the start in order to delve into their lives pre piracy, and found the parallels drawn very interesting!
If you're wondering about the cover- Anne and Mary fought with bare breasts to seize power and to startle and frighten their opponents into submission.
Anne and Mary both sound like badass women in their own right, and I'm so glad to have learnt about them
I really liked how everything was laid out and found the language both engaging and easy to understand and while some things were repeated it was to provide clarity.
I liked the separation of the characters at the start in order to delve into their lives pre piracy, and found the parallels drawn very interesting!
If you're wondering about the cover- Anne and Mary fought with bare breasts to seize power and to startle and frighten their opponents into submission.
Anne and Mary both sound like badass women in their own right, and I'm so glad to have learnt about them