Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "grace-o-malley"

Summon the Queen by Jodi McIsaac

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Once a member of the paramilitary Provisional Irish Republican Army, Nora O’Reilly wishes she could go back and change the past. That way her brother might still live, rather than be caught up in the Troubles of Northern Ireland. She gets her wish with the help of Brigid, both an ancient goddess and a Catholic saint, after she dreams of a man calling out for help.

Cursed with eternal life, Fionn mac Cumhaill has wandered through time for centuries. Once a legendary warrior, he is now just a man, who lives with the agony of watching those he loves grow old and die while he remains forever young. The only way to break the curse is to free Ireland from her enemies – a task he’s attempted over and over again without success. Now Nora offers him hope that he might achieve this goal and, in the process, restore her brother to life and reunite with his loved ones who have passed.

But their first attempt during the Irish Civil War failed, and now they find themselves traveling back to 1592 to find the pirate queen Granuaile. But things never go quite according to plan, and they arrive five years too early and a long way from her home in County Mayo. They also “land” amidst the ruins of a church and a band of men, returning from a raid on the English. Nora shoots one rebel in a confrontation, but his partner recognizes Fionn as a friend and they are left alone to continue their arduous journey.

After a brief respite in Fionn’s home – the one in which his 16th century persona, Robert O’Hanlon, lived – they ride to Dublin to find a ship willing to take them to Galway. Gold assuages the sea captain’s qualms about putting to sea with a woman aboard. Just as Fionn and Nora kiss, Spanish pirates attack and he hastily disguises her as a man to protect her. After the pirates leave with their booty, the crew blames Nora for their bad luck. The only way to save herself is to keep the wounded captain from dying as Fionn and the crew try to reach Cork to repair the damaged ship.

Any hope of finding assistance there proves fruitless since the plague has struck the town. It’s a four-day ride to Galway, but Fionn and Nora have little choice. To remain is more dangerous than venturing through a burned-and-slashed countryside populated by desperate, starving people. Once they reach the city, Fionn goes to the docks to learn what he can about where Granuaile might be. But Galway is a dangerous place, and Nora’s innocent questions soon get her arrested. Sir Richard Bingham, the Governor of Connacht, believes her to be in league with Granuaile, his arch enemy, and Nora is imprisoned just as Granuaile is being taken to the gallows. Then Nora is whisked away to an Irish castle whose earl has been raised in the English court, and his methods of finding out the truth are far more subtle and dangerous than Bingham’s. Nora’s only hope is to escape, but how? Once free, how will she ever find Fionn so they can convince the distrusting clans to unite against their common enemy, the English?

Summon the Queen is the second book in Jodi McIsaac’s The Revolution series, and ’tis a grand tale indeed. Nora’s feistiness, determination, and caring heart make her a character readers easily connect with, although she has the annoying habit of often saying “ta” when answering questions. Deftly portrayed as a legendary-hero-turned-ordinary-man, Fionn is equally captivating and his reticence to form attachments that will only cause more heartache is a trait with which most of us can identify. Granuaile steps from the curtains of history to come to life and her exploits are dramatically portrayed, be it when she tells a story about her favorite son or risks everything to meet Queen Elizabeth herself. Whether depicting a starving woman or the banded corpse of a pirate on display as a warning to others, McIsaac vividly recreates sixteenth-century Ireland. Her skill at interweaving history with romance is reminiscent of Irish bards who mesmerized listeners with adventurous stories fraught with danger and intrigue, where each peril is more heart-stopping than the last.




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Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas by Laura Sook Duncombe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Men and victors have been the predominant recorders of events throughout history. Their opinions and societal norms color their objectivity. As a result, women and their participation in historical events are either omitted from these accounts or given short shrift. Or as Duncombe writes: “Pirates live outside the laws of man, but women pirates live outside the laws of nature.” (xi) This is a reality that she encountered time and again in her research for this book. A prime example of this is Grace O’Malley, one of the few names the general public readily recognizes. Although this Irish “pirate queen” was a major thorn in the side of the English and had a private meeting with her contemporary, Queen Elizabeth I, archival mention her is scant. It is the bards of Ireland who have kept her alive.

