Grace O'Malley commanded a dozen ships and the obedience of thousands of men. Her empire stretched from Connaught on the Irish coast to the cobalt ...
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Feb 23, 2009
Lizzy
rated it: 
I'm always up for a good swashbucking adventure tale, but this, the embellished life story of Irish lady pirate Grace O'Malley, was a sore disappointment. The prose felt rather flat and one-dimensional, not doing full justice to the life of one of history's most fascinating women. One thing that was found in this book that I feel really ruins what could otherwise be an excellent story is the use of profanity, not in the dialouge between charactors, but within the narrative itself. This, I feel,
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Aug 20, 2010
Ladiibbug
rated it: 
This historical novel which begins in 1544 is based on the real-life female Irish pirate, Grace O'Malley, who commanded dozens of ships and thousands of men.
Grace's life, both as a pirate and a woman, is lively, fast paced, and very entertaining. I had never heard of her prior to coming across this book -- a female pirate, especially in the 1500's?!
As exciting and interesting as Grace's story is the secondary story, which takes up a substantial part of the book -- the al More...
Grace's life, both as a pirate and a woman, is lively, fast paced, and very entertaining. I had never heard of her prior to coming across this book -- a female pirate, especially in the 1500's?!
As exciting and interesting as Grace's story is the secondary story, which takes up a substantial part of the book -- the al More...
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Feb 08, 2011
H2
rated it: 
I really enjoyed this book. It is a quick and easy read. I'm a decendant of the O'Malleys, which made it even more interesting, but I particularly enjoyed reading of a strong Irish woman who was a leader before her time. The author was straight forward about not having all of the facts, having to take some creative license simply because many of the facts about Grace O'Malleys life aren't available. But it would seem he mostly stuck to the truth where it was to be found. Grace was a leader and
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Jan 24, 2009
Amber
rated it:
I read a lot of historical fiction written by women, and in this book, there were only two times I could tell it was written by a man: He didn't go into detail of the births of her children, and he didn't harp much on how she missed her children, considering she spent such little time with them--even as newborns. Other than those two things screaming at me here and there, it was a great book. My dad mentioned how arrogant Elizabeth I comes off, compared with other works, but I had to say that
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Jul 29, 2011
Michael
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This is a wonderful book. I should point out that it is historical fiction, so it should not be considered a learning tool. The author freely admits that he combined a few stories, added some events that were merely rumors, and in some cases he simply had to guess at what might have happened. That said, he did it all quite admirably. It's hard to imagine this woman talking to Elizabeth I face-to-face, but he made it all work well. If you're looking for a fun read with a historical backgroun
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Feb 01, 2010
Roni
rated it:
Grace O'Malley, the Pirate Queen, lead a long and adventurous life, not only at the sea, but on the land as well. Not always a simple and quiet one but one with never a dull and placid moment. Upon on of her first marriage she refuses to be tamed into a life of a traditional and submissive wife. She displays that she has a mind of her own and will not let any man, let alone Queen Elizabeth I of England, conquer her.
In Grace's lifetime career as a pirate she nearly bankrupts the Engl More...
In Grace's lifetime career as a pirate she nearly bankrupts the Engl More...
Aug 12, 2011
Wellington
rated it:
I've been poking around for new heroes from the past. Enter Grace O'Malley.
Conn Iggulden raised the bar for writing historical fiction for me. Alan Gold was not aiming for something epic. Like the sailing the ocean waters, it's an uneven performance. But like sailing the ocean waters, it's filled with adventure.
Apr 08, 2009
Melisa
rated it:
Kind of trashy historical fiction. This is a really interesting story about a successful independent woman in history. Unfortunately the author decided to cover the book like a romance novel and trash it up a bit. If it wasn't for the notes afterward I would have thought it was entirely made up.
Jul 20, 2010
Good so far. Names of people and places in a foreign language always slow me down a bit but it's worth it.
Nov 11, 2009
Pamela
rated it:
I began reading to see if it belonged in a K-8 parochial school library. It doesn't. I got involved in the story and continue to read. The writing isn't great, but it's easily readable and as I said, the story carries it.
I'm surprised I enjoyed it so much.
I'm surprised I enjoyed it so much.
May 02, 2009
Pamela
rated it:
Interesting but fictional account, of course, about a little known Irish woman.
Mar 01, 2009
Jason
rated it:
The first thing I should mention about The Pirate Queen: The Story of Grace O’Malley, Irish Pirate by Alan Gold, is that it is a fictional piece. However, please be aware that the books language is not for the fainted hearted. The strong language was a major turn off for me. The other warning I will give, is the book sometimes reads more like a romance novel than anything else. All in all, I would say that you should read this book, if you are at all interested in female pirates. I did enjo
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Mar 16, 2009
Miranda
rated it: 
I was disappointed because I had high hopes for this book. It had two historical figures, females, Queen Elizabeth and Grace O'Malley. Unfortunately I wasn't impressed with the characterization as it seemed inconsistent and incomplete.
The dialogue was good in parts and weak in others, and while Mr. Gold did a good job of switching between the points of views of the vastly different main characters, I felt he had made Grace unbelieveable as she was too perfect.
The dialogue was good in parts and weak in others, and while Mr. Gold did a good job of switching between the points of views of the vastly different main characters, I felt he had made Grace unbelieveable as she was too perfect.
Jan 31, 2008
Mandy
rated it:
Grace O'Malley is an interesting character and it was fun to learn more about her in this well written book. However, I did not enjoy all of the sexual references and swear words throughout the book.
Oct 07, 2008
Christina
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As awful as the cover art & title are I really enjoyed this book. I have read other books on Elizabeth I, in this book, I enjoyed the perspective of an Irish character, Grace.
Sep 23, 2007
Toni
rated it:
Smooth reading, intriguing story line. Base on a real pirate, but the story is more fantasy than I think historical. I still enjoyed this book highly.
Jan 22, 2008
Tiffany
rated it:
I learned a lot about Grace O'Malley and lady pirates-its very well written, and it got me interested in pirates!
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