Karen (retired Bookseller); Salt Blood is a captivating historical novel of the extraodinary true life of Mary Read, told from her own perspective.
Born in London 1685, she was given the identity of her dead brother named Mark. The story follows Mary's astonishing life, lived as a boy, man, woman and finally Pirate. It was her time in the British Navy, disguised as a man, that Mary discovered a deep affection and love of the sea and ships. Many years later she joined a pirate ship and began roaming the West India Seas during the height of the "Golden Age of Piracy".
Anne Bonny, another famous woman pirate and John Rackham, also know as the famous pirate Calico Jack, feature along with many other fascinating characters.
The amazing and vivid descriptions of places, events, ships and the sea kept me hooked. Along with the pacey excitment, there are times of real reflection about idenity and society, a remarkable life & story.
'A ravishing picaresque told with fireworks, finesse and gusto' PAUL LYNCH, author of Prophet Song (Booker Winner)
An epic literary historical novel set during the Golden Age of Piracy, about the life of the infamous female pirate Mary Read.
In a rented room outside Plymouth in 1685, a daughter is born as her half-brother is dying. Her mother makes a decision: Mary will become Mark, and Ma will continue to collect his inheritance money. Mary's dual existence will take her to a grand house where she'll serve a French mistress; to the navy where she'll learn who to trust, and how to navigate by the stars; to the army and the battlegrounds of Flanders, following her one true friend; and finding love among the bloodshed and mud. But none of this will stop her yearning for the sea... Drawn back to the water, Mary must reinvent herself yet again, for a woman aboard a ship is a dangerous thing. This time Mary will become something more dangerous than a woman. She will become a pirate...
Breathing life into the Golden Age of Piracy, Saltblood is a wild adventure, a treasure trove, weaving an intoxicating tale of gender and survival, passion and loss, journeys and transformation, through the story of Mary Read, one of history's most remarkable figures.
Francesca de Tores is a novelist, poet and academic. She is the author of four previous novels, published in more than 20 languages. In addition to a collection of poems, her poetry is widely published in journals and anthologies. Saltblood is her first historical novel. She grew up in Lutruwita/Tasmania and, after fifteen years in England, is now living in Naarm/Melbourne.
Paperback, 368 pages
H: 196mm W: 128mm Spine: 28mm
Weight: 263 grams