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Pirates!
Nancy Kington, daughter of a rich merchant, suddenly orphaned when her father dies, is sent to live on her family's plantation in Jamaica. Disgusted by the treatment of the slaves and her brother's willingness to marry her off, she and one of the slaves, Minerva, run away and join a band of pirates.
For both girls the pirate life is their only chance for freedom in a society where both are treated like property, rather than individuals. Together they go in search of adventure, love, and a new life that breaks all restrictions of gender, race, and position. Told through Nancy's writings, their adventures will appeal to readers across the spectrum and around the world.
For both girls the pirate life is their only chance for freedom in a society where both are treated like property, rather than individuals. Together they go in search of adventure, love, and a new life that breaks all restrictions of gender, race, and position. Told through Nancy's writings, their adventures will appeal to readers across the spectrum and around the world.
379 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2003
About the author
Celia Rees
37 books1,119 followersCelia Rees (born 1949) is an English author of children's, YA and Adult fiction.
She was born in 1949 in Solihull, West Midlands but now lives in Leamington Spa with her husband. Rees attended University of Warwick and earned a degree in History of Politics. After university, she taught English in Coventry secondary schools for seventeen years, during which time she began to write.
Since then, she has written over twenty YA titles. Her books have been translated into 28 languages. She has been short listed for the Guardian, Whitbread (now Costa) and W.H. Smith Children’s Book Awards. She is a regular tutor for the Arvon Foundation. She has been Chair of the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group and on the Society of Authors’ Management Committee.
Her first book for adults, Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook, was published by HarperCollins in July, 2020.
She was born in 1949 in Solihull, West Midlands but now lives in Leamington Spa with her husband. Rees attended University of Warwick and earned a degree in History of Politics. After university, she taught English in Coventry secondary schools for seventeen years, during which time she began to write.
Since then, she has written over twenty YA titles. Her books have been translated into 28 languages. She has been short listed for the Guardian, Whitbread (now Costa) and W.H. Smith Children’s Book Awards. She is a regular tutor for the Arvon Foundation. She has been Chair of the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group and on the Society of Authors’ Management Committee.
Her first book for adults, Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook, was published by HarperCollins in July, 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 893 reviews
July 23, 2020
5 Words: Swashbuckling adventure. Love, danger, life.
I always find it so difficult to review my favourite books. I just can't put my feelings into words. It's particularly hard when I have read that book so many times over the past decade that the pages are falling out and the cover's peeling off, because by now my love for the book has no reason, it just is.
Pirates! is such an adventure. It has so many twists and turns and shocks and some really sweet and poignant moments. It's a book that sets my heart racing, it's a book that has such a vivid world that I am lost to real life when I read it. It's dramatic and thought-provoking.
Every time I read this book, I get more out of it than before. It's one of those books that I itch to read at least once a year and turn to when life's just getting too much. It's a safety blanket make of pure escapism.
This book is wonderfully written, in a quirky style. I love the journey that Nancy takes, both physically and as a person.
It's a book I can see clear as day when I close my eyes. It would make an amazing film or mini-series.
Now that I'm kind of finished gushing (for now) I urge you to get out and grab a copy of this book and get stuck in.
I always find it so difficult to review my favourite books. I just can't put my feelings into words. It's particularly hard when I have read that book so many times over the past decade that the pages are falling out and the cover's peeling off, because by now my love for the book has no reason, it just is.
Pirates! is such an adventure. It has so many twists and turns and shocks and some really sweet and poignant moments. It's a book that sets my heart racing, it's a book that has such a vivid world that I am lost to real life when I read it. It's dramatic and thought-provoking.
Every time I read this book, I get more out of it than before. It's one of those books that I itch to read at least once a year and turn to when life's just getting too much. It's a safety blanket make of pure escapism.
This book is wonderfully written, in a quirky style. I love the journey that Nancy takes, both physically and as a person.
It's a book I can see clear as day when I close my eyes. It would make an amazing film or mini-series.
Now that I'm kind of finished gushing (for now) I urge you to get out and grab a copy of this book and get stuck in.
July 11, 2008
I know that this is supposed to be a fun little book, and I think the audience might be aimed at younger ages, but in the end, it felt inconsistent on so many levels that I was just left feeling confused and/or disappointed, depending upon the chapter.
For one, Rees seems to have done a good amount of research for this book, yet I felt that she wasted it every time she turned a blind eye to conventions of the day. I don't care how accurately you can describe various ships if you don't also think that the impressive suntan one would get from working in the sun everyday in the Caribbean for months will be a problem once a lady tries to dress up pretty and mingle with society. And don't even get me started on the pacing. If the historical inconsistencies left me disappointed, the strangely anti-climactic resolutions to all the dramatic moments just left me scratching my head.
The worst of Rees' crimes of inconsistency, though, was the juxtaposition of some pretty grisly scenes, all things considered, with the rosy view of pirate life, where all men are decent except when riled up by a few bad apples and their apparently magically demonic musical instruments. As for the love story, I'm just thankful it wasn't a major component. Boy and girl grow up together and naturally fall in love. Boy (16) leaves girl (12) for the sea. Over the next 8ish years, they see each other, oh, let's do the math for fun.
2 hours - talking in a stable
6 hours - ball in Bath
1 hour - girl is prisoner on boy's ship
____
9 hours. Yet we leave girl as she goes off to look for the only man she will ever marry. The only reason either of them are still so faithful is because they haven't managed a whole day together since they were pre-pubescent.
Happily leaving the ship.
For one, Rees seems to have done a good amount of research for this book, yet I felt that she wasted it every time she turned a blind eye to conventions of the day. I don't care how accurately you can describe various ships if you don't also think that the impressive suntan one would get from working in the sun everyday in the Caribbean for months will be a problem once a lady tries to dress up pretty and mingle with society. And don't even get me started on the pacing. If the historical inconsistencies left me disappointed, the strangely anti-climactic resolutions to all the dramatic moments just left me scratching my head.
