Bonny & Read
Julie Walker’s debut novel centres on her long-time fascination with two of history’s most notorious pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. The Cork-born Anne Cormac, who gave up an easy life as the daughter of a plantation owner to elope with a servant, and Mary Read, who grew up in poverty, disguised as a boy, have become the stuff of ballads and folktales, but Walker’s book breathes life into the legends and restores their own voices.
Anne is a woman entirely in command of her destiny, while Mary is a woman who has made the best of every situation, and in each other they find true sisterhood. Their story, however, doesn’t end with their capture; it lives on in the tales that are told and the songs that are sung. Walker’s book is a warm and wonderful tribute to these timeless women, with intriguing detail of the period and the pirate life. An ideal read for fans of Louisa Treger, Stacey Halls and Kiran Millwood Hargrave.
