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The Unbinding of Mary Reade
A clever, romantic novel based on the true story of a girl who disguised herself as a boy to sail with the infamous pirates Anne Bonny and Calico Jack—and fell in love with Anne Bonny.
There’s no place for a girl in Mary’s world. Not in the home of her mum, desperately drunk and poor. Not in the household of her wealthy granny, where no girl can be named an heir. And certainly not in the arms of Nat, her childhood love who never knew her for who she was. As a sailor aboard a Caribbean merchant ship, Mary’s livelihood—and her safety—depends on her ability to disguise her gender.
At least, that’s what she thinks is true. But then pirates attack the ship, and in the midst of the gang of cutthroats, Mary spots something she never could have imagined: a girl pirate.
The sight of a girl standing unafraid upon the deck, gun and sword in hand, changes everything. In a split-second decision, Mary turns her gun on her own captain, earning herself the chance to join the account and become a pirate alongside Calico Jack and Anne Bonny.
For the first time, Mary has a shot at freedom. But imagining living as her true self is easier, it seems, than actually doing it. And when Mary finds herself falling for the captain’s mistress, she risks everything—her childhood love, her place among the crew, and even her life.
Breathlessly romantic and brilliantly subversive, The Unbinding of Mary Reade is sure to sweep readers off their feet and make their hearts soar.
There’s no place for a girl in Mary’s world. Not in the home of her mum, desperately drunk and poor. Not in the household of her wealthy granny, where no girl can be named an heir. And certainly not in the arms of Nat, her childhood love who never knew her for who she was. As a sailor aboard a Caribbean merchant ship, Mary’s livelihood—and her safety—depends on her ability to disguise her gender.
At least, that’s what she thinks is true. But then pirates attack the ship, and in the midst of the gang of cutthroats, Mary spots something she never could have imagined: a girl pirate.
The sight of a girl standing unafraid upon the deck, gun and sword in hand, changes everything. In a split-second decision, Mary turns her gun on her own captain, earning herself the chance to join the account and become a pirate alongside Calico Jack and Anne Bonny.
For the first time, Mary has a shot at freedom. But imagining living as her true self is easier, it seems, than actually doing it. And when Mary finds herself falling for the captain’s mistress, she risks everything—her childhood love, her place among the crew, and even her life.
Breathlessly romantic and brilliantly subversive, The Unbinding of Mary Reade is sure to sweep readers off their feet and make their hearts soar.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 19, 2018
81 people are currently reading
3798 people want to read
About the author
Miriam McNamara
2 books39 followersMiriam McNamara was born in Ireland, raised in the Southern US, and is a new, proud resident of the Midwest. She has dressed up as some variation on pirate for Halloween more years than she has not—her favorite still being Rollerskating Pirate, circa 2003. She has an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, where The Unbinding of Mary Reade won the Norma Fox Mazer Award for a YA work-in-progress. She lives with her wife, two dogs and two cats in a cozy little house in Minneapolis, but she also calls Asheville, North Carolina home.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
March 3, 2018
I was sent this book as an advanced copy by the publisher via NetGalley for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are my own.
3.5 stars
This book is perfect for those who are a lot into romance and not that much into action.
I personally love books with pirates in them, but I also admit that I’m not the biggest fan of action scenes and all of the things you would expect from a book where everyone is a pirate. So, this overall worked for me, but it won’t work for you if you’re going into it expecting a lot of pirate badassery. I would have certainly liked a little more of that but I didn’t mind it this way either.
⚓️ What I liked:
• Basically, all the “good” characters were bisexual or potentially bi.
• The two timelines showed the different struggles Mary faces,
• I really liked the romance taking place in the first timeline and the trope of “forbidden love”
• I think the MC had enough depth and was well rounded.
• The happy ending.
🛳️ Stuff I’m not sure what to think of:
• There’s a lot of bad stuff in here. Homophobia, transphobia, sexism, abuse, sexual assault. I didn’t really love reading about that, but I also understand why they were there. Historical realism and all that. But… I just can’t help but wonder whether all of that was necessary. I think there should be a way to keep it realistic and accurate while not focusing the major part of the book around those things.
• I also don’t know how trans and genderqueer people are going to feel about the whole forced crossdressing thing. I legit don’t know, so I’m adding this point here. I’ve always enjoyed stories where the main heroine had to fake being a man but I’m a cis person and while I do think that this book had some depth when it comes to both gender and sexuality, in a few cases I wondered how a not cis person would feel while reading this.
⚓️ What I didn’t like (some spoilers ahead):
• I found that there wasn’t actually that much romantic chemistry between Anne and Mary. Sexual, maybe, but I wasn’t 100% on board with the romance itself, and I didn’t like how Mary was shown to up to the very end still have feelings for Nat. It’s kind of dangerous territory for bi representation and while I wasn’t hurt by it because I understood Mary’s feelings, I can’t tell whether it won’t bother others.
• I felt like the last few chapters in the past were unnecessary. I don’t know if I’ve missed something, but I could have done without the story ending right where it began, since I don’t think this full-cycle thing added anything.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2018 and while it didn’t fully deliver I did enjoy reading it, and the main reason I did is because it used a lot of tropes that I’ve always enjoyed that kept me hooked to the page. If that sounds like something for you, you’ll probably enjoy it too, as long as you don’t expect too much action and are aware that the pirate theme is mostly in the background.
_____
I have this new rule that if someone learns about a wlw pirate book and doesn't tell me right away they're not my friend anymore
3.5 stars
This book is perfect for those who are a lot into romance and not that much into action.
I personally love books with pirates in them, but I also admit that I’m not the biggest fan of action scenes and all of the things you would expect from a book where everyone is a pirate. So, this overall worked for me, but it won’t work for you if you’re going into it expecting a lot of pirate badassery. I would have certainly liked a little more of that but I didn’t mind it this way either.
⚓️ What I liked:
• Basically, all the “good” characters were bisexual or potentially bi.