In this highly readable and interesting account, Duncombe collects the known women who dared to become pirates. Yet this book is far more than just a look at well-researched history; among the women here one finds fictional female rogues too. She shares what is known about these people, as well as what is missing about them. In the process she clearly identifies whether this information can be proven historically or if it’s just a myth. She asks thought-provoking questions along the way to stimulate readers’ curiosity and further discussion.

The women who are often discussed in pirate histories – including Queen Teuta of Illyria, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Cheng I Sao, and Grace O’Malley – are found in this collection. So are names that rarely see the light of day, such as Sayyida al-Hurra, Maria Cobham, Lai Choi, and Rachel Wall. Duncombe even mentions the suggestion that Bartholomew Roberts might have been a woman in disguise. Rather than use footnotes or end notes, she seamlessly weaves this information into her narrative, removing the need to search for this elsewhere and thus break its flow. Pirate Women also includes fictional pirates, such as Anne de Graaf, Jacquotte Delahaye, and Gunpowder Gertie. Duncombe provides an index and “To Find Out More” lists for general pirate and chapter-by-chapter subject resources. Most of the latter are secondary and tertiary sources, rather than primary documents.

What this book is not is strictly a history of women pirates. Duncombe tends to stray from that narrow theme, but with purpose, and she always returns to the original subject before moving on to the next pirate. Examples of this come when she discusses courtesans in ancient times, Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent’s marriage to one of his concubines, or binding women’s feet in China. Her use of a broad definition of piracy allows her to demonstrate the evolution of what constituteds piracy in different time periods. It also permits the inclusion of women who have no direct connection to maritime piracy, such as Cheng Chui Ping, a snakehead (human trafficker).

The weakest chapter in this book is the last, “The Pirates of the Silver Screen.” Although several pirate films are discussed because they focus on fictional female pirates, Duncombe also examines Bonnie and Clyde and An Unmarried Woman – neither of which involves pirates. She concludes the chapter with a criticism on Hollywood’s portrayal of and treatment of women in film.

Pirate Women is a good introduction to female pirates and the eras in which they lived. As Duncombe says, “Pirate women deserve a spot next to their more famous male counterparts because yearning to escape the confines of an ordinary life and to live on one’s own terms is not an exclusively male feeling.” (228) Her purpose in writing this book is to inspire the next generation of women to strive to be innovators. But are pirates the best role model to achieve this goal?

There are several reasons, however, why Pirate Women is a valuable addition to the handful of books that deal exclusively with these females predators. Presented in chronological sequence from ancient times to the present, it is an extensive list that includes far more than any other volume. Earlier titles often focus on only a small sample or examine women associated with piracy, but who aren’t actually pirates themselves, during a specific time period. More importantly, Duncombe incorporates the society, culture, and historical events of the period in which each woman lives. This means she examines them as part of a whole, rather than a single aspect of their lives. Equally noteworthy is the inclusion of the people who have told each pirate’s story and how their motivations impacted their renderings of her.




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Nathan Fox: Seas of Blood by L Brittney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


At fifteen, Nathan Fox has led a most interesting and diverse life. Not only is he an actor in the same theatre company as William Shakespeare, but he’s also an agent in Sir Francis Walsingham’s Secret Service. Nor has he lived in a more fearful time. It’s 1588 and King Philip of Spain has vowed to send his great Armada against England. All of England is abuzz with rumors of the approaching invasion fleet, and everyone must defend queen and country to the bitter end. There is one chance to thwart Spain, but Walsingham has been unable to unlock the secret code that will reveal the identities of the Spanish agents who have infiltrated Queen Elizabeth’s court. Only one man, the astrologer who devised the code, can identify these infiltrators, but he has lost his mind after dabbling in alchemy and sorcery. It’s up to Nathan, his sister Marie, his partner John Pearce, an ex-soldier and expert swordsman, and Walsingham’s best cryptographer to unravel the code before it’s too late. To that end Nathan and the others sail to western Ireland where the pirate O’Malley may protect them from prying eyes and add the final touches in Nathan’s training before he and John embark on a dangerous assignment that could brand them as either traitors to the queen or English spies facing a Spanish executioner.

