Overview

A groundbreaking novel of historical fiction based on the real experiences of two of the Golden Age of Pirates' most infamous women, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who dared to subvert the rules and gender roles of their time. A groundbreaking novel of historical fiction based on the real experiences of two of the Golden Age of Pirates' most infamous women, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who dared to subvert the rules and gender roles of their time. 1721, Spanish Town, Jamaica. Captured, convicted, and pregnant, 23-year-old Anne Bonny faces the gallows. When writer Captain Charles Johnson enters the garrison, she strikes a deal- she'll tell this opportunistic fool her story if he sends a doctor to her friend, Mary Read, who's battling prison fever. Prior to their arrest, life at sea had offered Anne and Mary freedom that few women knew. Anne, born into scandal in Ireland, seeks home and elusive safety in South Carolina. Discovering the opposite, she makes a bitter bargain for emergency passage to the Bahamas. Across the Atlantic in England, Mary confronts her own limitations as an illegitimate daughter. She sneaks into a merchant crew, disguised as a cabin boy. But when war sends Mary into the cavalry, she meets a challenge even she might not rival. When their paths collide in Nassau, a notorious ""pirate den,"" Anne and Mary find kinship aboard the Revenge-the fastest ship in the Caribbean. With the governor out for blood, every raid brings more risk. From the high seas to the depths of a Jamaican prison, Anne and Mary must navigate impossible choices, each determined to taste freedom again.

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9781496747556

Table of Contents

Reviews

"Praise for If the Tide Turns by Rachel Rueckert   “Rueckert works in themes of love and sisterhood and brotherhood into her debut. The will to live through perilous struggles and become resilient is strong in these characters. This journey into tumultuous history will keep readers engaged and committed until the very end.” —Booklist   ""Rachel Rueckert delivers a sweeping adventure perfectly seasoned with a lyrical love story that grabs you from the beginning and doesn’t let go. Her scintillating writing weaves a tale that stays with you long after you finish."" —Janna MacGregor, author of Dear Future Husband and The Widow Rules series   ""If the Tide Turns weaves together two fascinating worlds in a page-turning story of love, friendship, and self-discovery. It transports the reader to the time of witch trials and piracy, shrugging off popular caricatures and exploring real-life people—the hardships they faced and the hope that sustained them. A stirring and luminous read!"" —Amanda Skenandore, author of The Nurse's Secret   ""A delicious debut awash in lore and amazing historical detail, as wild and characteristically unpredictable as the sea that gives it life. Rachel Rueckert is a writer to be reckoned with. Maria and Sam's romantic travails grab you like a riptide and won't let go!"" —V. S. Alexander, author of The Novelist from Berlin   ""Rachel Rueckert's If the Tide Turns is a stunning, unapologetic story of two young people caught up in unfair circumstances in 18th century New England, who nevertheless remain determined to forge their own paths and unswerving in their devotion to one another. Meticulously researched and gorgeously written, this historical novel inspired by true events is a gripping tale of piracy, love, and most of all, the costs (and joys) of self-determination."" —Rosalyn Eves, author of Beyond the Mapped Stars"

Praise for The Determined “An exciting, immersive tale about two legendary women, their courage, and the circumstances that bound them together in infamy. It's no easy task to fictionalize historical figures as widely mythologized as Read and Bonny, but Rueckert does it with aplomb.” —Rita Chang-Eppig, author of Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea ""This story is based on the real lives of Mary Read and Anne Bonny, two female pirates determined to choose their own adventure in a society that seems equally determined to reduce them to a single narrative. Though set in the eighteenth century, this novel feels eerily relevant to the situation we find ourselves in today; while the outfits and weapons may have changed over the last three hundred years, women’s autonomy still hangs in the balance. The Determined is a powerful example of two women who, armed with daggers, grit, ingenuity, and yes, tenderness, refuse to surrender their right to freedom."" —Lisa Van Orman Hadley, author of Irreversible Things “Immersive, thrilling, and steeped in emotional complexity, The Determined is a triumph of historical research and heart, transporting the reader into the lives of the infamous Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Rueckert paints a nuanced portrait of two complicated women in a world that opposes them at every opportunity. Both heartwarming and gut-wrenching in turns, this novel brings a fresh and original perspective on two of history’s most recognized female pirates.” —Briony Cameron, author of The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye “Hang on to your tricorn hat! Rachel Rueckert’s homage to real-life pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read is an unforgettable adventure. From the dangerous high seas to the trenches of war, these women forge a remarkable friendship and wield their wits, wiles and weapons against countless enemies — as well as the social norms and mores of their era. A treasure of a book.” —Michelle Collins Anderson, USA Today bestselling author of The Flower Sisters

Praise for If the Tide Turns by Rachel Rueckert   “Rueckert works in themes of love and sisterhood and brotherhood into her debut. The will to live through perilous struggles and become resilient is strong in these characters. This journey into tumultuous history will keep readers engaged and committed until the very end.” —Booklist   ""Rachel Rueckert delivers a sweeping adventure perfectly seasoned with a lyrical love story that grabs you from the beginning and doesn’t let go. Her scintillating writing weaves a tale that stays with you long after you finish."" —Janna MacGregor, author of Dear Future Husband and The Widow Rules series   ""If the Tide Turns weaves together two fascinating worlds in a page-turning story of love, friendship, and self-discovery. It transports the reader to the time of witch trials and piracy, shrugging off popular caricatures and exploring real-life people—the hardships they faced and the hope that sustained them. A stirring and luminous read!"" —Amanda Skenandore, author of The Nurse's Secret   ""A delicious debut awash in lore and amazing historical detail, as wild and characteristically unpredictable as the sea that gives it life. Rachel Rueckert is a writer to be reckoned with. Maria and Sam's romantic travails grab you like a riptide and won't let go!"" —V. S. Alexander, author of The Novelist from Berlin   ""Rachel Rueckert's If the Tide Turns is a stunning, unapologetic story of two young people caught up in unfair circumstances in 18th century New England, who nevertheless remain determined to forge their own paths and unswerving in their devotion to one another. Meticulously researched and gorgeously written, this historical novel inspired by true events is a gripping tale of piracy, love, and most of all, the costs (and joys) of self-determination."" —Rosalyn Eves, author of Beyond the Mapped Stars

Author Information

Rachel Rueckert is an award-winning writer, editor, and teacher who holds an MFA from Columbia University and an M.Ed. from Boston University. Pirate-obsessed her entire life, she wore a plastic sword through her belt loops as a child, drew ships on school papers, and frequently dressed as a pirate-including in her high school senior picture-before moving on to excavate the lives of real buccaneers Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Samuel Bellamy in her novels If the Tide Turns and The Determined. She splits her time between Salt Lake City and Berkeley, California, and can be found online at RachelRueckert.com.

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