Pirates!

De: Celia Rees

Narrado por: Jennifer Wiltsie

It is the dawn of the 18th century, when girls stay home and sew while men sail the high seas finding adventure, danger, and gold. But two unusually adventurous girls (a rich merchant's daughter, Nancy Kington, and her former plantation slave, Minerva Sharpe) take to the high seas from Jamaica on a ship the crew renames Deliverance. Not just any trading ship, the Deliverance flies black flags from its mast, proclaiming to all that the newly named, hijacked ship is a pirate vessel, striking fear into the hearts of those she approaches. Or so they hope.

For Nancy, the Deliverance is her escape from an arranged betrothal to a controlling and devilish man. For Minerva, it is an escape from slavery, as well as from the fearsome overseer on Nancy's family plantation. But in the end, the money, the adventure, the companionship, and the chance to see the world not as women, but as bold and daring pirates, is an opportunity neither can deny.

A powerful, thrilling, and ultimately inspiring journey of two women who break the bonds of gender, race, and position to find their own way to glory.

©2003 Celia Rees (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Listening Library is an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A rip-roaring adventure with an engaging female heroine." (School Library Journal)
"Rees evokes the times with stunning precision, and in Nancy's fierce, period-appropriate voice, she tells a riveting, full-speed adventure filled with girl-powered action, magic, and love, even as it explores the brutality and horror of dark historical times." (Booklist)
"Listeners will be enchanted by Jennifer Wiltsie's narration of the exploits of female pirates Nancy Kington and Minerva Sharpe." (AudioFile)

a Romance, not a romance

Pirates! is more a feminist nautical yarn than an historical romance. I think "bodice ripper" is inaccurate - there's no sex at all, and the female characters are brave, smart, active and politically correct to the modern standard. These personal qualities were doubtless in very short supply in actual seventeenth-century ladies!

There are plenty of fairy-tale elements, so your belief will need some suspension. However, the story is engrossing, the writing fine, the historical bits informative, and the narration top-notch.

Bodice Ripper Plus

I enjoyed the historical accuracy, technical/historical descriptions, moral quandries and lryical writing. However, this firm foundation was lavishishly decorated with a flimsy tattered (but ultimately unrevealing) bodice ripper with (thankfully) less graphic sex than is usual to the genre. I suspect a younger reader (say 13/14) would enjoy it more. The storm scenes, the slightly para-normal scenes, the evil dark revengeful rejected suiter scenes, the tearful reunion scenes, the frolicing in Eden scenes, the almost being violated scenes, the discovery (which an alert reader could have anticipated by about 20 chapters) that the "kinship between them was more than it seemed" scene.....it all got a little cloying to say the least! Beth

Love it!

This is a really wonderful story with vivid details, strong character development and an engaging plot. I especially like the strength of the female characters. As far as the audiobook version is concerned, the narrator has a lovely voice and her pacing is perfect. I highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in a non-Hollywood interpretation of pirates. This is nice for adults and teens. I give it 5 stars without hesitation!

Fun!

This is a fun listen ... exciting, dangerous situations, adventure, bravery ... all things that make a child's book great. And it has a happy ending!

Great family listening!

Ordered this for my children's summer reading. I enjoyed it as much as they did!

The strength of the two sisters.

The brothers and step mother sending the sister away.. I thought it remarkable she stayed true to her Friend since childhood.

Fabulous Story

Told in the first person Pirates is a story of two young women who by chance and choice, are thrust into Piracy. All the while one is being persued by a devilishly sinsiter man who intends to marry her, putting all the mates in terrible danger.

The narrator does a wonderful job!

Audible for KIDS

I didn't realize it was for kids, but it was still ok.

Good enough, but short on pirates.

A decent story, well-read. If you're looking for pirates and swordplay, however, you might be a bit disappointed. Pirates are barely mentioned until at least 3 hours in. Most of the "action" happens near the end. I counted two actual sword fights, a handful of gunshots, and one rather swift beheading in the entire book. Still it was a nice coming of age story set in an interesting semi-historical framework. It was pleasant, if not surprising.

A great adventure!

This is a fantastic joyride into the world of pirates and adventure with a heroine who is plucky enough to see, and eventually reject, the social ills that have provided her with a comfortable life for 17 years. Instead of a life of complacency, she turns instead to a life of on the run.. as a pirate. The narrator, Jennifer Wiltsie, does a wonderful job and will keep you engaged and listening. I found myself walking the long way to work just to listen a little longer. Highly recommended.