The worst of Rees' crimes of inconsistency, though, was the juxtaposition of some pretty grisly scenes, all things considered, with the rosy view of pirate life, where all men are decent except when riled up by a few bad apples and their apparently magically demonic musical instruments. As for the love story, I'm just thankful it wasn't a major component. Boy and girl grow up together and naturally fall in love. Boy (16) leaves girl (12) for the sea. Over the next 8ish years, they see each other, oh, let's do the math for fun.
2 hours - talking in a stable
6 hours - ball in Bath
1 hour - girl is prisoner on boy's ship
____
9 hours. Yet we leave girl as she goes off to look for the only man she will ever marry. The only reason either of them are still so faithful is because they haven't managed a whole day together since they were pre-pubescent.
Happily leaving the ship.
October 17, 2014
4.5 stars but I'm rounding it up to 5 for this scene alone:
WHO RUN THE WORLD?
'That's why he beat you?'
'Yes. But ain't nothing you can do, Miss Nancy. Best not to interfere. Don't need to make trouble for yourself. You be married soon … ' Her voice faltered. Her gaze flickered away as if she could no longer look at me.
I left her staring at the steady flame of the candle. I still wore the pistol, stuck in my sash, and I almost smiled as I felt the carved wooden grip snug in my hand. Nothing I could do. How many people had told me that? Well, now we would see …
WHO RUN THE WORLD?
December 24, 2018
Although I haven't read much pirate-themed fiction, I find the premise interesting; so I've had my eye on this historical novel ever since the BC library (where I work) acquired it. It definitely didn't disappoint! Set mostly in the early 1720s, with some stage-setting in the years leading up to those, this action-packed tale follows the life and adventures of first-person narrator Nancy Kington (b. ca. 1704), the daughter of a Bristol merchant, who finds herself packed off to the family's plantation in Jamaica at the age of 15, and is subsequently led by circumstances to voluntarily sign articles on a pirate ship.
Pirates, of course, are sea-going robbers; by definition, they forcibly steal other people's property for their own profit. Obviously, they're off of the ethical strait-and-narrow path, and in shady moral territory. The piratical profession most naturally appeals to brutal and self-serving types who don't have any particular moral sense or empathy with their fellow humans. (Some may be more brutal and selfish than others --and some spectacularly evil and sadistic types may find the pirate life an opportunity to gratify their propensities.) Like Robert Louis Stevenson before her, British writer Rees gives full recognition to that reality. To a greater extent than Stevenson, though, she recognizes that there can be a range of nuanced moral qualities among pirates, with not all of them quite fitting that model --especially in a time and place where patriarchy and male chauvinism, legalized slavery, and institutionalized inequality and injustice greatly constrict many people's lives and choices, and might render the right side of the law as morally dicey as life under the Jolly Roger. (That's not unlike the situation in the Old West, or in medieval Europe, where "outlaws" might sometimes be decent people pushed outside the law by others using the system for their own gain.) Personally, I think that pirates who aren't brutal and selfish as such, and who do have a strong moral sense and a concern for others, can be interesting characters in the ways they navigate the shades of grey that their position necessarily entails; and that's true of our heroine here. (Yes, a lady who happens to be a pirate can be an honorable and admirable heroine!)
This is fiction in the Romantic tradition --that is, fiction that seeks primarily to evoke strong emotional responses from the reader, sometimes enhanced, as they are here, by extreme situations and exotic settings. The Romantic aim is fully fulfilled here; I was taken captive by this pirate right away, turned the pages as fast as I could at every opportunity, and experienced a wealth of complex emotions throughout the story. (It's not, however, a "romance novel" in the Harlequin sense --though it has clean romance as one strand of the plot, which I appreciated-- and it doesn't "romanticize" things like piracy, slavery, and the grim realities of ocean-going life in the 18th century). It's also fiction with serious food for thought, as well as rousing adventure, and a very moving portrait of cross-racial friendship. Like most modern Romantic fiction, though, it borrows Realist techniques, with a concern for verisimilitude and historical accuracy. (In common with some other authors, Rees used the contemporary nonfiction A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates, which she and some others attribute to Daniel Defoe, as a key source.) Nancy's narrative voice is engaging and quick-flowing, with a slightly archaic flavor in word choices and diction for realism, but is much easier to read than an actual 18th-century narrative would have been.
Born in 1949, former schoolteacher Rees is an accomplished novelist, the author of some 19 books, and a History major (she actually had a double major, but History was one). Her publishers market her books to the YA age group (and the BC library put this one in the Juvenile section on that account), in this case probably encouraged by the fact that Nancy and her friend and fellow pirate Miranda are in their teens. Bad language of the d-word sort is present but relatively restrained, rape or attempted rape and prostitution are part of their world but not portrayed in great detail, and while there are some very violent and grisly moments, Rees doesn't wallow in them. The content here, IMO, wouldn't be harmful to a healthy teen; and I could see plenty of teen readers of both sexes eating it up with a spoon and asking for more. But it could just as easily have been marketed as an adult novel; there isn't anything stereotypically juvenile or "kiddish" about it. (Teens in Nancy and Miranda's day were expected to grow up quickly, and our gals here definitely did --they have far more in common, in their capacities and general attitudes, with today's adult women than they do with typical modern teens.)
This particular edition of the book has a moderately interesting interview with the author (originally published in a Michigan newspaper), and a few pages of discussion questions and activities, aimed at younger readers, that could be used for common reads in a book club or classroom. At the time it was published, the novel garnered a number of prestigious accolades from the likes of the American Library Assn., the International Reading Assn., etc. For once, I think it deserved every critical recognition it got (and I don't often agree with the critical community!).
"You may wish me luck, or curse me for a damnable pirate," Nancy writes near the close of her account. This reader opted for the first choice, without apology!
