Hannah Pritchard, Pirate of the Revolution
Hannah Pritchard, a young teenaged New York farm girl, returns to her home after a carefree day of berry gathering to discover her family murdered by the Iroquois Indians and the British army during the Revolutionary War. This sets the main character on a journey for revenge. She hides her gender and lands a position as a cabin boy on the privateering vessel Sea Hawk.
What follows is a predictable, well-traveled and glossed-over tale that is both emotionless and dull. It lacks wit, energy and real focus. The historical characters that make fleeting appearances (Paul Revere, John Paul Jones) are cursory and insignificant. The plot moves quickly because it has little substance to slow it down. Hannah’s life is all too unreal and convenient even for a tale of fiction, nor is this young character ever weighed down by emotions.
While by no means is this book poorly written or even scantily researched (the “Real History” incorporated in the end notes was a terrific bonus) its main character is missing warmth and substance.
