The Only Life That Mattered : The Short and Merry Lives of Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack

Rating:
Summary: The Only Life That Mattered
Review: Great fun -- a real ripping yarn! This novel combines the best features of a gripping page-turner with solid historical research and imaginative yet realistic characterizations. It conveys both the romance of 18th C. piracy and its harshness. I hadn't imagined that women could have led such astonishingly colorful lives in those days! I recommend this book unreservedly.

Rating:
Summary: You may have already read this!
Review: Just a word of warning before you purchase this book. It was published a couple of years ago under the title of "The Sweet Trade" and the author was Elizabeth Garrett. I made the mistake of purchasing it only to discover I had already read it!

Rating:
Summary: An enthralling high-seas adventure of the outlaw life
Review: The Only Life That Mattered is a riveting novel that tells the fictionalized story behind real-life pirate legends Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack Rackam. Written by a former professional square-rig sailor, The Only Life That Matters is an enthralling high-seas adventure of the outlaw life, pirate society, and two woman who achieved the impossible - they succeeded in making fellow pirates accept them as equals. Based heavily upon primary sources, this account blends both history and exciting storytelling to paint an unforgettable picture of ruthless yet free life upon the high seas.



Rating:
Summary: A Great Read - Guaranteed!!
Review: There is magic in James Nelson's imagination. In this instance, he has taken the outline of a true story concerning the last days of piracy and brought it to life in a most entertaining and emminently readable novel. I used to think that C.S. Forrester was the best at making the days of sail come alive. Having been a professional square-rig sailor, Nelson and his talent for story telling are at least on a par with Forrester and that is rarified company. The story of Anne Bonny, Mary Read and Calico Jack starts very near the end. They have been captured and are about to be put on trial as pirates. The story then goes back to trace the ladies lives to the point where they end up on the deck of the Pretty Anne captained by Calico Jack Rackam and then moves forward through time to reach their imprisonment and trial. It is a lusty tale, full of life, bawdy, bloody and lived to the full. If you have read no other Nelson tales, this is a great one to start with. I am sure it will whet your appetite for his other books. The man is a master story teller and we are the beneficiaries.

Rating:
Summary: Anne, Mary, and Jack - pirates together
Review: This is an awesome story! James Nelson has made minor historical characters come alive in masterful style!

The main characters are Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Captain John "Calico Jack" Rackam. Anne and Mary had very different backgrounds but circumstances in their early lives drove them to participation in the male-dominated "sweet trade" - piracy. Calico Jack was a pirate early on in his life, choosing to present a dandified appearance due to the colorful clothes he wore, yet commanding respect and fear because he was a very effective captain, keeping his crew happy and drunk with a succession of profitable captures of various ships.

Anne was looking for a change in her life when Calico Jack strode into the Nassau tavern where she was sitting. The two connected at once and within a few weeks were together at sea on the pirate ship, Anne as an able crew member to disguise her gender and attachment to Jack.

One of their prizes was a Dutch ship, on which Mary Read was now an accomplished sailor. As usual, Captain Jack offered the captured crew members the chance to join his pirate crew. Mary considered this proposal and decided to adopt the "short and merry life" of a pirate.

Thus began a three-way friendship that provides the essence of this novel. Nelson's knowledge of his characters, sailing and the sea, and the pirate era is very impressive. The description, dialogue, and detail are so vivid I felt like I was beside Mary, Anne, and Jack all the way - on sea, on land; on top of the world, and in trouble.

I highly recommend this book - it's a unique story, full of adventure, romance, and history.