Pirates, of course, are sea-going robbers; by definition, they forcibly steal other people's property for their own profit. Obviously, they're off of the ethical strait-and-narrow path, and in shady moral territory. The piratical profession most naturally appeals to brutal and self-serving types who don't have any particular moral sense or empathy with their fellow humans. (Some may be more brutal and selfish than others --and some spectacularly evil and sadistic types may find the pirate life an opportunity to gratify their propensities.) Like Robert Louis Stevenson before her, British writer Rees gives full recognition to that reality. To a greater extent than Stevenson, though, she recognizes that there can be a range of nuanced moral qualities among pirates, with not all of them quite fitting that model --especially in a time and place where patriarchy and male chauvinism, legalized slavery, and institutionalized inequality and injustice greatly constrict many people's lives and choices, and might render the right side of the law as morally dicey as life under the Jolly Roger. (That's not unlike the situation in the Old West, or in medieval Europe, where "outlaws" might sometimes be decent people pushed outside the law by others using the system for their own gain.) Personally, I think that pirates who aren't brutal and selfish as such, and who do have a strong moral sense and a concern for others, can be interesting characters in the ways they navigate the shades of grey that their position necessarily entails; and that's true of our heroine here. (Yes, a lady who happens to be a pirate can be an honorable and admirable heroine!)
This is fiction in the Romantic tradition --that is, fiction that seeks primarily to evoke strong emotional responses from the reader, sometimes enhanced, as they are here, by extreme situations and exotic settings. The Romantic aim is fully fulfilled here; I was taken captive by this pirate right away, turned the pages as fast as I could at every opportunity, and experienced a wealth of complex emotions throughout the story. (It's not, however, a "romance novel" in the Harlequin sense --though it has clean romance as one strand of the plot, which I appreciated-- and it doesn't "romanticize" things like piracy, slavery, and the grim realities of ocean-going life in the 18th century). It's also fiction with serious food for thought, as well as rousing adventure, and a very moving portrait of cross-racial friendship. Like most modern Romantic fiction, though, it borrows Realist techniques, with a concern for verisimilitude and historical accuracy. (In common with some other authors, Rees used the contemporary nonfiction A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates, which she and some others attribute to Daniel Defoe, as a key source.) Nancy's narrative voice is engaging and quick-flowing, with a slightly archaic flavor in word choices and diction for realism, but is much easier to read than an actual 18th-century narrative would have been.
Born in 1949, former schoolteacher Rees is an accomplished novelist, the author of some 19 books, and a History major (she actually had a double major, but History was one). Her publishers market her books to the YA age group (and the BC library put this one in the Juvenile section on that account), in this case probably encouraged by the fact that Nancy and her friend and fellow pirate Miranda are in their teens. Bad language of the d-word sort is present but relatively restrained, rape or attempted rape and prostitution are part of their world but not portrayed in great detail, and while there are some very violent and grisly moments, Rees doesn't wallow in them. The content here, IMO, wouldn't be harmful to a healthy teen; and I could see plenty of teen readers of both sexes eating it up with a spoon and asking for more. But it could just as easily have been marketed as an adult novel; there isn't anything stereotypically juvenile or "kiddish" about it. (Teens in Nancy and Miranda's day were expected to grow up quickly, and our gals here definitely did --they have far more in common, in their capacities and general attitudes, with today's adult women than they do with typical modern teens.)
This particular edition of the book has a moderately interesting interview with the author (originally published in a Michigan newspaper), and a few pages of discussion questions and activities, aimed at younger readers, that could be used for common reads in a book club or classroom. At the time it was published, the novel garnered a number of prestigious accolades from the likes of the American Library Assn., the International Reading Assn., etc. For once, I think it deserved every critical recognition it got (and I don't often agree with the critical community!).
"You may wish me luck, or curse me for a damnable pirate," Nancy writes near the close of her account. This reader opted for the first choice, without apology!
May 18, 2021
A privileged young white lady and her enslaved companion take to the high seas to avoid the young lady's unwanted engagement. Soon mistress and slave become friends and equals, and there is a great deal of adventure, action, and even romance! I read this when it first came out, and a lot of the details have stayed with me because of the vivid writing.
August 24, 2020
Nancy Kingston is in for a shock when her beloved father dies, and she travels to his plantation in the West Indies with her brother, leaving her childhood friend and betrothed behind. When arriving at the plantation, Nancy is shocked to discover her father was a keeper of slaves and her brother is attempting to marry her off to a cruel neighbor. Nancy and Minerva, a girl she befriends on the plantation, run away together and end up boarding a pirate ship in disguise, and start their life as high sea adventurers.
This book always gets 5/5 stars for me on the nostalgia level because I frickin loved this book as a young girl, and I still remember the thrills from when I initially read it, and marveled at this amazing, exciting life of female pirates.
Celia Rees expertly combines a story of two women who are struggling to find different kinds of freedom - Minerva freedom to be herself without suffering cruelty and racism, and Nancy a freedom to be herself away from the bindings of society. The friendship and sisterly bond between Nancy and Minerva is everything, and it is the main focal point of the story for me and romantic relationships are completely overshadowed by Nancy's love for Minerva which is fantastic.
While Celia Rees doesn't shy away from the cruelty and injustice of the time period - particularly the treatment of people of colour and the disgusting slave trade, there's definitely a sense of acceptance the older reader needs to have with the adventures Nancy and Minerva have as female pirates and the level of safety they appeared to have on board the ship, and the lack of injuries they obtained while fighting.
The book does slow down a bit near the middle, and the pace meanders for a while before picking back up, and the resolution and the ending of the 'villain' near the end all happens a little bit quickly.
But I absolutely love this book. Some amazing, strong female characters fighting for their right to be exactly who they are and I adore it. 100% recommend to everyone!
This book always gets 5/5 stars for me on the nostalgia level because I frickin loved this book as a young girl, and I still remember the thrills from when I initially read it, and marveled at this amazing, exciting life of female pirates.
Celia Rees expertly combines a story of two women who are struggling to find different kinds of freedom - Minerva freedom to be herself without suffering cruelty and racism, and Nancy a freedom to be herself away from the bindings of society. The friendship and sisterly bond between Nancy and Minerva is everything, and it is the main focal point of the story for me and romantic relationships are completely overshadowed by Nancy's love for Minerva which is fantastic.
While Celia Rees doesn't shy away from the cruelty and injustice of the time period - particularly the treatment of people of colour and the disgusting slave trade, there's definitely a sense of acceptance the older reader needs to have with the adventures Nancy and Minerva have as female pirates and the level of safety they appeared to have on board the ship, and the lack of injuries they obtained while fighting.
