Customer Reviews

Pirates!

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"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.)

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

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.

Pirates! BloomsburgUSA,2003, 380pgs.,...
Celia Rees ISBN 1-58234-816-2

Have you ever felt like you didn't fit in? Nancy Kington, a wealthy merchant's daughter, thought she would always be safe with her family. After her father died unexpectedly, she is forced to move to Africa with her brother. Nancy was unaware that her plantation, once owned by her father, was so cruel to the slaves that worked there. She forms a close bond to Minerva, her personal slave. Minerva is adventurous and willing to risk her life for her freedom.
It is the 1700's. People fear pirates who travel the seas for merchant's ships to raid. After a sudden death, Nancy is forced to run away from the plantation. Minerva decides to runaway with Nancy. They become pirates. Nancy is ashamed that she has become a pirate because her only love, William, is a naval officer hunting for pirates, especially her crew. She is also running away from an arranged marriage to an evil man. She feels she will never fit in with her shipmates.
This was an exciting book to read. I couldn't put this book down because of the many adventures Nancy faces. The author, Celia Rees, makes you jump into the book and follow Nancy's every move and experience her thoughts.
As the reader, I could relate many things in my life to this book. You could also relate many of the characters from other books to Pirates!. Readers who enjoy historical fiction and adventure would like this book.
I highly recommend this book. The author uses excellent writer's craft to paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind. This book was definitely worth reading!

Celia Rees' latest is unvarnished historical fiction, a vibrant swashbuckler about two young women fleeing an unjust society who join a crew of pirates operating in the West Indies in the early 1700s.

I was drawn to this novel for the same reasons I wrote my own female pirate novel, "The Witch From The Sea": the irresistible idea of a young woman with few options liberating herself from the conventional "rules" of gender, race, and class by turning pirate. I've always loved pirate stories, but I was always disappointed by the traditional heroines-highborn noble ladies (often captives) who sit placidly adjusting their crinolines while the men go off and have all the fun. Like Rees, I always thought it would be much more interesting if the heroine were a working member of the pirate crew.

Rees delivers two bold female pirates. Bright, spirited teenage Nancy Kington, daughter of a Bristol merchant, is sent to the family sugar plantation in Jamaica run by her dissolute brother. Minerva Sharpe is the fierce, proud young slave who serves her. Nancy learns she is to be sold in marriage to the repulsive but wealthy sea captain Batholome, a man so cruel, his own sailors think he's the Devil. One night, she rescues Minerva from the plantation's brutal overseer, and both young women flee for their lives.

Outlaws with nowhere else to go, Nancy and Minerva are accepted into the crew of the pirate ship Deliverance under Captain Broom. Dressed in more convenient male clothing (although their shipmtes know they are women), they prove their heart and nerve in a series of compelling adventures: they endure a hurricane at sea, battle with ruthless rival pirate Edward Low, rob a gold fortress on the coast of Africa, face a mutiny, and are even briefly captured by the Royal Navy. Through it all, Nancy searches for her true love, William, now a naval lieutenant, while the malevolent Bartholome searches the seas for her.

Rees gets the details right. The democratic Articles under which the pirates sail are much more attractive than the ghastly conditions on merchant and naval vessels. (Of her crewmates, Nancy notes that "None had planned to go on the account. All had started out as ordinary sailors.") In most cases, Broom's pirates capture their prizes by swiftness, skill, and cunning; the mere sight of a black flag and a crew of brigands is enough to cause most under-manned merchant ships to strike their colors, avoiding a bloody battle. (Although Nancy and Minerva can wield sword and pistol with the best of them.) Indeed, it's not the pirates but law-abiding citizens who behave most brutally in the book: the maltreatment of slaves, the drunken overseer's assault on Minerva, her brother's heartless plan to sacrifice Nancuy to Bartholome, leaving her "caught in a trap laid by pitiless men."

The sisterly devotion of Nancy and Minerva to each other is the heart of the story. For so long, authors writing about female pirates wrote some variation on the lives of real-life pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Kudos to Rees for inventing two such distinctive and engaging fictional pirate heroines.