Aside from Grace O’Malley, readers meet several other people from history as Brittney skillfully brings to life the likes of Sir Francis Drake, Francis Walsingham, and Richard Bingham. Her fictional characters are equally well drawn and the humor and drama she weaves into her story’s tapestry compel readers to emotionally respond to what’s happening. She also provides vivid glimpses into the fear permeating England, the dangers of war and seafaring in the sixteenth century, and the deplorable conditions aboard the Spanish ships. While portions of the second part of Nathan’s mission seem slightly less plausible, she contrives these scenes with the same aplomb as the others, which lends them an air of credibility that a less-gifted writer would have difficulty achieving.

Seas of Blood is the third entry in the Nathan Fox series. Previous titles are Dangerous Times and Traitor’s Gold, but readers need not have read those stories to enjoy and understand this one. For those who want to know more about the history behind this tale, Iris Books also offers a companion book, Elizabethan World of Nathan Fox: Fact Book Three, which includes articles on Irish pirates, Grace O’Malley, English Sea Dogs, and much more.

The intended audience of this series is pirate apprentices – teens and young adults in landlubber speak – but this thrilling adventure rich in historical details will also appeal to older pirates. As Nathan himself thinks, “A mad magician; a secret code book; Ireland and pirates – who could want for more?” (33)




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Pirate Queen: The Legend of Grace O'Malley by Tony Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Strife is a byword during the time in which Grace O’Malley grows up. As a young girl, England ravages her homeland: ransacking churches, oppressing the people, and taking land from the Irish to give to Englishmen. But the O’Malleys are a proud clan and they are determined to fight for Ireland, which gains them enemies among the English.

Often away on sailing voyages, Grace’s father arranges for her to foster with a neighboring clan, the O’Flahertys. The idea doesn’t sit well with Grace, who would much rather follow in her father’s footsteps than do what is expected of girls. And she’s not about to live with Donal O’Flaherty, a young lad who always mocks her because she is a girl. Unbeknownst to her father, Grace stows away on his ship. Donal intercepts her, but rather than stop her, he gives her a gift in hopes that it will keep her safe. Another who turns a blind eye to her disobedience is Finn, her dad’s most trusted man.

One journey takes them to Scotland where an earl requests their assistance in getting five-year-old Mary Queen of Scots to safety. The English try to stop them – an encounter that brings Grace face-to-face with her future nemesis, a man named Bingham. He slays Finn, but Grace, her father, and the queen escape his clutches. Bingham’s wrath knows no bounds. As Grace matures and gains the moniker “Pirate Queen of Ireland,” he employs other Irishmen to assassinate her father and betray her. Bingham even tries to murder Grace with the help of someone within her own castle, but the murderer’s arrow strikes a man she rescued from a shipwreck. Grace is determined to unearth the traitor and exact revenge. Bingham is equally intent of stopping her no matter what it takes or who he must kill.

This graphic novel blends legend and fact to recount Grace’s life from her early years to her final days. It begins in 1546 and ends in 1603, the same year in which another famous queen dies. The story deftly portrays the “battle” between Grace and Bingham – a struggle that ultimately forces Grace to risk her own life to meet with Elizabeth I on that queen’s home turf. Also portrayed is the birth of Grace’s son while she is at sea and how she rallies her men during an attack. Here the pirates are English and in league with Bingham, but most historical accounts identify them as Barbary corsairs. The only time in the novel where the author asks readers to suspend belief is in her ability to control the weather.

Both author and illustrator do commendable jobs showing readers that Grace is a woman who looks at the big picture and knows her enemies well. Never once do they portray her as superhuman. Yes, she is successful, but her actions always have consequences, and sometimes those consequences endanger her loved ones. The artwork captures the action and the subdued colors fit the mood of the story. For readers who enjoy graphic novels or who want a quick recap of Grace’s life, Pirate Queen is a good introduction to this woman who dared to defy those who wished to stamp out a culture and whose story is remembered because the bards followed her example to keep her memory alive in spite of her enemies.