The book does slow down a bit near the middle, and the pace meanders for a while before picking back up, and the resolution and the ending of the 'villain' near the end all happens a little bit quickly.
But I absolutely love this book. Some amazing, strong female characters fighting for their right to be exactly who they are and I adore it. 100% recommend to everyone!
April 26, 2008
A young adult novel that I read exclusively because the teens in my book group had a serious hard-on for the Pirates of the Carribean movies. It’s a good story that seems backgrounded well with research, and it’s a quick read about two teenage girls -- one an English heiress, the other her slave -- who become pirates. It doesn’t gloss over what a pirate’s life entailed, but it refuses to linger on the more unsavory aspects of it, choosing to go a more light-hearted route. Considering that Rees’ main goal is to entertain (and capitalize on the current pop culture hunger for all things of a piratical nature), that’s fair enough. You can’t take a book with an exclamation point in the title too seriously anyway.
November 28, 2017
So glad I reread this. I highly recommend if you want to read a pirate story.
May 20, 2018
Although I was fully prepared to like this book, (I love seafaring stories), the book didn't hold up to my expectations (fixed high by the likes of London, Stevenson, Jacques and Luke). There is a wealth of potential, with good characters and conflicts, exotic settings, and a sense of historically accurate details, but the narration is slow: with full details of events that bring little interest, and skimming quickly over the most important climactic action. The reading is easy, but it is too clean cut. The protagonists face danger after danger, but there is never a sense of risk. The reader is allowed to take for granted that no character of importance will be harmed. Almost every detail in the long train of events is impossibly contrived, so that there is no real excitement. The underlying drama that drives the story is the romance between Nancy and her lover William, but in the end this storyline takes a backseat, and is never concluded.
In the beginning, I noticed a strong resemblance to The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by avi, but avi's story was more complex, with greater risk, elevated danger, and plot twists. Pirates! was predictable and unalterably safe - not what I expect or want from such a title. So if perilous adventure on the high seas be what ye desire, put down "Pirates!" and take up instead the pages of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, The Sea Wolf, Treasure Island, The Pearls of Lutra, or heck, even Benito Cereno. Any one of these will be better reading, and more challenging for the mind. (I know "Benito Cereno" is a difficult read, but it has more twists and suspense in its few pages than "Pirates!" can shake a stick at!)
But whatever it lacked in excitement, it made up for in success. Those pirates got more loot with less trouble and in less time than any I've ever heard of!
In the beginning, I noticed a strong resemblance to The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by avi, but avi's story was more complex, with greater risk, elevated danger, and plot twists. Pirates! was predictable and unalterably safe - not what I expect or want from such a title. So if perilous adventure on the high seas be what ye desire, put down "Pirates!" and take up instead the pages of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, The Sea Wolf, Treasure Island, The Pearls of Lutra, or heck, even Benito Cereno. Any one of these will be better reading, and more challenging for the mind. (I know "Benito Cereno" is a difficult read, but it has more twists and suspense in its few pages than "Pirates!" can shake a stick at!)
But whatever it lacked in excitement, it made up for in success. Those pirates got more loot with less trouble and in less time than any I've ever heard of!
May 27, 2012
Someone commented that the writing was weird and confusing. I don't find it confusing at all. I will admit listening to it on audio book might help with that, as I did the first time around. But this time I read it. We have the story of a girl who wants to be rebellious in a world that sees her a currency for land and wealth. She lives innocently and oblivious to the schemes of the men around her until one day she takes action against a man trying to hurt her best friend. They run away and become pirates to escape their lives on Jamaica.
Someone also commented that she didn't grow as a character but that also isn't true. She went from being a girl who did what she was told and went where she was told to standing for what she believes in, in her own weird-for-her-time way. She thinks of others before herself in a different way now as well.
This story was breathtaking. I was riveted and couldn't put it down until I was done. Yes there were parts like in any other book that you think wow can we move on, but it's nothing more than a paragraph that I felt like this and not very often. It is juvenile fiction but the story should captivate anyone and doesn't read as simple as most juvenile fiction.
Read: August 2005, May 2012
Someone also commented that she didn't grow as a character but that also isn't true. She went from being a girl who did what she was told and went where she was told to standing for what she believes in, in her own weird-for-her-time way. She thinks of others before herself in a different way now as well.
This story was breathtaking. I was riveted and couldn't put it down until I was done. Yes there were parts like in any other book that you think wow can we move on, but it's nothing more than a paragraph that I felt like this and not very often. It is juvenile fiction but the story should captivate anyone and doesn't read as simple as most juvenile fiction.
Read: August 2005, May 2012
Read
July 27, 2011Perhaps it is because I am an adult and this book was written for a younger audience, but I was not impressed by this book at all! When you read the back of the book, the plot seems exciting and fast paced. This is not the case when you actually begin to read the book. The plot moves slowly, and Celia Rees has a HEAVY hand with foreshadowing. She tells her reader every twist and turn before it happens. This completely ruined the book for me. I also couldn't develop an attachment to either of the main characters. Both Nancy and Minerva are poorly developed and the reason why Nancy and Minerva are such close friends is poorly explained. Nancy is fairly whiny and helpless for a pirate. It also seemed like Celia Rees forgot about the antagoist (the Brazilian) at points in the book. It seemed rather unbelievable to me that Nancy was able to have prophetic dreams about the Brazilian, and that he was able to track her movements through the rubies he gave her. If you don't require much from your literature, go ahead and read this mess. But if you enjoy well-written novels, I would recommend looking for a different book to read.
December 30, 2009
I kicked off my Cannonball Read endeavor with Pirates!, a young adult novel on girl pirates in the 18th century. It was a solid way to start the project - relatively short, somewhat frivolous, lesbian overtones, and only a couple mentions of scurvy (but no scurvy dogs). Nancy is fleeing an arranged marriage; Minerva, a life of slavery. They join up with a band of pirates, and yes, blood is shed, but hearts are also led to love. Like I said, girl pirates. They don't make out or anything, but they do bathe each other a couple times. It was fun, not too brain-taxing, and I enjoyed it.
