84. Pirates!: The true and remarkable adventures of Minerva Sharpe and Nancy Kington, Female Pirates - Celia Rees (Bloomsbury)

Reviewed by SilverFire on April 13th, 2009, 4:47pm

Pirates! The true and remarkable adventures of Minerva Sharpe and Nancy Kington, Female Pirates

by Celia Rees

0

Format: Print Books

Series: Other

Series: Single Title
Publisher: Bloomsbury (USA)
Print Date: 2003
Copyright Date(s): 2003
ISBN: 1582348162
Pages: 380

AWARDS:

Pirates! was shortlisted for the W. H. Smith 2004 Book Awards
2004 YALSA Teens Top 10 Winner

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

(from back cover of dust jacket)

Thrown together by chance, ambitious for adventure by nature, Minerva Sharpe and Nancy Kington defy expectations of everyone around them and take the high seas on a pirate ship *Deliverance*. A thrilling journey across the world from the best-selling author of *Witch Child*, Celia Rees.

(from inside dust jacket)

At the dawn of the eighteenth century, when girls stay home and sew while men sail the high seas finding adventure, danger and gold, two unusual girls, Nancy Kington and Minerva Sharpe, one a rich merchant's daughter, the other her plantation slave, set sail from Jamacia on a ship the crew renames *Deliverance*. Not just any trading ship, *Deliverance* flies black flags from its mast and proclaims to all that the new ship is a pirate vessel, striking fear into the hearts of those she approaches. Or so they hope.

For Nancy, *Deliverance* is her escape from an arranged marriage with a controlling and devilish man. For Minerva, it is escape from slavery, as well as from the fearsome overseer on Nancy's family plantation. But in the end, the money, the adventure, the companionship and the chance to see the world not as women, but as fearsome pirates, is an opportunity neither can deny.

From the award-winning and best-selling author Celia Rees comes a powerful, thrilling and ultimately inspiring journey of two women who break the bounds of gender, race and position to find their own way to glory.

COMMENTS:

I think what I like most about Rees's writing (from this book and *Witch Child*) is that her characters are young women being brave and strong—despite the ever present flaws and weaknesses any person has.

Jo
My blog: Books to the Rescue