• The two timelines showed the different struggles Mary faces,
• I really liked the romance taking place in the first timeline and the trope of “forbidden love”
• I think the MC had enough depth and was well rounded.
• The happy ending.
🛳️ Stuff I’m not sure what to think of:
• There’s a lot of bad stuff in here. Homophobia, transphobia, sexism, abuse, sexual assault. I didn’t really love reading about that, but I also understand why they were there. Historical realism and all that. But… I just can’t help but wonder whether all of that was necessary. I think there should be a way to keep it realistic and accurate while not focusing the major part of the book around those things.
• I also don’t know how trans and genderqueer people are going to feel about the whole forced crossdressing thing. I legit don’t know, so I’m adding this point here. I’ve always enjoyed stories where the main heroine had to fake being a man but I’m a cis person and while I do think that this book had some depth when it comes to both gender and sexuality, in a few cases I wondered how a not cis person would feel while reading this.
⚓️ What I didn’t like (some spoilers ahead):
• I found that there wasn’t actually that much romantic chemistry between Anne and Mary. Sexual, maybe, but I wasn’t 100% on board with the romance itself, and I didn’t like how Mary was shown to up to the very end still have feelings for Nat. It’s kind of dangerous territory for bi representation and while I wasn’t hurt by it because I understood Mary’s feelings, I can’t tell whether it won’t bother others.
• I felt like the last few chapters in the past were unnecessary. I don’t know if I’ve missed something, but I could have done without the story ending right where it began, since I don’t think this full-cycle thing added anything.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2018 and while it didn’t fully deliver I did enjoy reading it, and the main reason I did is because it used a lot of tropes that I’ve always enjoyed that kept me hooked to the page. If that sounds like something for you, you’ll probably enjoy it too, as long as you don’t expect too much action and are aware that the pirate theme is mostly in the background.
_____
I have this new rule that if someone learns about a wlw pirate book and doesn't tell me right away they're not my friend anymore
March 16, 2020
The Unbinding of Mary Reade is a historical fiction standalone novel following Mary Reade, a girl who dresses as a boy to become a pirate, before and after she met Anne Bonny, a pirate girl Mary will fall in love with.
I didn’t have any strong feelings about this book. Nothing stood out to me, and the only thing I actually liked about it was the premise.
When I read a book about pirates, I hope to find interesting adventures and people exploring new places, not 300 pages of the main character trying to hide that she’s actually a girl.
This book was 90% homophobia and sexism, and while that’s not necessarily inaccurate, it made for a very boring read. I guess I just don’t like books in which the conflict is “the main character is a queer woman and people didn’t like queer women (or women in general) back then”.
The Unbinding of Mary Reade needs trigger warnings for: homophobia (there is a scene of people being executed for being queer), sexism (a lot of it), abusive relationships (Anne has an abusive husband), transphobia and sexual assault, because crossdressing plotlines always end with a scene of sexual assault (predictable).
For a book about pirates, it had very little action, and the action scenes were boring, but not as much as the chapters set in Mary’s past – I’m here for the pirates, not for her crush on a boy that isn’t going to end up with her anyway, as this is marketed as f/f pirates. The backstory wasn’t useless, but I didn’t need so many chapters of it. I did end up liking Mary and Anne as a couple, but there was a lot of miscommunication up until the last 10%.
When the good part starts – Anne and Mary are finally gay pirates together – the book ends. Because queer women can’t possibly have adventures that aren’t about them being queer women, even when they’re pirates.
Don't get me wrong, it's great that we're finally getting historical books about queer people, but this is just not the kind of story I'm interested in.
I didn’t have any strong feelings about this book. Nothing stood out to me, and the only thing I actually liked about it was the premise.
When I read a book about pirates, I hope to find interesting adventures and people exploring new places, not 300 pages of the main character trying to hide that she’s actually a girl.
This book was 90% homophobia and sexism, and while that’s not necessarily inaccurate, it made for a very boring read. I guess I just don’t like books in which the conflict is “the main character is a queer woman and people didn’t like queer women (or women in general) back then”.
The Unbinding of Mary Reade needs trigger warnings for: homophobia (there is a scene of people being executed for being queer), sexism (a lot of it), abusive relationships (Anne has an abusive husband), transphobia and sexual assault, because crossdressing plotlines always end with a scene of sexual assault (predictable).
For a book about pirates, it had very little action, and the action scenes were boring, but not as much as the chapters set in Mary’s past – I’m here for the pirates, not for her crush on a boy that isn’t going to end up with her anyway, as this is marketed as f/f pirates. The backstory wasn’t useless, but I didn’t need so many chapters of it. I did end up liking Mary and Anne as a couple, but there was a lot of miscommunication up until the last 10%.
When the good part starts – Anne and Mary are finally gay pirates together – the book ends. Because queer women can’t possibly have adventures that aren’t about them being queer women, even when they’re pirates.
Don't get me wrong, it's great that we're finally getting historical books about queer people, but this is just not the kind of story I'm interested in.
June 6, 2018
The Unbinding of Mary Reade is an early 18th century tale that features a young woman experiencing her sexual awakening and struggling with her identity. Mary Reade has long masqueraded as her deceased brother, Mark. First, as a way in which she can sustain a living for her and mother, then as a way to inherit her rich grandmother's fortune, and finally to take to the high seas where eventually she meets up with pirates.
As the chapters switch back and forth between 1717 and 1719-1720, this story seems to be bent more on social norms; specifically how women are treated, sexual identity, and Mary's conflicted feelings for her childhood friend, Nat, and the pirate Anne Bonny. So, if you're looking for a swashbuckling tale, you won't find it here. It's a lot of angsty feelings for Mary, who has a deep feeling that she's never quite fit into the feminine world. Throughout the book, disguised as Mark, her "strange ways" direct Mary to much scrutiny and judgement and this gets even worse when she is discovered. Spoiler alert, acceptance is not part of 1700's vocabulary either.