I wonder why Celia Rees felt the need to put an exclamation point in the title of her book. Is Pirates! any better than Pirates? Would readers not understand that book is in fact about pirates if the exclamation point were not presents? Then I got to wondering: what would the titles of other solid literary works be like if they too were punctuated so emphatically?
Brothers!
Geisha!
Jane! (take your pick)
Atonement!
Pirates! - B+
I wonder why Celia Rees felt the need to put an exclamation point in the title of her book. Is Pirates! any better than Pirates? Would readers not understand that book is in fact about pirates if the exclamation point were not presents? Then I got to wondering: what would the titles of other solid literary works be like if they too were punctuated so emphatically?
Brothers!
Geisha!
Jane! (take your pick)
Atonement!
Pirates! - B+
November 27, 2007
Nancy Kingdon is the daughter of a rich merchant. When her father’s fleet is lost in a terrible storm, he makes a bargain with a man known as The Brazilian. Nancy is unaware that her father has promised her hand in marriage to this man in exchange for gold. When her father dies suddenly, her brothers send her to her father’s plantation in Jamaica. She lives there for a time, unaware that she will soon be presented to The Brazilian, who lives on a neighboring plantation. Nancy and her house slave, Minerva, become fast friends. When Nancy’s fate becomes clear to her, she runs away and Minerva joins her. The two girls fall in with a band of pirates, dress as men, join the crew, and set off on the adventure of a lifetime.
Reaction: I’ve always loved pirates and thoroughly enjoyed this tale of female pirates on the high seas. The story is set at the beginning of the 18th century and Rees does a good job of illustrating the historical backdrop. The reader learns something of the rum and slave trade of that time period as well as interesting pirate facts. Some of the story borders on the unbelievable, but what good pirate yarn doesn’t? Also, this is a nice title for female young adult readers who don’t want to leave the swashbuckling all to the guys.
Reaction: I’ve always loved pirates and thoroughly enjoyed this tale of female pirates on the high seas. The story is set at the beginning of the 18th century and Rees does a good job of illustrating the historical backdrop. The reader learns something of the rum and slave trade of that time period as well as interesting pirate facts. Some of the story borders on the unbelievable, but what good pirate yarn doesn’t? Also, this is a nice title for female young adult readers who don’t want to leave the swashbuckling all to the guys.
March 22, 2015
This book is about two young women who choose to become pirates during desperate times in their lives.
This book was just as good as With Child and think it's great for young teens to go on a great adventure.
I can't wait to get my hands on other books by Celia Rees, such as Savoy (another pirate book).Although I think I may be a little to old for these books I still think they're great, as said by the 5 stars I gave above.
This book was just as good as With Child and think it's great for young teens to go on a great adventure.
I can't wait to get my hands on other books by Celia Rees, such as Savoy (another pirate book).Although I think I may be a little to old for these books I still think they're great, as said by the 5 stars I gave above.
March 17, 2015
I bought this book wanting to love it. It’s about pirates who so happen to be women. I was also hoping this would lead to pirates who so happen to be women and gay. Why was I hoping for this? Because it would have been interesting and different from a lot of other female pirate books.
Well, as it were, there are no female gay pirates. Instead, there is a gal who wants to be with her childhood friend, William, and is instead put into an arranged marriage with this guy who is known throughout the book as the Brazilian. (There’s also a point where she kills a guy who tries to rape this gal who is a slave on the plantation her father owned).
AT ANY RATE! All that sounds like an interesting plot and it is an interesting plot. However, it fails to live up to its potential.
Celia has a bad habit throughout the book of telling and not showing.
For example, there is a scene where the pirates argue whether they should allow women onto their ship. We are told it is a very tense moment with a rousing speech from the captain but we’re not shown. There’s no scene really set and we don’t even get to know what the Captain said to get his crew to agree.
This happens throughout the novel.
There’s also this Brazilian fellow. He is featured at the beginning of the story for a brief period and a bit towards the end. While he is definitely not someone Nancy or any sane woman would want to marry, it is hard to understand Nancy’s fear when he isn’t really seen or heard from again until the last 60 pages of the novel. We’re told he is following her but there are no close calls until he catches up to them at the end.
It’s a book that decided to tell us there was conflict and awesome battle scenes without actually showing them.
Well, as it were, there are no female gay pirates. Instead, there is a gal who wants to be with her childhood friend, William, and is instead put into an arranged marriage with this guy who is known throughout the book as the Brazilian. (There’s also a point where she kills a guy who tries to rape this gal who is a slave on the plantation her father owned).
AT ANY RATE! All that sounds like an interesting plot and it is an interesting plot. However, it fails to live up to its potential.
Celia has a bad habit throughout the book of telling and not showing.
For example, there is a scene where the pirates argue whether they should allow women onto their ship. We are told it is a very tense moment with a rousing speech from the captain but we’re not shown. There’s no scene really set and we don’t even get to know what the Captain said to get his crew to agree.
This happens throughout the novel.
There’s also this Brazilian fellow. He is featured at the beginning of the story for a brief period and a bit towards the end. While he is definitely not someone Nancy or any sane woman would want to marry, it is hard to understand Nancy’s fear when he isn’t really seen or heard from again until the last 60 pages of the novel. We’re told he is following her but there are no close calls until he catches up to them at the end.
It’s a book that decided to tell us there was conflict and awesome battle scenes without actually showing them.
October 17, 2013
I did enjoy this one, though I probably won't reread it. I love pirate stories, and was satisfied that there was a good amount of swashbuckling at times. The majority of the book was kind of boring, though. I really didn't like the main character, but I did like Minerva and all her badassery. Minerva's mom was probably my favorite character. She was so strong in the face of adversity and abuse and did everything she could for her daughter. She was a great mother figure for Nancy, too. The villain, Nancy's horrible fiancé, almost had me gagging. Every time he showed up in the story, I just got the chills. He's a total creep. I also found that the tone of the story was so bleak throughout. There were barely any remotely happy moments in the book until the very end, but I felt so disconnected from most of the characters that I found myself not really caring all that much. All in all, it's a decent read if you're into historical fiction and pirates, like I am.
