An epic literary historical novel set during the Golden Age of Piracy, about the life of the infamous female pirate Mary Read.
'A ravishing picaresque told with fireworks, finesse and gusto'
PAUL LYNCH, author of Prophet Song
In a rented room outside Plymouth in 1685, a daughter is born as her half-brother is dying. Her mother makes a decision: Mary will become Mark, and Ma will continue to collect his inheritance money.
Mary's dual existence will take her to a grand house where she'll serve a French mistress; to the navy where she'll learn who to trust, and how to navigate by the stars; to the army and the battlegrounds of Flanders, following her one true friend; and finding love among the bloodshed and mud. But none of this will stop her yearning for the sea.
Drawn back to the water, Mary must reinvent herself yet again, for a woman aboard a ship is a dangerous thing. This time Mary will become something more dangerous than a woman.
She will become a pirate.
Breathing life into the Golden Age of Piracy, Saltblood is a wild adventure, a treasure trove, weaving an intoxicating tale of gender and survival, passion and loss, journeys and transformation, through the story of Mary Read, one of history's most remarkable figures.
An absolute treasure trove of book. Francesca has taken the
real story of 18th century female pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny and
woven something startling, fresh and brilliant. Deserves to be huge