Both Mary's "love interests " Nat and Anne are both fairly selfish and I saw zero chemistry between them and our gal. Sexual Frustration-yes! Great love- Nope! They both used Mary/Mark for their own needs and I am quibbling about whether or not I can really accept the ending this book provided. This is most defintely a 3.0 stars for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.
As the chapters switch back and forth between 1717 and 1719-1720, this story seems to be bent more on social norms; specifically how women are treated, sexual identity, and Mary's conflicted feelings for her childhood friend, Nat, and the pirate Anne Bonny. So, if you're looking for a swashbuckling tale, you won't find it here. It's a lot of angsty feelings for Mary, who has a deep feeling that she's never quite fit into the feminine world. Throughout the book, disguised as Mark, her "strange ways" direct Mary to much scrutiny and judgement and this gets even worse when she is discovered. Spoiler alert, acceptance is not part of 1700's vocabulary either.
Both Mary's "love interests " Nat and Anne are both fairly selfish and I saw zero chemistry between them and our gal. Sexual Frustration-yes! Great love- Nope! They both used Mary/Mark for their own needs and I am quibbling about whether or not I can really accept the ending this book provided. This is most defintely a 3.0 stars for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2018
i received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
oh boy, i've been waiting for this book for like 5 months!! i was so excited!! i mean, come on, it doesn't get better than gay pirates. it can get worse, tho.
if u've ever read even one sapphic book abt pirates - especially if it was published a few years ago - u know this very particular feel they have. it's kind of hard to describe in a single word but it pretty much boils down to choppy, rushed writing, making sure everything is properly gritty & bloody and putting in sex scenes straight from a harlequin. the unbinding of mary reade gives off that exact vibe from the very first page.
so i was wary of this right from the start. unfortunately. but then we finally meet anne bonny!! if we can call her that... listen, the anne we see here? she runs around the ship in a dress with laces, claps her hands & laughs when she's excited abt something, specifically asks for romantic stories bc she apparently loves hearing them, drapes herself all over jack for the whole crew to see... i know black sails isn't exactly the holy bible of characterization of real ppl but at the same time - this anne is literally the polar opposite of what we saw on the show. it's so hard to take seriously the image of anne this book is trying to conjure, i rly had to give up on it. (maybe it would be easier if the writing was Great but it's barely mediocre)
and one last thing bc it's so absurd i can't not talk abt it. the narrative is in the present & in flashbacks and we get a chapter of each intertwined for the whole book. now the thing is, they rly used a whole different font for the flashbacks... i guess in case we forgot what it is we're reading? thanks for that vote of confidence.
oh boy, i've been waiting for this book for like 5 months!! i was so excited!! i mean, come on, it doesn't get better than gay pirates. it can get worse, tho.
if u've ever read even one sapphic book abt pirates - especially if it was published a few years ago - u know this very particular feel they have. it's kind of hard to describe in a single word but it pretty much boils down to choppy, rushed writing, making sure everything is properly gritty & bloody and putting in sex scenes straight from a harlequin. the unbinding of mary reade gives off that exact vibe from the very first page.
so i was wary of this right from the start. unfortunately. but then we finally meet anne bonny!! if we can call her that... listen, the anne we see here? she runs around the ship in a dress with laces, claps her hands & laughs when she's excited abt something, specifically asks for romantic stories bc she apparently loves hearing them, drapes herself all over jack for the whole crew to see... i know black sails isn't exactly the holy bible of characterization of real ppl but at the same time - this anne is literally the polar opposite of what we saw on the show. it's so hard to take seriously the image of anne this book is trying to conjure, i rly had to give up on it. (maybe it would be easier if the writing was Great but it's barely mediocre)
and one last thing bc it's so absurd i can't not talk abt it. the narrative is in the present & in flashbacks and we get a chapter of each intertwined for the whole book. now the thing is, they rly used a whole different font for the flashbacks... i guess in case we forgot what it is we're reading? thanks for that vote of confidence.
Want to read
July 12, 2017*collects all the queer lady pirates under my wing* daughters of whom I am most proud
December 7, 2018
♦
Video Review
♦
You might know that I absolutely love pirates and f/f romance. Both together is even better, so I was incredibly excited when I first heard about this book and I've been anticipating and shouting about it ever since.
When I first heard of some of the bad reviews, I adjusted my expectations but this ended up being even more of a trash fire than I could've believed possible.
Now I am not someone who criticises pirate books very harshly. I don't mind if there's not a lot of actual piratey stuff because I just really like the setting. So I didn't mind that this wasn't very full of actual pirate action but the thing is, normally there's some other good redeeming quality about it? Like there's some other interesting storyline that keeps me going or a good romance. Whatever. I DON'T CARE, give me something. This did nothing for me. I mean they barely spend any time on a ship so it didn't even have the setting that I love. And if there was an actual action scene it was never fully fleshed out and kinda faded into black.
I sadly don't think there was much chemistry between Mary and Anne. Throughout the whole book I was hoping something would change but while I found the physical attraction between the two believable, I don't think there was any romantic tension whatsoever. Especially looking at the ending, it just didn't seem believable. I'm glad this ended the way it did (boi would I have thrown my Kindle out the window if it had been different) but only because I wanted the happy gay ending, not because I actually thought this was a good romantic storyline.
I don't think the switches between the timelines helped much with my enjoyment either. A lot of the times it would take me out of the action. And while I liked some of the interactions Mary had with Nat (it was the more believable romance to be honest), I just always wanted to go back to the "current" storyline.
But especially in the last bit, it was so unnecessary. I get what the author was going for and the idea was nice but it didn't really do much for me. At that point I just wanted the book to be over.
In the first half or so I read this and just felt bored. I didn't have any emotional connection and couldn't give two fucks about what happened to the characters. But for a long time it was still a 3 star read for me because while boring and not well executed, I didn't really have any other issues with it.
But at one point I just couldn't take the repeated homophobia and (threatened) sexual assault and all that shit. I just got so fucking mad about it. And ugh, I know, I guess I should've expected it because it's Historical Fiction but can't a queer woman haves some hopes and dreams? I don't mind SOME problematic elements for historical accuracy (that's a whole nother discussion anyway) but so many bad things would happen R E P E A T E D L Y, so much that at one point the novel basically consisted of nothing but these problematic elements and it made me sick. Literally. Like I'm not gonna lie, as a queer woman this was so fucking hard to read sometimes.
