Customer Reviews

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Jacky of the title was born Mary Faber, whose life turned upside down when a pestilence in 1797 left her orphaned and homeless. She turned to the streets, surviving for a few years by begging, brawling and occasionally stealing on the dirty streets of London. But she lost her taste for that life when her best mate was "done for" by a vile city graverobber, and with few options remaining she hacked away her hair, changed her name, lied about her age and secured a post as a ship's boy on HMS Dolphin.

It's not an adventure-a-minute kind of book, nor will you see Jacky single-handedly besting entire pirate crews with her little knife. The book has a stronger sense of reality to it than that; Jacky has adventures, yes, but author L.A. Meyer never makes the mistake of making her superhuman. She makes mistakes, she runs afoul of bad circumstances, she feels fear. The dangers that threaten are very real, and the tone of the book sometimes is very dark. But through it all, she remains a plucky, cheerful girl, bouncing quickly back from misfortune, who loves to eat, dance and feel the wind in her face.

Bloody Jack is a a rollicking good time, a colorful yarn with a lively protagonist and a boatload of action. Once begun, the book is difficult to put down; once completed, it's hard not to leap immediately into the next in the series.

I'm not normally a reader of sea stories, though I have read a few. All that technical ship information about mizzens, and fo'c's'les, and spankers, and such caused my eyes to blur and my head to hurt; however, not so in this wonderful novel. I can easily follow her duties around the HMS Dolphin and her simple explanations about the ship's rigging. Jacky is a dear girl and her daily observations about life on land and aboard the HMS Dolphin and her "Deception" are informative, entertaining, and humorous. She's a gutsy young woman who somehow survives the many scrapes and dangerous situations she manages to get herself into. While Jacky is tough on the outside, she is still all girl on the inside, which makes her also tender when she needs to be. She's loyal to her mates and cheerful no matter what. We share in her love of life and cheer her on. We also feel her sadness...as when, after having fallen deeply in love with Jaime, she is separated from him at the end. I'm sure this part brought a tear to many a reader's eye. I'm currently reading book two: CURSE OF THE BLUE TATTOO. It's even more packed with misadventures than the first book. Keep writng Mr. Meyer! I can't get enough of Jacky Faber.

I thought it was a really,really good book, and i have read many. i almost didnt want it to end. Its about an orphan girl who, after the tradjic death of her beloved Chalie, the leader of the gang of orphans she lived with,escapes this hard unforgiving life by disguising herself as a boy to get a spot on the navel ship The Dolphin. There she gets good, constant meals for the first time in her life and forms a close friendship with the other ship's boys. She puts up with the trials of being a ship's boy such as the beatings of an evil middshippman,and the sexual harrassment of another evil shipmate.This is along with the many obsticals she faces to conseal her true identity which include her changing body and her feminity which even (gasp) makes her shipmates suspect her of being queer. But there are many wonederful things about her new life such as Jaimy, the ship's boy she falls in love with, and the thrill of chasing down and fighting pirates. I can't even describe how wonderfull this book really is.i thought at first it would be just another pirate book but i was woderfully wrong.I would recomend it to anyone who loves a good action packed book with a side of heart racing romance. it made me laugh out loud and cry, and any book that can do that is well worth the time.READ IT! It wont let you down.

With all the elements of a good swashbuckling tale - and more - this is a book about coming of age and finding a niche, however unconventional, in the world. Mary "Jacky" Faber is a frightened, hungry little girl on the streets of London, and in desperation signs onto the HMS Dolphin as a ship's boy, where she knows she will at least be fed. She disguises herself as a boy to accomplish this, which has been done quite often in this genre - but the twist is this: she LOOKS like a little boy, and until she hits puberty the deception is quite simple. However, her hormones take over and she must try increasingly harder to keep her gender a secret, or be thrown to the streets again forever. Jacky grows up aboard the ship, learning to work, to stand up for herself, and accidentally falling in love with another ship's boy. The plot is predictable, but all is forgiven: Jacky's narrative is frank, funny, and undeniably wise, and she will entertain you to the very last page.

One of the best action-adventure books that I've ever read. It was really hard for me to put this book down and I recommend this book to anybody that liked Huck Finn.
The story puts the reader right into the text, along with any of the unforgetable characters that you come across in this YA novel.
I recommend this book to any Middle School teacher that wants to spice up his/her classroom.

Bloody Jack is the story of the 12 year old orphan Mary, who, desperate to escape the poverty stricken life on the streets, disguises herself as a boy, renames herself Jack, and joins the HMS "dolphin" as a ship's boy for many curious adventures!

The novel speeds along at a satisfying pace as you follow "Jack's" exciting life at sea and see how she struggles with hiding her secret.

I think that it is really a coming-of-age story as you see how Jack copes with the confusing, sometimes frightening, and downright irritating aspects of growing into a woman. Especially as this is something she is determined to hide.

I loved the way it was told in first person as you feel that you are really growing along with Jack, especially as her language and dialect improves and changes throughout.

With lovely relationships, exciting pirate adventures, a near rape, and a charming heroine this page-turner is well worth it!

Very good book, nice historical and nautical details, very good use of voice. Caution with younger kids though, due to themes of pedophilia and a couple somewhat graphic scenes related to that. I also wonder how girls like this book - it's really a boy's adventure story with a tomboy as the main character. When her feminity emerges, there is a strong suggestion that this is her weaker side...

My son, who is 11, loved this book! He read it in just three days-it is quite a page-turner. I then read it, in two nights, based on his recommendation. I loved it! I will be giving this book to all my nieces and nephews this Christmas, because it handles the issue of growing up, independence, and having adventures in a very exciting and kid-friendly way, without talking down to the reader.
There is a little violence (them being on a ship that chases and engages with pirates) and a little hint of sex (Jacky gets almost molested, plus has a crush on one of the ships boys) but it is all handled with a very light hand. THe danger comes through, but none of it is graphic. I would highly recommend this book to any boy or girl who loves to read interesting tales of adventure.

One of the best books I've read all year! I was blown away with how hooked I got. One recomendation I do have is that you should not start reading this book late at night. I just couldn't put it down. I found myself reading this book all the way through the night. Everytime I had to put the book down to do something like sleep, I was left in complete suspense for what happens next. This book is intriguing and keeps you wanting more. This book is a wonderful read and I believe it will be exciting for any gender and all ages.

This is an excellent book. It is especially valuable as it presents a capable, resourceful GIRL as the main character in a marvelous swashbuckling adventure. It is well written, although the mild 19th century street cant and nautical terms might present a stumbling block for younger readers with limited vocabularies. These kids should slog their way through the book anyway, because the read is great fun and certainly worth a trip or two to the dictionary. This is the sort of book that helps young girls develop and maintain self-esteem, and helps young boys realize that girls are more like them than they might have expected . . . Bravo to Mr. Meyer for showing us in the best way possible that gender stereotypes are for the birds.