Rating: 
Summary: Good Idea but...
Review: There were many interesting parts to this book, the cursed ruby necklace that at first glances always seems to look like blood, Minerva's secret, the murder Nancy and Minerva are forced to commit, etc. Rees had wonderful ideas but it seemed like she packed what could have filled two books into one and left out the depth of the story. I never felt that I ever really got into the story, like i was only riding along the surface.
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Summary: Richie's Picks: PIRATES!
Review: "I was of a roving frame of mind, even as a child, and for years my fancy had been to set sail on one of my father's ships. One grey summer morning, in 1722, my wish was granted, but not quite in the way that I would have wanted." Celia Rees's PIRATES! is a spicy blend of adventure, history, greed, loyalty, danger, sisterhood, (and pants), involving two young women--one who has been born into wealth in Britain, the other into slavery in Jamaica--in the early 1700s. Nancy Kington, the wealthy merchant's daughter whose mother died giving birth to her, narrates the story. It begins with the sordid events through which her brother's gambling costs the family its fortune and how, shortly thereafter on his death bed, Nancy's father schemes with her brothers to restore their wealth. Unbeknownst to her at the time, Nancy is made the bartering chip for consummating that deal. "My father was a sugar merchant and a trader in slaves. He owned plantations in Jamaica, and that's where I was bound, but I had not been told the why or wherefore of it. My father's dying wish, that was all my brothers would say. I was not yet sixteen years old, and a girl, so I was neither asked, nor consulted. They assumed I was stupid. But I am far from that. I knew enough not to trust either of them and time was to prove me right. They had sold me as surely as any African they trafficked from the coast of Guinea." Nancy is a teenager you've gotta love. In contrast to the typical upbringing of British females of the time, she's been taught to read by Robert, the slave her father has brought back from his Jamaican holdings to maintain the household. ("My father saw no reason to pay a houseful of women to sit about clacking and gossiping and eating his food, their backsides getting fatter by the day.") Nancy's taught herself to letter and number by repeatedly copying documents in her father's office. She's picked up fencing from her big brother. Thanks to her father's permissiveness, she's grown up strong and feisty, romping in the sunshine on the quayside of Bristol: When she arrives at her family's Jamaican plantations, she learns the real human cost of that sugar and "spice" whose sale had provided her comfortable childhood. And then, along with the adolescent slave girl Minerva Sharpe, whose job it is to care for her, Nancy discovers the heavy personal price that has been struck on her shoulder in exchange for allowing her brothers to maintain their privileged economic position. Neither willing to accept the deal worked out without her consent, nor willing to allow the behavior of the plantation's white men toward Minerva--who has rapidly become like a sister to her--the two young women together embark upon a path that eventually leads to a career "on the account," a euphemism for piracy. We follow Nancy and Minerva, both pursuing and being pursued, as they sail across the high seas, in and out of colonies and islands, storms, African settlements, and confederacies, accompanied by a spectacular collection of daring and dangerous characters. " 'I put my faith in the stones,' he smiled at me across the table. 'They do not fade, they do not rot, and they do not lose their value. They are light to carry and easy to keep close.' He patted his pocket. 'They will never let you down.' " Put your faith in Celia Rees's PIRATES! You'll love the rollicking adventures of these 18th century spice girls! (And for those of you who fancy setting sail for LA or Toronto in search of convention plunder, be sure to aim your sights on the Bloomsbury booth, for PIRATES! is a real jewel that will not let you down.)
Rating: 
Summary: drink up me hearties yo ho!
Review: A pirates life for me! This was a incredable book, even though sadly there was no johnny Depp in this one! lol! I loved this book because two girls become pirates and face there biggest fears. These 2 girls seemed like they could get away with anything together even though tough times seemed hopless. This book made me feel like no one is invinsable.
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Summary: A pirates life for me!
Review: All I can say is... WOW! This is one of the best books I have ever read. It includes all of the themes that makes a book good and interesting to read: adventure, romance, thiller, friendship, and mostly anything else you can think of.
The story starts of with Nancy Kington, a wealthy merchant's daughter. Soon after her father dies, she moves to her family's plantation in Jamaica with her brother. There she meets two of her servants that play important roles in this story: Minerva and Minerva's mother. She also meets a Brazilian named Bartholomew living on an adjacent plantation. When Nancy discovers that she is betrothed to this Brazilian, she runs away with Minverva and pirates.
Thus begins her long, adventurous journey with Captain Broom and Vincent around the world. But, Nancy has not quite escaped Bartholomew's reach. She has reoccuring dreams that he is not far behind her ship and that he will soon capture her. Captain Broom leads the chase from the Brazilian, where their crew pretends to be merchants in the U.S., fights the Navy, and steals a great deal of treasure from a wealthy man living in Africa.
Also, there are many secrets that Nancy has yet to find out. Read the book to find out...
I definitely recommend this book to anyone, any age. Even I, being a fan of other genres than history, fell in love with this book. I've read it over and over, and I guarantee that you will fall in love with it too.
Rating:
Summary: Purely and simply, A MUST READ BOOK!