I'm also not sure how to feel about the representation of Mary's struggles with her gender. As a cis person I can't really say much about it but there some parts that felt super iffy to me. I'm sure some of Mary's thoughts could be relatable but there's scenes that I think are horrible to read about.
To be fair I should have DNFed it. I thought about it several times but my heart loves gay pirates so much, I thought I could get through this. In hindsight I can truthfully say I wish I had DNFed this. It definitely would've spared me some pain.
I can't recommend this. The problematic aspects are not worth it at all.
Content warnings for sexual assault, abuse, homophobia, sexism and transphobia.
♦ Booktube Channel ♦ Twitter ♦ Instagram ♦
I received an ARC of this through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
You might know that I absolutely love pirates and f/f romance. Both together is even better, so I was incredibly excited when I first heard about this book and I've been anticipating and shouting about it ever since.
When I first heard of some of the bad reviews, I adjusted my expectations but this ended up being even more of a trash fire than I could've believed possible.
Now I am not someone who criticises pirate books very harshly. I don't mind if there's not a lot of actual piratey stuff because I just really like the setting. So I didn't mind that this wasn't very full of actual pirate action but the thing is, normally there's some other good redeeming quality about it? Like there's some other interesting storyline that keeps me going or a good romance. Whatever. I DON'T CARE, give me something. This did nothing for me. I mean they barely spend any time on a ship so it didn't even have the setting that I love. And if there was an actual action scene it was never fully fleshed out and kinda faded into black.
I sadly don't think there was much chemistry between Mary and Anne. Throughout the whole book I was hoping something would change but while I found the physical attraction between the two believable, I don't think there was any romantic tension whatsoever. Especially looking at the ending, it just didn't seem believable. I'm glad this ended the way it did (boi would I have thrown my Kindle out the window if it had been different) but only because I wanted the happy gay ending, not because I actually thought this was a good romantic storyline.
I don't think the switches between the timelines helped much with my enjoyment either. A lot of the times it would take me out of the action. And while I liked some of the interactions Mary had with Nat (it was the more believable romance to be honest), I just always wanted to go back to the "current" storyline.
But especially in the last bit, it was so unnecessary. I get what the author was going for and the idea was nice but it didn't really do much for me. At that point I just wanted the book to be over.
In the first half or so I read this and just felt bored. I didn't have any emotional connection and couldn't give two fucks about what happened to the characters. But for a long time it was still a 3 star read for me because while boring and not well executed, I didn't really have any other issues with it.
But at one point I just couldn't take the repeated homophobia and (threatened) sexual assault and all that shit. I just got so fucking mad about it. And ugh, I know, I guess I should've expected it because it's Historical Fiction but can't a queer woman haves some hopes and dreams? I don't mind SOME problematic elements for historical accuracy (that's a whole nother discussion anyway) but so many bad things would happen R E P E A T E D L Y, so much that at one point the novel basically consisted of nothing but these problematic elements and it made me sick. Literally. Like I'm not gonna lie, as a queer woman this was so fucking hard to read sometimes.
I'm also not sure how to feel about the representation of Mary's struggles with her gender. As a cis person I can't really say much about it but there some parts that felt super iffy to me. I'm sure some of Mary's thoughts could be relatable but there's scenes that I think are horrible to read about.
To be fair I should have DNFed it. I thought about it several times but my heart loves gay pirates so much, I thought I could get through this. In hindsight I can truthfully say I wish I had DNFed this. It definitely would've spared me some pain.
I can't recommend this. The problematic aspects are not worth it at all.
Content warnings for sexual assault, abuse, homophobia, sexism and transphobia.
♦ Booktube Channel ♦ Twitter ♦ Instagram ♦
I received an ARC of this through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 4, 2018
A copy of this novel was provided by Sky Pony Press for review via Edelweiss.
Expectations
1) Queer pirates!!!!
2) Queer pirates falling in love!!!
3) Gender discourse regarding the cross-dressing storyline!!
4) Pirating!
Reality
1) I suppose I’ll give The Unbinding of Mary Reade this one. This book was about a queer pirate girl, and also featured another queer pirate girl. I think this aspect was my favourite of the entire book. The fact that it was about queer pirates.
2) There were queer pirates falling in love in The Unbinding of Mary Reade. But did I ship them? Not necessarily. Their romance moved incredibly fast and I just didn’t like the love interest, Anne. She was supposed to be this badass pirate girl, but instead she came off more like a whiny teenage pirate girl. Which I guess is fine, since she is a teenager. But there was so much potential to her character and it was unused. Instead of being badass and fighting her way through life she just relied on her boyfriend to save her. Towards the end we see Anne taking the reins in her life and I wanted so much more of that. I wanted that steadfastness from the beginning.
Also, the whole premise of the story – and reason for Mary being at sea – is that she’s in love with her childhood best friend, Nat (who’s a guy). I was more invested in this love because it was actually shown. There were flashbacks, and how Mary felt about Nat was just more real. Which sucked because he was an asshole. I just wish that the romance between Mary and Anne had been as fleshed out and life-altering as Mary’s love for Nat was. Because then it would have been a ship that had me sailing 'til the end of time. Because sometimes we got flashes of epic love between Mary and Anne, and I would have loved that epicness to be there all the time.
3) This was the thing I wanted most out of The Unbinding of Mary Reade. There is a severe and glaring lack of gender discourse in books with cross-dressing characters in them. And I thought that this time it would be different. That because this is a queer book there might be some exploration and discussion. But all I can say on this front is: an attempt was made. There were a few passages where Mary thought about who she was, but it was all about how she’d “grown up” and “lived” as a boy, so it was all very binary and there wasn’t any thought of if she was actually a boy because she felt like one. But alas, Mary was a girl because… she was one. And I know this book wasn’t going to be about a trans pirate but!! I still wanted more discourse around gender and I just didn’t get it.