April 19, 2020
I reaally liked this book surprisingly. Found it at a ratty old corner shop for €2 a few years ago.
The story was completely different for me, 2 young girls find themselves with not much choice but to join with pirates.
The style of writing was all very well and appropriate as we plunged back into the seas.
I loved the characters and the way the subtle romance played out EVEN THOUGH I WAS DYING FOR MORE LIKE ANY SORT OF CLOSURE PLEASE.
Cute book and if I wasn't struggling through a slump right now, I'm sure I'd see it a lot clearer. Tis why I'm giving it 4 ★★★★
The story was completely different for me, 2 young girls find themselves with not much choice but to join with pirates.
The style of writing was all very well and appropriate as we plunged back into the seas.
I loved the characters and the way the subtle romance played out EVEN THOUGH I WAS DYING FOR MORE LIKE ANY SORT OF CLOSURE PLEASE.
Cute book and if I wasn't struggling through a slump right now, I'm sure I'd see it a lot clearer. Tis why I'm giving it 4 ★★★★
August 20, 2019
I'm sad to say that I didn't enjoy Pirates! as much as Celia Rees's previous novel, Witch Child. While I loved the premise behind the story - two girls who run away from oppression and slavery and join with pirates in the 1700s - I just didn't feel like there was enough action and conflict to make a good adventure story.
When there was action, it seemed forced, and it was always between long periods of nothingness. There were not a lot of interpersonal conflict, and although Nancy is fighting a lot of internal conflict, it was always the same and never played up enough.
I also feel as if the main villain, Bartholome, was not played up nearly enough. Why was he so set on marrying Nancy that he would stop everything to hunt her down? What were his plans originally? Why was Phillis convinced he was going to kill Nancy? Did he have power of his own, or was he given it from somewhere? Where did he get his cursed rubies from? All we really know is that he's Bartholome the evil Brazilian, and that really wasn't enough to go off of.
The same way his character lacked any story or substance, so, in many ways, did the main protagonist, Nancy Kington's. Nancy just doesn't seem to grow as a character. She always has to overcome the same fears, whether it's knowing Bartholome is hunting her or leaving Minerva. Throughout the novel, she deals with everything the exact same way, and she doesn't really change her mindset at all either.
None of the other characters are given much of a story either, even as we get to know them throughout the novel. None of them seem to have histories, and none of them are the types that a reader would care about after the story is finished. They just kind of exist within the novel but not outside its pages.
This is in stark contrast to Witch Child, where there doesn't seem to be a lot of character development at first, but by the end you realize that each character had a very important role, and you want to know more about the characters and their lives. Here, everyone is just flat.
Because I liked Witch Child so much, and because I have every intention of enjoying an author who shares my name, I think that made Pirates! even more of a disappointment in a lot of ways. I do think, however, that Celia Rees does have a lot of potential and writes in a way that I do like a lot. I'd love to explore more of her books and see where I rate them, and I will probably start with Soul Taker, as I have a physical copy of it. I might also go with Sorceress, the sequel to Witch Child, as I really do want to find out what happened after Mary's story ends. Either way, it is not likely that I will reread Pirates! any time soon, or at all.
When there was action, it seemed forced, and it was always between long periods of nothingness. There were not a lot of interpersonal conflict, and although Nancy is fighting a lot of internal conflict, it was always the same and never played up enough.
I also feel as if the main villain, Bartholome, was not played up nearly enough. Why was he so set on marrying Nancy that he would stop everything to hunt her down? What were his plans originally? Why was Phillis convinced he was going to kill Nancy? Did he have power of his own, or was he given it from somewhere? Where did he get his cursed rubies from? All we really know is that he's Bartholome the evil Brazilian, and that really wasn't enough to go off of.
The same way his character lacked any story or substance, so, in many ways, did the main protagonist, Nancy Kington's. Nancy just doesn't seem to grow as a character. She always has to overcome the same fears, whether it's knowing Bartholome is hunting her or leaving Minerva. Throughout the novel, she deals with everything the exact same way, and she doesn't really change her mindset at all either.
None of the other characters are given much of a story either, even as we get to know them throughout the novel. None of them seem to have histories, and none of them are the types that a reader would care about after the story is finished. They just kind of exist within the novel but not outside its pages.
This is in stark contrast to Witch Child, where there doesn't seem to be a lot of character development at first, but by the end you realize that each character had a very important role, and you want to know more about the characters and their lives. Here, everyone is just flat.
Because I liked Witch Child so much, and because I have every intention of enjoying an author who shares my name, I think that made Pirates! even more of a disappointment in a lot of ways. I do think, however, that Celia Rees does have a lot of potential and writes in a way that I do like a lot. I'd love to explore more of her books and see where I rate them, and I will probably start with Soul Taker, as I have a physical copy of it. I might also go with Sorceress, the sequel to Witch Child, as I really do want to find out what happened after Mary's story ends. Either way, it is not likely that I will reread Pirates! any time soon, or at all.
January 24, 2016
Libro molto carino, sicuramente rivolto ad un pubblico giovane, ma che non perde niente se letto da chi è più grande.
La voce narrante è quella della protagonista che ci mostra uno spaccato del suo tempo, tra crinoline e rigida etichetta, matrimoni di convenienza e commercio di schiavi, piantagioni di zucchero e pirati.
Simpatico il riferimento a Defoe, che mostrato grande interesse per la storia di chiunque abbia solcato i mari, diventa destinatario dei fogli che racchiudono la vita e le avventure di Nancy.
La voce narrante è quella della protagonista che ci mostra uno spaccato del suo tempo, tra crinoline e rigida etichetta, matrimoni di convenienza e commercio di schiavi, piantagioni di zucchero e pirati.
Simpatico il riferimento a Defoe, che mostrato grande interesse per la storia di chiunque abbia solcato i mari, diventa destinatario dei fogli che racchiudono la vita e le avventure di Nancy.
May 22, 2008
This is such a wonderful book! I just finished reading it a second time and loved it just the same! I nearly cried at the end because I felt I was leaving some great friends--the mark of an extraordinary book, in my opinion. I would give it 5 stars, but I felt that a few scenes were more rushed than they should have been, but still a great read all the same.