Review: As an adult reader I found this book excellent and one that you will want to read more than once! Who says it's just for teenagers?! If you like adventure, history, romance, or thriller books, then you'll love this book. It is full of swashbuckling action! Unfortunately, the Amazon review and book descriptions above give too much away. So if you haven't read them already, don't! The less you read above, the more there is to discover! This book would make an absolutely fantastic film, so I hope someone out there buys the film rights to it!!!!
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Summary: BOLD HEARTS UNDER THE BLACK FLAG
Review: Celia Rees' latest is unvarnished historical fiction, a vibrant swashbuckler about two young women fleeing an unjust society who join a crew of pirates operating in the West Indies in the early 1700s. I was drawn to this novel for the same reasons I wrote my own female pirate novel, "The Witch From The Sea": the irresistible idea of a young woman with few options liberating herself from the conventional "rules" of gender, race, and class by turning pirate. I've always loved pirate stories, but I was always disappointed by the traditional heroines-highborn noble ladies (often captives) who sit placidly adjusting their crinolines while the men go off and have all the fun. Like Rees, I always thought it would be much more interesting if the heroine were a working member of the pirate crew. Rees delivers two bold female pirates. Bright, spirited teenage Nancy Kington, daughter of a Bristol merchant, is sent to the family sugar plantation in Jamaica run by her dissolute brother. Minerva Sharpe is the fierce, proud young slave who serves her. Nancy learns she is to be sold in marriage to the repulsive but wealthy sea captain Batholome, a man so cruel, his own sailors think he's the Devil. One night, she rescues Minerva from the plantation's brutal overseer, and both young women flee for their lives. Outlaws with nowhere else to go, Nancy and Minerva are accepted into the crew of the pirate ship Deliverance under Captain Broom. Dressed in more convenient male clothing (although their shipmtes know they are women), they prove their heart and nerve in a series of compelling adventures: they endure a hurricane at sea, battle with ruthless rival pirate Edward Low, rob a gold fortress on the coast of Africa, face a mutiny, and are even briefly captured by the Royal Navy. Through it all, Nancy searches for her true love, William, now a naval lieutenant, while the malevolent Bartholome searches the seas for her. Rees gets the details right. The democratic Articles under which the pirates sail are much more attractive than the ghastly conditions on merchant and naval vessels. (Of her crewmates, Nancy notes that "None had planned to go on the account. All had started out as ordinary sailors.") In most cases, Broom's pirates capture their prizes by swiftness, skill, and cunning; the mere sight of a black flag and a crew of brigands is enough to cause most under-manned merchant ships to strike their colors, avoiding a bloody battle. (Although Nancy and Minerva can wield sword and pistol with the best of them.) Indeed, it's not the pirates but law-abiding citizens who behave most brutally in the book: the maltreatment of slaves, the drunken overseer's assault on Minerva, her brother's heartless plan to sacrifice Nancuy to Bartholome, leaving her "caught in a trap laid by pitiless men." The sisterly devotion of Nancy and Minerva to each other is the heart of the story. For so long, authors writing about female pirates wrote some variation on the lives of real-life pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Kudos to Rees for inventing two such distinctive and engaging fictional pirate heroines.
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Summary: Couldn't Stop Listening
Review: Every so often my family drives for 16 hours back to our home state of Wisconsin from Pennsylvania. The day before we left, My mom, my sister and I, all went to the library to find something to read on the way there. Our library had it on cd as well as the book itself. It was the first year my mom let me choose something out of the young adult section. I was so excited. I had recently wathed Pirates of the Carribean and it got me hooked on pirate stuff and when I saw it I knew I had to check it out. It was night time when I began the book and my booklight wasn't working very well so I just listened to it on cd. After I started listening I just couldn't stop! My family was happy too because I wasn't bothering one of my other 3 siblings. Celia Rees did a really great job on this one. I wish there were more Books like it!!!
Rating:
Summary: Fake Holywood plot
Review: Good writing combined with decent research on pirates and sailing in the 18th century. But the plot is straight out of Holywood, way too unrealistic. They get captured more than once but they always escape unscathed. No really good guy dies. Nothing really bad happens cause everything miraculously works out at the last moment. Yeah, right.
Rating:
Summary: A well written book
Review: I am in college right now, and I am taking an adolescent literature class. For the class, we are required to read thrity young adult/adolescent/whatever you want to call them books. To broaden our reading, we are encouraged to read books we haven't read before. In the process of trying to find new and interesting books, I came across another of Celia Rees' books, Witch Child. From there, I fell in love with Celia Rees' writing. This book, though, is probably the best one I have read by her. She has a way of really drawing you into the book. I have read a few reviews claiming this book was easy to predict, and in parts, that is true, but I think there were enough surprises in the plot to keep any good read hooked for a while. I was recommend this book to anyone who enjoys pirate stories or even just adventure stories.
Rating:
Summary: Love it!
Review: I couldn't put it down! It's truly a great story. Especially for people who love pirates of the caribbean! Rees wrote this book so well! Perfect all the way through!
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