4) WHERE WAS MY PIRATING? This book was severely lacking in any and all pirating. There was maybe one or two scenes where there was actual pirating happening. I wanted pirates, dammit! And it would have been great because the pirating that was in the book was detailed and action-y and not toned down like it usually is. However, in the end I got a book that was predominantly romance focussed where I signed up for a badass pirate story.
© 2018, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.
trigger warning: attempted rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, reference to child abuse, alcoholic parent, multiple murders, graphic violence, explosions, romantic cheating, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, queerphobia, death of friend (gunshot wound), reference to animal hunting, use of ableist language
Expectations
1) Queer pirates!!!!
2) Queer pirates falling in love!!!
3) Gender discourse regarding the cross-dressing storyline!!
4) Pirating!
Reality
1) I suppose I’ll give The Unbinding of Mary Reade this one. This book was about a queer pirate girl, and also featured another queer pirate girl. I think this aspect was my favourite of the entire book. The fact that it was about queer pirates.
2) There were queer pirates falling in love in The Unbinding of Mary Reade. But did I ship them? Not necessarily. Their romance moved incredibly fast and I just didn’t like the love interest, Anne. She was supposed to be this badass pirate girl, but instead she came off more like a whiny teenage pirate girl. Which I guess is fine, since she is a teenager. But there was so much potential to her character and it was unused. Instead of being badass and fighting her way through life she just relied on her boyfriend to save her. Towards the end we see Anne taking the reins in her life and I wanted so much more of that. I wanted that steadfastness from the beginning.
Also, the whole premise of the story – and reason for Mary being at sea – is that she’s in love with her childhood best friend, Nat (who’s a guy). I was more invested in this love because it was actually shown. There were flashbacks, and how Mary felt about Nat was just more real. Which sucked because he was an asshole. I just wish that the romance between Mary and Anne had been as fleshed out and life-altering as Mary’s love for Nat was. Because then it would have been a ship that had me sailing 'til the end of time. Because sometimes we got flashes of epic love between Mary and Anne, and I would have loved that epicness to be there all the time.
3) This was the thing I wanted most out of The Unbinding of Mary Reade. There is a severe and glaring lack of gender discourse in books with cross-dressing characters in them. And I thought that this time it would be different. That because this is a queer book there might be some exploration and discussion. But all I can say on this front is: an attempt was made. There were a few passages where Mary thought about who she was, but it was all about how she’d “grown up” and “lived” as a boy, so it was all very binary and there wasn’t any thought of if she was actually a boy because she felt like one. But alas, Mary was a girl because… she was one. And I know this book wasn’t going to be about a trans pirate but!! I still wanted more discourse around gender and I just didn’t get it.
4) WHERE WAS MY PIRATING? This book was severely lacking in any and all pirating. There was maybe one or two scenes where there was actual pirating happening. I wanted pirates, dammit! And it would have been great because the pirating that was in the book was detailed and action-y and not toned down like it usually is. However, in the end I got a book that was predominantly romance focussed where I signed up for a badass pirate story.
© 2018, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.
trigger warning: attempted rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, reference to child abuse, alcoholic parent, multiple murders, graphic violence, explosions, romantic cheating, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, queerphobia, death of friend (gunshot wound), reference to animal hunting, use of ableist language
i-am-a-quitter
March 16, 2018Well, I tried. I got through the first 8% of the book before saying goodbye to it. It's been so long since a book bored me like this one did--and to think, it's supposedly a kick-ass pirate book.
The writing was bland, the main character had a weird, confusing personality, and I couldn't tell the difference between any of the side characters.
*I won't be rating this since I didn't get to my 30% DNF mark.
The writing was bland, the main character had a weird, confusing personality, and I couldn't tell the difference between any of the side characters.
*I won't be rating this since I didn't get to my 30% DNF mark.
Want to read
November 25, 2017IF THAT GIRL PIRATE/CAPTAIN'S MISTRESS IS NOT ANNE BONNY I WILL DIE
to be honest, i will most likely die even if it IS anne
October 4, 2021
This was in no way the wlw (or queer in general) kick-ass pirate adventure story I hoped for, nor was it the diverse historical fiction I love.
I've spent some time mulling how on earth an au/possible-universe queer pirate book didn't do it for me, and this is what I came up with. This isn't an-depth intellectual or a sociocultural examination of it (I'm so not the right person for that); this a dirty, unrefined super-spoilery, "let's English major this up" breakdown of my own reactions that would appall my alma matter.
[Spoilers, spoilers everywhere.]
I think it comes down to three things, none of which were appealing when combined for me. If maybe one of these three things had been different, I might've ended up liking or loving it. (I so wish it had been because I am still so in love with the idea of you, book. Only rating you two stars killed me a little.)
Thing #1: The plot falls into a consistent pattern, which is a repeated cycle of:
• Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Now, those aren't bad plot points, necessarily. I would've loved an adventure pirate book that touched on these. I would've loved a book that emphasized Mary exploring who she was with a side helping of the others! A steamy pirate romance book with a morally ambiguous Anne, even if Anne weren't necessarily likable, sounds cool! Considering the time period, I expected some mention or moments of danger Mary would likely be in for not fitting into gender norms or if she were caught posing as a man, because People.
But damn, the pattern in this was painful, because it felt like it was a constant pattern of threat to Mary because of gender issues (What will it be this time? Killed, raped, sent to prison, just plain killed?), with an unrewarding side of unhealthy romance and then just a dash of interesting identity issues repeated in various degrees with different levels of effectiveness. Even that might've been okay, if it weren't for #2.
Thing #2: The overall tone and how disproportionate the struggle/empowerment ratio was:
Before the 93% mark, however, it was a great deal of pain, cringing, and brief moments of "Well, maybe, Mary finally has the upper hand...? A little? Nope, not at all. Screwed again."