January 1, 2015
** 5 Action-Packed Stars **
'As We Stood At The Rail, Laughing Together, I Truly Believed That There Was Nothing I Could Not Do.' ~ Nancy ~
A beautiful and adorable story.
'As We Stood At The Rail, Laughing Together, I Truly Believed That There Was Nothing I Could Not Do.' ~ Nancy ~
A beautiful and adorable story.
August 10, 2024
This is a 350 page book titled Pirates! and our two heroines don’t step foot on a pirate ship until page 186! The rest is lead up to how Nancy Kington, heiress unbeknownst to herself, gets to Jamaica and is done dirty by her conniving brothers, her scheming stepmother, and her desperate late father. She’s oblivious to her pending betrothal to the ageless, bejeweled and lecherous Brazilian plantation owner next door, Bartholome. (One of my best friends is Brazilian. It was very off putting that the other characters just kept referring to him as The Brazilian as if that alone condemned him as a villain.)
Nancy doesn’t even get to Jamaica until page 93. Up until then it’s backstory (her looking back as she’s sea sick in her cabin and reminiscing on her life up until then). Her sweetheart William had been enrolled on a slave ship by his cruel father and after several years of grueling work he’s going to try to buy a commission as a gentleman officer in the Navy. He wants to propose to Nancy but her stepmother intercepts his letters and intentionally separates them. This is rather an unbelievable romance as they have only a few hours together as adults over the span of four years and the rest of their relationship is all built on childhood friendships. The last meaningful time they spent together was when he was 12 and she was 10. Also the writing is so much telling and so little showing so we just have to take the authors word for it that they are kindred spirits from their kindergarten years (or equivalent in the 1720s).
Nancy’s father dies suddenly after a financially disastrous shipwreck amongst his fleet (and terrible financial decisions and gambling and general irresponsibility among her bothers) all but bankrupts the family. Nancy doesn’t understand why she’s being sent to the plantation but she goes along meekly. Look at this point there’s not much to recommend her as our protagonist. She’s none too bright and completely naive in the ways of the world. It doesn’t help that the authors very heavy foreshadowing, maybe doom-shadowing would be a better word, makes Nancy’s innocence seem all the more like ineptness when it’s so obvious to the readers what troubles lies ahead. Nancy doesn’t have much agency or confidence or self possession. She’s whiny and feels her powerlessness so completely it’s a little crushing even for the reader.
Life at the sugar cane plantation is marginally better when she befriends Phillis and Minerva. Phillis becomes a mother figure and Minerva a sister of sorts but there’s a power imbalance as they are slaves. Her brother and the plantation overseer discourage her from continuing the friendships as “no good can come from it.” There are some vivid and disturbing scenes of violence and ruthlessness as Nancy learns that her father’s sugar plantation and the whole island are supported and tainted by the slavery industry. She sees the dehumanization and repression and oppression everywhere and is rightly disgusted by it.
Tensions mount and come to a head on the evening of her sixteenth birthday, when she dines with Bartholome and he formally announces their engagement. He proceeds with a proposal as an afterthought when he realizes how shocked and surprised Nancy is by this news. She manages to maintain some semblance of composure and asks for a night or two to think about it. She knows this is a desperate bid to buy some time and that it’s a foregone conclusion.
She returns home to find Phillis injured, Minerva missing, and then saves her from a sexual assault. Nancy shoots the plantation overseer dead on the spot. My only regret is it took her that damn long. And that Nancy still struggles with guilt over it when the man clearly deserved it.
And even then it’s another 30 pages or so until we get to the pirate ship. The pirates, aside from Captain Broom and Doctor Graham, who become a brother and father figure and found family of sorts, are never fully fleshed out and are all rather interchangeable. There’s not enough from Nancy’s point of view or dialogue with her or among others to get a real flavor for the voices of her crew mates. And she’s having nightmares linked to a ruby necklace and now has second sight miraculously and knows when Bartholome is gaining in his pursuit. As another reviewer pointed out, this seemed a stretch that a ruthless pirate and now successful plantation owner would spend two years on the high seas chasing after a runaway fiancée because his pride was wounded. But Ahab had his white whale, so be it.
I also wish there was more substance in the late night conversations and heart to hearts between Minerva and Nancy, both on the ship and leading up to it. Again, all telling and no showing.
I did enjoy the last scene aboard the ship with Minerva and Nancy holding hands and toasting to youth and freedom and feeling like anything is possible. Not nearly as feminist or feisty as I hoped as for the rest of the book, but still a decent read if a bit slow at times and skimpy on what the title promises!
Nancy doesn’t even get to Jamaica until page 93. Up until then it’s backstory (her looking back as she’s sea sick in her cabin and reminiscing on her life up until then). Her sweetheart William had been enrolled on a slave ship by his cruel father and after several years of grueling work he’s going to try to buy a commission as a gentleman officer in the Navy. He wants to propose to Nancy but her stepmother intercepts his letters and intentionally separates them. This is rather an unbelievable romance as they have only a few hours together as adults over the span of four years and the rest of their relationship is all built on childhood friendships. The last meaningful time they spent together was when he was 12 and she was 10. Also the writing is so much telling and so little showing so we just have to take the authors word for it that they are kindred spirits from their kindergarten years (or equivalent in the 1720s).
Nancy’s father dies suddenly after a financially disastrous shipwreck amongst his fleet (and terrible financial decisions and gambling and general irresponsibility among her bothers) all but bankrupts the family. Nancy doesn’t understand why she’s being sent to the plantation but she goes along meekly. Look at this point there’s not much to recommend her as our protagonist. She’s none too bright and completely naive in the ways of the world. It doesn’t help that the authors very heavy foreshadowing, maybe doom-shadowing would be a better word, makes Nancy’s innocence seem all the more like ineptness when it’s so obvious to the readers what troubles lies ahead. Nancy doesn’t have much agency or confidence or self possession. She’s whiny and feels her powerlessness so completely it’s a little crushing even for the reader.
