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redbirdwings's review
3.0
Fans of historical pirates are almost certainly aware of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, two of the most notorious female pirates in history and myth. While the author admits parts of the historical narrative are exaggerated, there is enough to learn by reading between the lines. Their intertwined stories are fascinating and I encourage others to check out this historical analysis.
kalamity's review
As much as I was really excited for this book, it couldn't hold my attention. I do believe Rebecca Simon is a good historian and very knowledgeable on the topic, but the writing is not compelling. The author deviates off on somewhat irrelevant side stories at times as well as frequently drifting into "author commentary" and explanation or speculation of the events being relayed before moving back to the main story. I suspect this author is struggling to transition from writing in academia to writing for the general public. While not bad enough to affect understanding, the editing does need improvements and there were a few missed problems in just the first 50 pages.
thebookdiaryofmisshewlett's review
“Anne Bonny and Mary Read were more than just pirates. They spent their lives struggling against the social shackles of womanhood during a time when there were few opportunities for female agency.”
For two women that were only pirates for a few months, Anne and Mary sure have made a big impression on History. Not only is the image of them bearing their breasts in battle iconic, but these were women who fought against the social constraints of the time.
Considering how little there is written about the lives of both of these women Simon does an amazing job of bringing them to life.
Written extremely accessibly, she takes you through the history of Anne and Mary, from their start in life to the end of their pirate adventures.
There is a lot of ambiguity around their lives, is the story we know fact or fiction? What actually happened to them in the end? Simon does not shy away from this either, she makes it clear that we don’t know much about these women. This gives them a fictional air that I think just makes them even more intriguing.
For all you pirate lovers out there this book is a must read!
“Anne Bonny and Mary Read, although they did not intend it, were female revolutionaries during a time when social advancement for women was barely achievable outside of folk tales.”
For two women that were only pirates for a few months, Anne and Mary sure have made a big impression on History. Not only is the image of them bearing their breasts in battle iconic, but these were women who fought against the social constraints of the time.
Considering how little there is written about the lives of both of these women Simon does an amazing job of bringing them to life.
Written extremely accessibly, she takes you through the history of Anne and Mary, from their start in life to the end of their pirate adventures.
There is a lot of ambiguity around their lives, is the story we know fact or fiction? What actually happened to them in the end? Simon does not shy away from this either, she makes it clear that we don’t know much about these women. This gives them a fictional air that I think just makes them even more intriguing.
For all you pirate lovers out there this book is a must read!
“Anne Bonny and Mary Read, although they did not intend it, were female revolutionaries during a time when social advancement for women was barely achievable outside of folk tales.”
historic_chronicles's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Anne Bonny and Mary Read cemented their notoriety during a time period of only two months of operation during the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730). Their legend has withstood the test of time earning them a place as two of the most infamous and feared pirates in history.
I was already quite familiar with Anne Bonny's tale, but less so on Mary Read, so when the opportunity rose to join this tour I jumped at the chance.
Simon is very clear from the offset that while these women were infamous and their tales legendary, factual information is limited and even fictionalised outside of the documentation of their criminal trials. Despite this, Simon performed a remarkable job at creating a vivid and enthralling profile of each woman.
The narrative naturally progressed from chapter to chapter with a smooth and accessible flair. I found the research well organised with just the precise balance between theory and fact to keep me interested throughout.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the comparisons between life as a female pirate to that as a female citizen with the strict societal norms that truly constricted women and made it easy to understand why the freedom on the open seas would be so appealing to Bonny and Read.
Pirate Queens is an incredibly compelling book that truly shines a light on Simon's subject matter. From the first page to the last, you feel Anne Bonny and Mary Read being pulled up from the legends with a new sense of appreciation, and of course, the excitement and danger that always followed them.
I was already quite familiar with Anne Bonny's tale, but less so on Mary Read, so when the opportunity rose to join this tour I jumped at the chance.
Simon is very clear from the offset that while these women were infamous and their tales legendary, factual information is limited and even fictionalised outside of the documentation of their criminal trials. Despite this, Simon performed a remarkable job at creating a vivid and enthralling profile of each woman.
The narrative naturally progressed from chapter to chapter with a smooth and accessible flair. I found the research well organised with just the precise balance between theory and fact to keep me interested throughout.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the comparisons between life as a female pirate to that as a female citizen with the strict societal norms that truly constricted women and made it easy to understand why the freedom on the open seas would be so appealing to Bonny and Read.
Pirate Queens is an incredibly compelling book that truly shines a light on Simon's subject matter. From the first page to the last, you feel Anne Bonny and Mary Read being pulled up from the legends with a new sense of appreciation, and of course, the excitement and danger that always followed them.
emmsbookshelf's review
adventurous
informative
4.0
This book was a thoroughly interesting read, it combined many of my favourite genres and themes in books; History and female experiences. Add in the fact that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were released in my early teens (and I was obsessed) and I was instantly sold on this title. From the opening chapters of this book, it gives historical context to the nature of female pirates, from the ancient world, through to our books personalities of focus; Anne and Mary (Though it would have been nice to have a brief nod to another incredibly successful female pirate Ching Shih). From these beginning chapters, the audience is firmly engaged in the subject matter, without assumed prior knowledge and without patronising overtones. It also takes care to acknowledge the primary sources used to inform the biographies in the book, following the conventions of a historical text and the issues of accuracy and reliability evident in these sources. The author is very clear and upfront about how they have had to speculate and hypothesise to fill some of the gaps in the historical narrative in order to present a clear and coherent set of biographies.
The text is written in an engaging format which weaves facts into an engaging account, instead of a dry series of dates and facts. It was formatted in a user friendly manner with chapters of a decent size that were not overly intimidating (as some history and non-fiction books can be). My only criticism of this book is that at times it could be a bit repetitive.
Overall, this was an informative and interesting read that I recommend to anyone with an interest in piracy in the 18th Century, or the experiences of women in History. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!
The text is written in an engaging format which weaves facts into an engaging account, instead of a dry series of dates and facts. It was formatted in a user friendly manner with chapters of a decent size that were not overly intimidating (as some history and non-fiction books can be). My only criticism of this book is that at times it could be a bit repetitive.
Overall, this was an informative and interesting read that I recommend to anyone with an interest in piracy in the 18th Century, or the experiences of women in History. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!
litwtchreads's review
4.0
I have always known the names Anne Bonny and Mary Read, but I really didn't know much beyond the fact that they were female pirates. This book was a great background and history of the available information around them and I liked that the author made clear areas that were speculation and potential biases from the historians and works this one pulls from. Overall an enjoyable read that I learned a lot from!
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