In most of these cases, that meant: maybe Mary will be killed or raped or thrown into prison or forced to live a miserable life in an emotional prison thanks to a dangerous society. In some of the cases, it meant that Anne was the one causing those circumstances (yet Mary was still like, "oh, I wish she wasn't so cute because all that pesky betrayal kind of dampens the mood.") or Anne was throwing a tantrum or just being plain mean.
Speaking of which, then we have Anne. We're introduced to her as this dynamic, striking Lady Pirate or Not Totally Masculine Pirate whose mere existence is a game-changer for Mary, as a beacon of hope! Then you discover that she's less "pirate" than she is "pirate's girlfriend on a pirate ship." Which, okay, disappointment, but life's complicated, right? She should be a very sympathetic character, who's trapped in this horrible predicament where the only weapon she sees herself as having is offering her sexuality to men, and the only way she'll ever be safe is to find and secure a man, even though it still keeps her in a vulnerable, subservient position. That could've been really interesting to explore. Instead, she comes off being... kind of cruel, shallow, and flat all at the same time?
The weird thing is that I love angst. I'm ridiculous about it. You can throw all sorts of obstacles at a character and I'm into it; I'm a huge fan of painful, uneasy stories without much reprieve. But I think having the plot pattern and this ratio combined, plus almost no actual pirating or adventure or Mary kicking ass otherwise in a pirate book, snuffed all the enjoyment out of the book. You're introduced to Mary/Mark, the "boy who shot the captain," and then nothing else happens to empower Mary until the very, very end. The few gains, minus Mary finding a job (which I did like), are mostly people having mercy on or saving Mary. (Plus, those are very minor gains.)
Then, at the end, you Mary running off with Anne and hoping that Anne doesn't end up betraying her or leaving her for something better or she's just using her, or they don't run into the same damn problems they did for the entire other 97% of the other book. So, you finally get "Mary the Potential Kick-Ass Pirate who loves herself no matter what gender she is or isn't, or will maybe, I hope, because this might not be the steadiest relationship to build one's life on?" and "Anne the Now Actual Pirate, maybe, hope she doesn't back out?" at the 97% mark. Woo-hoo?
Thing #3: There is no fail-safe.
Even with the first two things, I might've liked it with the right narrative voice, a rich setting, nuanced side characters, or the vivid details, but those were all nopes. Initially, I liked some of the side characters, but Jack just fizzled out, Paddy (who is maybe the only decent person in the whole thing) dies, the villains sucked, Nat turns out to be a douche to no one's surprise, and dude, everyone is an absolute ass to Bill. Like, seriously, maybe he's not the most sunshine sweet of people, but can no one stop and empathize for a minute that maybe the dude is concerned about being kidnapped against his will and enslaved into bondage again, and that's understandable? No one? Really?
As far as the pirating goes, I'd have to go back and look, but I think there were two barely described raids, they go to an island, they have some meetings, Jack and some others do some stuff off-page, they describe maintaining the ship (which I actually do like), and then they decide to take advantage of the pardon being offered, and that's it until Mary and Anne steal a ship at the end. So, you have this static plot and stale setting without any real motifs working. You could've had Mary posing as Mark, a worker at a shipyard or even a clerk at a dry goods store, and basically had the same book.
As far as narrative voice goes, I felt for Mary. I really did. But she wasn't a particularly captivating narrator and her voice didn't draw me in. Mostly, I wanted to sit Mary down for a long talk over some hot beverages and talk about life choices, especially in regards to cutting poisonous people like abusive mothers and manipulative or fair-weather love interests out of one's life.
Pros: Paddy (the only person I really liked throughout the book), some of the time jumps were good (which is something that doesn't always play well for me! So that's a good thing!), but, mostly... I still really love the concept and the fact that it was done.
Neutral/Possible Pro/Possible Con#1: I am a cisgender woman who identifies and passes as cisgender, so I don't feel comfortable in really judging any of this one way or another, but in regards to some of the gender thoughts and non-binary musings—some of Mary's thoughts, in general, were interesting and I think you could possibly identify Mary as genderqueer by today's standards (or go in that direction, at least). I do like the concept that what maybe started out as Mary's mother forcing her, then what turned into practicality, eventually became more about Mary's actual self to Mary. But it was such a shallow theme, and it wasn't explored much because of Anne's swishes.
Big Old Con with a Disclaimer: Also, as a cisgender woman who identifies and presents as cisgender, I don't feel comfortable judging how well everything was portrayed and the overall effect it might have on someone. With all the violence, danger, and sheer desolation associated with it for a good 97% of the book, I don't know how a transgender, non-cisgender, nonbinary, or genderqueer person, in particular, would feel about this book. I personally felt pretty damn crappy.
The Rest of the Cons: Um, well, if you've made it this far, I think you probably got the gist of it.
tl;dr: This was in no way the kick-ass queer pirate adventure story I hoped for, the diverse historical fiction I love, a steamy pirate romance, or an identity story with pirate adventuring on the side; it was boring and depressing, actually, and some things bothered me a lot. Someone else please take this general idea and run with it, though, please?
P.S. I originally reviewed this 3/9/18, but never posted it on here, and found it in my drafts folder. Whoops. Normally, I'd just dump it, but since it was close to the publishing date, I thought what the hell.
P.P.S. I'm still so happy that this is a thing. That sounds stupid, I know, but I love historical fiction, especially non-fantasy historical fiction, and it's so hard to find anything that isn't about cishet white heterosexual people and the same stories you've heard a million times before. I hope there are tons of writers out there busy at their keyboards, notebooks, typewriters, chalkboards, or whatever, getting busy writing realistic/non-fantasy historical fiction stories that are about the people who never are mentioned in any history books, because historical fiction needs it, both with YA and adult fiction.
P.P.S. I deleted my original pre-read and post-read commentary on this, because this is long AF. I also edited it once or twice for typos that I noticed.
I've spent some time mulling how on earth an au/possible-universe queer pirate book didn't do it for me, and this is what I came up with. This isn't an-depth intellectual or a sociocultural examination of it (I'm so not the right person for that); this a dirty, unrefined super-spoilery, "let's English major this up" breakdown of my own reactions that would appall my alma matter.
