35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Richie's Picks: PIRATES!, November 30, 2003
"I was of a roving frame of mind, even as a child, and for years my fancy had been to set sail on one of my father's ships. One grey summer morning, in 1722, my wish was granted, but not quite in the way that I would have wanted."
Celia Rees's PIRATES! is a spicy blend of adventure, history, greed, loyalty, danger, sisterhood, (and pants), involving two young women--one who has been born into wealth in Britain, the other into slavery in Jamaica--in the early 1700s.
Nancy Kington, the wealthy merchant's daughter whose mother died giving birth to her, narrates the story. It begins with the sordid events through which her brother's gambling costs the family its fortune and how, shortly thereafter on his death bed, Nancy's father schemes with her brothers to restore their wealth. Unbeknownst to her at the time, Nancy is made the bartering chip for consummating that deal.
"My father was a sugar merchant and a trader in slaves. He owned plantations in Jamaica, and that's where I was bound, but I had not been told the why or wherefore of it. My father's dying wish, that was all my brothers would say. I was not yet sixteen years old, and a girl, so I was neither asked, nor consulted. They assumed I was stupid. But I am far from that. I knew enough not to trust either of them and time was to prove me right. They had sold me as surely as any African they trafficked from the coast of Guinea."
Nancy is a teenager you've gotta love. In contrast to the typical upbringing of British females of the time, she's been taught to read by Robert, the slave her father has brought back from his Jamaican holdings to maintain the household. ("My father saw no reason to pay a houseful of women to sit about clacking and gossiping and eating his food, their backsides getting fatter by the day.") Nancy's taught herself to letter and number by repeatedly copying documents in her father's office. She's picked up fencing from her big brother. Thanks to her father's permissiveness, she's grown up strong and feisty, romping in the sunshine on the quayside of Bristol:
When she arrives at her family's Jamaican plantations, she learns the real human cost of that sugar and "spice" whose sale had provided her comfortable childhood. And then, along with the adolescent slave girl Minerva Sharpe, whose job it is to care for her, Nancy discovers the heavy personal price that has been struck on her shoulder in exchange for allowing her brothers to maintain their privileged economic position. Neither willing to accept the deal worked out without her consent, nor willing to allow the behavior of the plantation's white men toward Minerva--who has rapidly become like a sister to her--the two young women together embark upon a path that eventually leads to a career "on the account," a euphemism for piracy.
We follow Nancy and Minerva, both pursuing and being pursued, as they sail across the high seas, in and out of colonies and islands, storms, African settlements, and confederacies, accompanied by a spectacular collection of daring and dangerous characters.
" 'I put my faith in the stones,' he smiled at me across the table. 'They do not fade, they do not rot, and they do not lose their value. They are light to carry and easy to keep close.' He patted his pocket. 'They will never let you down.' "
Put your faith in Celia Rees's PIRATES! You'll love the rollicking adventures of these 18th century spice girls! (And for those of you who fancy setting sail for LA or Toronto in search of convention plunder, be sure to aim your sights on the Bloomsbury booth, for PIRATES! is a real jewel that will not let you down.)
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Story, Real Page-Turner, May 18, 2005
I LOVED Pirates! I took it out of the school library in hopes it would have relation to Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp, who's my understood IDOL. But, anyway, to the book.
You enter into the world of Nancy Kington, daughter of a very rich plantation owner. When her father dies, he leaves a plantation in Jamaica to her, and she befriends slaves. Then, when she is almost forced to marry, she runs away and eventually (very delayed... annoying that the book is called pirates, and they didn't get to the Pirates until about page 150!) joins a band of pirates. She makes startling discoveries, and her ex-suitor does find her.
I loved this book. It is actually 380 pages, and I read it in two days! I bought other books by Celia Rees, I now am a big fan of hers. Buy this book TODAY or else you'll be cursed by pirates!
---rAchEl....
celia rees fan
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read up me hearties, yo ho!, April 18, 2004
A Kid's Review
Taking place in the 1700's, this is the story of Nancy Kington and Minierva Sharpe who are forced to run away from the Kington's Jamaican plantation, after killing a man in self defence. They first travel to a secret community hidden in rural Jamaica. The pirates arrive and Nancy and Minerva join them dressed as men. Amid mutinies, battles, and run-ins with the navy, a strange ship is chasing them! Who are they and what will they do when they catch the pirates?
I liked the never ending action and suspence in Pirates! . There was never a dull moment. I'd have to say that even though the language was sometimes hard to understand it fit the time and place of the story perfectly and helped to set the stage.If you enjoy english history, want to learn more about life at sea, or just plain old love pirate tales, then this is the book for you.
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