Life at the sugar cane plantation is marginally better when she befriends Phillis and Minerva. Phillis becomes a mother figure and Minerva a sister of sorts but there’s a power imbalance as they are slaves. Her brother and the plantation overseer discourage her from continuing the friendships as “no good can come from it.” There are some vivid and disturbing scenes of violence and ruthlessness as Nancy learns that her father’s sugar plantation and the whole island are supported and tainted by the slavery industry. She sees the dehumanization and repression and oppression everywhere and is rightly disgusted by it.
Tensions mount and come to a head on the evening of her sixteenth birthday, when she dines with Bartholome and he formally announces their engagement. He proceeds with a proposal as an afterthought when he realizes how shocked and surprised Nancy is by this news. She manages to maintain some semblance of composure and asks for a night or two to think about it. She knows this is a desperate bid to buy some time and that it’s a foregone conclusion.
She returns home to find Phillis injured, Minerva missing, and then saves her from a sexual assault. Nancy shoots the plantation overseer dead on the spot. My only regret is it took her that damn long. And that Nancy still struggles with guilt over it when the man clearly deserved it.
And even then it’s another 30 pages or so until we get to the pirate ship. The pirates, aside from Captain Broom and Doctor Graham, who become a brother and father figure and found family of sorts, are never fully fleshed out and are all rather interchangeable. There’s not enough from Nancy’s point of view or dialogue with her or among others to get a real flavor for the voices of her crew mates. And she’s having nightmares linked to a ruby necklace and now has second sight miraculously and knows when Bartholome is gaining in his pursuit. As another reviewer pointed out, this seemed a stretch that a ruthless pirate and now successful plantation owner would spend two years on the high seas chasing after a runaway fiancée because his pride was wounded. But Ahab had his white whale, so be it.
I also wish there was more substance in the late night conversations and heart to hearts between Minerva and Nancy, both on the ship and leading up to it. Again, all telling and no showing.
I did enjoy the last scene aboard the ship with Minerva and Nancy holding hands and toasting to youth and freedom and feeling like anything is possible. Not nearly as feminist or feisty as I hoped as for the rest of the book, but still a decent read if a bit slow at times and skimpy on what the title promises!
June 19, 2022
You may wish me luck, or curse me for a damnable pirate, but do not look for me. I will be gone to parts beyond the sea.”
July 22, 2010
This story of two teenaged girls who choose to become pirates because of the desperateness of their lives is, as it claims to be, pretty exciting. When Nancy Kington's father dies soon after his shipping business is devastated by a storm (and his son's drinking and gambling addictions), it is expected that Nancy will solve the family's financial problems by marrying the wealthy, but mysterious and evil Bartholome. Despite her opposition to this plan, she isn't driven to join with pirates until she kills her plantation's overseer to prevent him from raping Minerva, one of her slaves. This is a pirate story in which the violence and gore are not much softened. Slave conditions, amputations, duelling and other fighting and shipboard injuries are explicitly depicted. Additionally, other prevalent vices (drinking, gambling, whoring) are an integral part of the story - though not explicitly described. It may seem slow starting, but if they stick with it, readers will find so much action, they may not realize that they are getting history as well.
June 12, 2019
If I had to sum up this book in one word, it would be Anticlimactic. Or disappointing. Or bland. Not to mention the fact that it is almost entirely devoid of pirates! For nearly the entire book the story is focused on the main character moaning about her unconvincing relationship with this boy that she (and the reader) barely know, and how she is engaged to an almost laughably monstrous man. When the story does take a break from her boy troubles, it instead goes into long detail on the sentimental bathing trips she takes with her half sister, and their developing relationship.
For a book with the title "pirates" it had very little to do with the subject. The rare chapter or two near the end that actually do feature said pirates is (forgive be for being redundant) disappointingly bland, anticlimactic, and naively "jolly" with the majority of their time being spent on an island swinging in hammocks and singing songs.
Honestly it reads more like a poorly produced coming of age montage with an inexplicably gruesome scene thrown in the middle for kicks and giggles.
For a book with the title "pirates" it had very little to do with the subject. The rare chapter or two near the end that actually do feature said pirates is (forgive be for being redundant) disappointingly bland, anticlimactic, and naively "jolly" with the majority of their time being spent on an island swinging in hammocks and singing songs.
Honestly it reads more like a poorly produced coming of age montage with an inexplicably gruesome scene thrown in the middle for kicks and giggles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2010
Listened to the audio book.
LOVED this story and the narrator was fantastic. I kept putting off doing things where I couldn't also listen to the book at the same time because I couldn't find a good stopping point to put down the iPod. I am sad that I waited so long to get to it as it's been on my list for a while and sitting on my shelf for a while as well.
For those that read SOVAY and thought it was too long and/or too heavy on the historical details, I think you would really enjoy this book. It's much shorter and I thought it was a really good balance between story and history, action and romance, etc. I just wished for one more chapter at the end ... but that's how I feel about most books it seems! :)
Now I'm in the mood to watch the Pirates of the Carribean movies!
LOVED this story and the narrator was fantastic. I kept putting off doing things where I couldn't also listen to the book at the same time because I couldn't find a good stopping point to put down the iPod. I am sad that I waited so long to get to it as it's been on my list for a while and sitting on my shelf for a while as well.
For those that read SOVAY and thought it was too long and/or too heavy on the historical details, I think you would really enjoy this book. It's much shorter and I thought it was a really good balance between story and history, action and romance, etc. I just wished for one more chapter at the end ... but that's how I feel about most books it seems! :)
Now I'm in the mood to watch the Pirates of the Carribean movies!
March 5, 2021
Un bellissimo romanzo storico che fa vedere un mondo affascinante e crudele. Appassionanti le storie di Nancy e di Minerva e bella la ricostruzione storica, con i riferimenti a Defoe, a cui gli appunti di Nancy vengono recapitati.
October 20, 2008
I really liked this book!!!! I think it was reeeeeally good!!! I didnt get the whole blood rubies thing but overall i really liked it. You should totally read it!!!
i definatly recomend it!!!
i definatly recomend it!!!
March 29, 2015
Still my absolute favourite book, even after almost ten years. I love it to the bone!
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