[Spoilers, spoilers everywhere.]
I think it comes down to three things, none of which were appealing when combined for me. If maybe one of these three things had been different, I might've ended up liking or loving it. (I so wish it had been because I am still so in love with the idea of you, book. Only rating you two stars killed me a little.)
Thing #1: The plot falls into a consistent pattern, which is a repeated cycle of:
• Mary is hiding her true identity—what horrible, scary (and likely violent) thing will happen when the truth comes out?
• Gee, Anne is so cute with her pretty hair and her cute swishes and how she's a "femme lady" pirate in the way that she—a female-identifying person wearing a dress—exists on a pirate ship while wearing a dress and a snazzy hat, but she is also a horrible person, who you probably shouldn't trust to watch your snacks when you go to the bathroom, let alone with a life-threatening secret or your feelings.
• Mary recognizes that Anne's basically not a great person, despite her cuteness and ability to pull off a dress and snazzy pirate hat, because Anne continues to do horrible thing after terrible thing, yet continues to be shocked when Anne does yet another horrible thing or terrible thing; Mary pursues Anne, anyway.
• Mary's been used, abused, and defined by others all her life. Who is Mary really: a woman, Mark, or someone in between?
• Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Now, those aren't bad plot points, necessarily. I would've loved an adventure pirate book that touched on these. I would've loved a book that emphasized Mary exploring who she was with a side helping of the others! A steamy pirate romance book with a morally ambiguous Anne, even if Anne weren't necessarily likable, sounds cool! Considering the time period, I expected some mention or moments of danger Mary would likely be in for not fitting into gender norms or if she were caught posing as a man, because People.
But damn, the pattern in this was painful, because it felt like it was a constant pattern of threat to Mary because of gender issues (What will it be this time? Killed, raped, sent to prison, just plain killed?), with an unrewarding side of unhealthy romance and then just a dash of interesting identity issues repeated in various degrees with different levels of effectiveness. Even that might've been okay, if it weren't for #2.
Thing #2: The overall tone and how disproportionate the struggle/empowerment ratio was:
I don't think I really had a solid "Oh, hell yeah, Mary!" moment until about the 93% mark (I literally went back and checked, because I marked it), and even then, I had reservations—it was more like a "Well, there you go, Mary... That's better, I guess?"
Before the 93% mark, however, it was a great deal of pain, cringing, and brief moments of "Well, maybe, Mary finally has the upper hand...? A little? Nope, not at all. Screwed again."
In most of these cases, that meant: maybe Mary will be killed or raped or thrown into prison or forced to live a miserable life in an emotional prison thanks to a dangerous society. In some of the cases, it meant that Anne was the one causing those circumstances (yet Mary was still like, "oh, I wish she wasn't so cute because all that pesky betrayal kind of dampens the mood.") or Anne was throwing a tantrum or just being plain mean.
Speaking of which, then we have Anne. We're introduced to her as this dynamic, striking Lady Pirate or Not Totally Masculine Pirate whose mere existence is a game-changer for Mary, as a beacon of hope! Then you discover that she's less "pirate" than she is "pirate's girlfriend on a pirate ship." Which, okay, disappointment, but life's complicated, right? She should be a very sympathetic character, who's trapped in this horrible predicament where the only weapon she sees herself as having is offering her sexuality to men, and the only way she'll ever be safe is to find and secure a man, even though it still keeps her in a vulnerable, subservient position. That could've been really interesting to explore. Instead, she comes off being... kind of cruel, shallow, and flat all at the same time?
The weird thing is that I love angst. I'm ridiculous about it. You can throw all sorts of obstacles at a character and I'm into it; I'm a huge fan of painful, uneasy stories without much reprieve. But I think having the plot pattern and this ratio combined, plus almost no actual pirating or adventure or Mary kicking ass otherwise in a pirate book, snuffed all the enjoyment out of the book. You're introduced to Mary/Mark, the "boy who shot the captain," and then nothing else happens to empower Mary until the very, very end. The few gains, minus Mary finding a job (which I did like), are mostly people having mercy on or saving Mary. (Plus, those are very minor gains.)
Then, at the end, you Mary running off with Anne and hoping that Anne doesn't end up betraying her or leaving her for something better or she's just using her, or they don't run into the same damn problems they did for the entire other 97% of the other book. So, you finally get "Mary the Potential Kick-Ass Pirate who loves herself no matter what gender she is or isn't, or will maybe, I hope, because this might not be the steadiest relationship to build one's life on?" and "Anne the Now Actual Pirate, maybe, hope she doesn't back out?" at the 97% mark. Woo-hoo?
Thing #3: There is no fail-safe.
Even with the first two things, I might've liked it with the right narrative voice, a rich setting, nuanced side characters, or the vivid details, but those were all nopes. Initially, I liked some of the side characters, but Jack just fizzled out, Paddy (who is maybe the only decent person in the whole thing) dies, the villains sucked, Nat turns out to be a douche to no one's surprise, and dude, everyone is an absolute ass to Bill. Like, seriously, maybe he's not the most sunshine sweet of people, but can no one stop and empathize for a minute that maybe the dude is concerned about being kidnapped against his will and enslaved into bondage again, and that's understandable? No one? Really?
As far as the pirating goes, I'd have to go back and look, but I think there were two barely described raids, they go to an island, they have some meetings, Jack and some others do some stuff off-page, they describe maintaining the ship (which I actually do like), and then they decide to take advantage of the pardon being offered, and that's it until Mary and Anne steal a ship at the end. So, you have this static plot and stale setting without any real motifs working. You could've had Mary posing as Mark, a worker at a shipyard or even a clerk at a dry goods store, and basically had the same book.
As far as narrative voice goes, I felt for Mary. I really did. But she wasn't a particularly captivating narrator and her voice didn't draw me in. Mostly, I wanted to sit Mary down for a long talk over some hot beverages and talk about life choices, especially in regards to cutting poisonous people like abusive mothers and manipulative or fair-weather love interests out of one's life.
