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A review by historic_chronicles
Pirate Queens: The Lives of Anne Bonny & Mary Read by Rebecca Alexandra Simon
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.