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Grace O'malley, Pirate Queen of Ireland by Stephanie Peters

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Daughter of a chieftain and pirate, Grace O’Malley chops off her hair and hides aboard her father’s ship until they are so far out at sea that he can’t tell her to go home. The day eventually comes when her mother puts her foot down and Grace must follow the traditional role of a woman in 16th-century Ireland. Later, she returns to the sea to become a pirate leader and dares to meet face-to-face with the English queen to save her son in Grace O’Malley.

Rather than farm the land, John Roberts joins the British Navy and seeks adventure. Later, he joins the crew of a merchant ship, which encounters pirates. He is forced to join their ranks, but soon discovers that the perks of plundering other ships will make his life richer. When his captain is ambushed and slain, the crew elects Roberts to be their commander. He chooses a new name and wreaks havoc everywhere he sails in Black Bart.

When England is at war with France, a youth named Edward Teach joins a crew of privateers, but when peace comes, he signs aboard a pirate ship captained by the infamous Benjamin Hornigold, who teaches Edward how to be a pirate. Before long, he becomes famous in his own right and earns a moniker that instills fear in anyone who crosses his path: Blackbeard.

To survive, young Ching Shih serves men who visit her place of work. She overhears men talking, and she offers the information to a pirate for a price. They marry and she becomes his partner. Their success garners them many riches and much power. When her husband dies, she finds a way to continue to lead the Red Fleet and to instill fear in the heart of the Chinese emperor in Ching Shih.

Notorious Pirates is a series of four graphic novels geared toward pirate apprentices. Each pirate’s life unfolds from earliest days to the end of his or her piratical career. Fact is entwined with legend, sometimes to fill in gaps, sometimes to further entice readers. Each book is divided into five chapters and includes additional facts about the pirate, a glossary, and several internet sites where additional information can be found. The text combines dialogue and narrative to provide a cohesive tale from start to finish. The artwork grabs the reader’s attention and the artists incorporate a variety of techniques to instill emotion into the scenes. Those found in Blackbeard are particularly good at portraying victims’ terror and Blackbeard’s fearsomeness. I particularly like how the artists of this book depict the final battle between Blackbeard and Lieutenant Maynard; it’s visually stunning without being bloody and gory. Equally compelling is how the artists depict a duel between a pirate and a sailor in Black Bart.

There are some issues with the books that may or may not bother readers. Unfortunately, the inclusion of websites is problematic. It’s great to provide additional information, but not all of the URLs are current. For example, the last one listed in Grace O’Malley – Twinkl: Who Was Grace O’Malley? – is no longer viable. I did a search to see whether the URL had changed, but the information that answers the question is no longer there. Instead “Grace O’Malley” turned up a variety of visuals and activities for use in the classroom.

While most of the artwork vividly depicts scenes and action, the graphics do have some shortcomings. The clothing in Grace O’Malley is that of a later period than the one in which she lives. Vessels of the 1500s do not have staircases – nor do those of Blackbeard’s days – and the types of cannons used on the ships differ from those of later centuries. The vessels Ching Shih and her pirates sail are junks, yet those pictured show them as being predominately Western-style ships. This detracts from the setting and misleads the reader.

There are also a few historical inaccuracies. One graphic perpetuates the myth of walking the plank. The golden age of piracy does not begin in 1701; it occurs after the War of the Spanish Succession ends in the next decade. This is supposedly why Blackbeard turns to piracy. While the depiction of how he meets Stede Bonnet is humorous, in actuality, Bonnet is gravely injured and on the mend at the time Blackbeard commandeers Bonnet’s ship.

Since this series is geared toward younger pirates in training (Reading Level: grades 2-3, Interest Level: 4-6), these books will be popular with this age group and the reinforced library bindings of the hardback editions guarantee they will stand up to frequent usage. They serve as good introductions to the pirates, and the inclusion of two females and two males ensures that the books will interest girls and boys equally. The stories do gloss over some of the seamier aspects of these pirates’ lives, so parents and teachers need not worry about this. I recommend that further investigations into these pirates be paired with these books so readers receive a fuller and more accurate picture of who Grace O’Malley, Blackbeard, Black Bart, and Ching Shih really were.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/YA-biograp...)



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