Nancy Kington is a rich merchant's daughter in Bristol, England. She lived during the 1700's. Sometimes she does not want to be a lady but a free spirited pirate with booty and adventure. Nancy has anything that she could ever want, the love of her life, a caring father and the riches of a sugar plantation. Then her love leaves, she loses her father, a storm sinks a whole fleet of ships (threatening the family fortune) and a rich Brazilian changes the course her life is taking. Nancy inherits a large portion of land, where the number of slaves is quite alarming. Minerva Sharpe lives on the land and is a slave to Nancy. She longs to be free, as does her mother. Soon silver and gold fill their eyes on an exciting adventure as... Pirates!

I thought that some of the sentences in the book were very descriptive. For instance on page 33 it says "But Robert was strongly built, brown skinned, with big amber eyes and scarifications on his broad cheeks." But some sentences in the book were not very descriptive. On page 31 for example it says "my father looked suprised." The book itself was a fairly even mix of the two. The description of significant events were a lot more in depth. For example, on page 197 it says "You never forget the first attack. I was cotton mouthed and terrified, standing at the ready, waiting to hear the two ships grind and splinter together." From that, I already have a clear picture in my mind. As you can see from these last few examples the word choice is particularly hard. And like the descriptiveness, the sentence structure is a mix between hard and choppy sentences.

The age group for this book is about 9 and up because younger kids wouldn't appreciate the qualities of this book. I think that everyone would enjoy this book because it is so fun-loving. This was definitely created for girls; it's kind of soppy and girly. For instance, on page 178 it says "But we were not bold pirates yet. We both clung to Phillis and wept. Mother for daughter, daughter for mother." It kind of made me want to cry with them! The book was amazing, and action packed. On page 199 it says "As one attack followed another, I lost my terror and became as fearless as the rest of the men." I loved the book and would most definitely recommend it.

This is the best book I have ever read that is about pirate girls. It is full of romance, friendship, enemies, really scary fiances! You get a mix of many different feelings when you read it, I know I'm not being very descriptive, but I thought it was great and I don't want to spoil it for you. I used to think that books about pirates would be dumb and boring, and when I first picked it up, I was like.."Oh this is gonna be one of those free the slaves!" type books, but its not. It is narrated by a rich merchants daughter and it talks about her life as a.....you can find that out for yourself! Anyone who doesn't like this book is Crazy!

I recieved this book for Christmas. Started it that morning and finished it at an ungodly hour that night. I could not put it down. A pirate adventure story, but much more thought provoking. Nancy and Minerva are excellent heroines; they act decisively. Every girl should read this book. I'm not going to overanalyze it, because, like any good story, it stands on its own. JUST READ IT!!!!!

This book was defintely one of the best I've ever read. The author writes in a way that keeps you reading and turning pages in suspense, curiosity, and wonder. The separate tales of these two young ladies combined with the thrilling tale of their time together is really great, especially those who like stories about the power of young women and adventure. Although the length (or the width rather) may frighten you, it will be finished before you know it!I wish Celia Rees would write a sequel!!

This is a novel for girls who like Pirates of the Caribbean; Nancy and Minerva are at least as exciting as heroes and pirates as the characters played by Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. (And much more interesting than the girl in that movie!) Nancy is a wealthy planter's daughter whose brothers attempt to marry her off to a violent and scary man to pay off their gambling debts. Minerva is her slave - and her friend. They "go on account" with an able and fair captain who rarely kills people. It's very good in the pirate history and a fun read.
Someone said a girl of Nancy's social class wouldn't have done turned pirate. But Rees spent 150 pages exploring how little Nancy cared for upper class values and people. It wasn't easy for either girl to become pirate, their situation was truly dire. The class and racial politcs ring as true as the piracy -- the most democratic place in the early 18 century is a pirate ship! Like Witch Child and Sorceress, I hope there will be another book about Nancy and Minerva.