The Determined
1721. The Golden Age of Pirates is winding down as two pregnant young women, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, face the gallows for piracy. Although from different backgrounds, their lives collide in Nassau, where a friendship born of desperation and camaraderie binds them together while they strike out for a life of freedom aboard the Revenge with infamous pirate Captain “Calico Jack” Rackham. Anne is escaping a brutal marriage when she and Rackham fall for each other, big time. Mary has passed herself off as a man for most of her life, but an unexpected pregnancy makes that impossible for much longer. If they can stash away some loot during a few months of raiding, they might be able to start anew. The risks are enormous and multiply daily as pirates are hunted down throughout the Caribbean and brought to a grim end.
Author Rueckert builds her novel in part around a publication in 1724 by a mysterious Captain Johnson that purported to include interviews with Anne and Mary. The identity of Johnson is questionable, as is his possibly sensationalized account. However, legal documents and actual court records provide dates and details of verifiable incidents woven into the author’s story of these two real-life women. At times, the inner dialogue ascribed to them does not seem true to the period, or in some cases, the circumstances. However, the reality of life in the 1700s, when women had few options, is always present. There’s no doubt that Anne and Mary carved out unconventional lives for themselves through the sheer force of self-preservation, determination, and a bit of serendipity. Their journey from childhood to piracy on the high seas makes this a fascinating page-turner that concludes with an insightful afterword by the author.
