Started: 29/05/20
Finished: 31/05/20
Spoilser: No.
Oh boy, okay.
Not gonna lie. I'm disappointed AF.
This has been on my TBR for a few years. I didn't get to it sooner, thinking I'd enjoy it for sure-- it's pirates after all, what's not to like? --but I was quite wrong.
Characters
I struggled to invest in the characters. They felt like flimsy, two-dimensional, caricatures of pirates.
Calico Jack Rackam, such a fascinating part of the Golden Age of Piracy, felt so BLAND in this book. He lacked personality. So much so that I have very little to actually say about him.
But let's get onto Anne, cause this one really pissed me off.
Anne Bonny, historically a fierce pirate and skilled fighter, was reduced to little more than an embodiment of her sex appeal. When she wasn't being portrayed as Jack's rather helpless/useless love interest, she became the 'spiteful bitch' character trying to make him jealous by showering attention on other men.
Anne is the main female character in this book and she's written terribly.
The author even spelt Anne Bonny wrong. This is the level of research that's taken place.
At one point, when talking about Anne, one of the pirates says "She's one of us, and twice the man you'll ever be."
Haha! Really? Could've fooled me. So far she's done bugger all to prove that. Literally all she did was seduce Jack with her body, required rescuing by Jack, and then turned on Jack to flirt with anyone who looked at her. Don't tell me she's a badass and show me literally the most vacuous characterisation of a female ever.
Plot
I think what bothers me most about this novel is how historically inaccurate it is. Like seriously.
I read historical fiction for a little bit of truth and a whole lot of fun. Sure the author knew a lot about sailing terms and the things captains need to consider that aren't normally shown in pirate movies.
But the history of Rackham and Anne is very easily researched, even in the day before the internet. They're an iconic outlaw couple, and this story didn't do them justice.
If you know nothing about real pirates or the Golden Age, then you might enjoy this. If you're a history buff or passionate about pirate history, then I think you'll find this unsatisfying.
There isnt even a mention or Mary Read.
The actual plot of this story is pretty basic and nothing original to the genre.
Writing Style
This feels incredibly old-fashioned. Not even classic old-fashioned like Treasure Island.
After finishing, I discovered old letters in the back regarding the rejected of publication in the late 50s.
Publication back then was easier than today. It's a very tough market nowadays and getting published is harder than ever.
I can't help think, if it wasn't good enough then, is it really going to be good enough now?
The writing itself isn't inherently bad, but the storytelling is so dated it almost affected my enjoyment.
There was a slightly theatricalism about it that was a little too corny to be taken seriously.
The author wrote accents for his characters but not consistently. If your going to write phonetic accents, then you have to do it throughout. Readers notice continuity errors.
Anne didn't even get to say her iconic last words to Jack.
Final Impression
Wouldn't recommend to pirate lovers. The inaccuracies are too infuriating to overlook. Enjoying this is a struggle when you're familiar with the real story of Jack and Anne.
The only reason I finished it was cause it was so small. Not because I was particularly invested in the story or the characters, just because it's a small book and I've had it a long time.
It was okay. But I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.
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