Pros: Paddy (the only person I really liked throughout the book), some of the time jumps were good (which is something that doesn't always play well for me! So that's a good thing!), but, mostly... I still really love the concept and the fact that it was done.
Neutral/Possible Pro/Possible Con#1: I am a cisgender woman who identifies and passes as cisgender, so I don't feel comfortable in really judging any of this one way or another, but in regards to some of the gender thoughts and non-binary musings—some of Mary's thoughts, in general, were interesting and I think you could possibly identify Mary as genderqueer by today's standards (or go in that direction, at least). I do like the concept that what maybe started out as Mary's mother forcing her, then what turned into practicality, eventually became more about Mary's actual self to Mary. But it was such a shallow theme, and it wasn't explored much because of Anne's swishes.
Big Old Con with a Disclaimer: Also, as a cisgender woman who identifies and presents as cisgender, I don't feel comfortable judging how well everything was portrayed and the overall effect it might have on someone. With all the violence, danger, and sheer desolation associated with it for a good 97% of the book, I don't know how a transgender, non-cisgender, nonbinary, or genderqueer person, in particular, would feel about this book. I personally felt pretty damn crappy.
The Rest of the Cons: Um, well, if you've made it this far, I think you probably got the gist of it.
tl;dr: This was in no way the kick-ass queer pirate adventure story I hoped for, the diverse historical fiction I love, a steamy pirate romance, or an identity story with pirate adventuring on the side; it was boring and depressing, actually, and some things bothered me a lot. Someone else please take this general idea and run with it, though, please?
P.S. I originally reviewed this 3/9/18, but never posted it on here, and found it in my drafts folder. Whoops. Normally, I'd just dump it, but since it was close to the publishing date, I thought what the hell.
P.P.S. I'm still so happy that this is a thing. That sounds stupid, I know, but I love historical fiction, especially non-fantasy historical fiction, and it's so hard to find anything that isn't about cishet white heterosexual people and the same stories you've heard a million times before. I hope there are tons of writers out there busy at their keyboards, notebooks, typewriters, chalkboards, or whatever, getting busy writing realistic/non-fantasy historical fiction stories that are about the people who never are mentioned in any history books, because historical fiction needs it, both with YA and adult fiction.
P.P.S. I deleted my original pre-read and post-read commentary on this, because this is long AF. I also edited it once or twice for typos that I noticed.
January 2, 2019
I want more books like this.
I want more pirates. I want more ships. I want more ocean.
But most importantly I want more exploration of gender and sexuality!!
I will not say this book is without flaw, but I will say I think McNamara went about the harder topics of homophobia and sexism in a way that would be true to the time (the 1700's), AS WELL AS gave our main character so much strength that the message of that prejudice being okay would ever come home with the reader.
The element of self discovery and self exploration was probably my favorite part of the book. Our main character has my entire heart and being with her as she is learning about her mind and her body and how they coexist was really interesting. I will critique that she came into herself quite suddenly, but I personally like having that aspect of a story that has been building with momentum and then all the sudden there is this moment where fireworks go off and doves fly and everything is climactic and almost theatrical in a way. I like how Captain Kirk survives off dumb luck. I like it when I love a character so much I follow them blindly. Even when they are impulsive or dramatic I want to be with them during the crescendo of words painting their journey and making me CRY!!
I will admit I am sick of having to watch and read about women clawing at any scrap of power and I wish that it was more common in fiction to write about worlds of equality, but the way I see it is that I read for two reasons: 1. to learn and 2. to see myself, my friends, and the strangers I see walking beside me in my real life on the pages.
I can step back and realize this is historical fiction about two women who lived this life and I can feel hopeful for their ending. But more importantly I can feel happiness in knowing that someone who is struggling with their gender/sexual identity is going to come across this book, and see so much of themselves in the story.
I like to believe that more stories like this will lead to more stories with more diversity and more unquestionably equal societies instead of the ones we live in today or our ancestors have endured in the past.
I loved this book for a lot of reasons. It tugged at my heart, it made me cry, it made me fist pump in moments of victory,and by GODDESS I fell in love with Mary. Absolutely fell in love. I could have read this in one sitting if It wasn't so terrible to my emotions and I was put off about crying in front of my new roommate.
I will state this is heavily a romance, fueled by characters who are realistic, and also a dream, and sometimes a nightmare. I loved the way it was written. I (yes I) felt beautiful, like I was bobbing in the ocean, sitting on a mast, entangled with the ropes around me, smelling the sea, and hearing sounds I haven't heard in years. But I am a sucker for ship settings. I love the language and the life. I always wish for more of it, but the story captured me so much and the description had me there in my mind so vividly that I was content.
I just want anyone to be talking about this story. i could dissect it and discuss it for days. There are so many scenes and so many quotes that I will have with me now forever.
I want books like this, and I want more books better than it, because reading about Mary was an experience I will never forget and I want MORE!!
I want more pirates. I want more ships. I want more ocean.
But most importantly I want more exploration of gender and sexuality!!
I will not say this book is without flaw, but I will say I think McNamara went about the harder topics of homophobia and sexism in a way that would be true to the time (the 1700's), AS WELL AS gave our main character so much strength that the message of that prejudice being okay would ever come home with the reader.
The element of self discovery and self exploration was probably my favorite part of the book. Our main character has my entire heart and being with her as she is learning about her mind and her body and how they coexist was really interesting. I will critique that she came into herself quite suddenly, but I personally like having that aspect of a story that has been building with momentum and then all the sudden there is this moment where fireworks go off and doves fly and everything is climactic and almost theatrical in a way. I like how Captain Kirk survives off dumb luck. I like it when I love a character so much I follow them blindly. Even when they are impulsive or dramatic I want to be with them during the crescendo of words painting their journey and making me CRY!!
I will admit I am sick of having to watch and read about women clawing at any scrap of power and I wish that it was more common in fiction to write about worlds of equality, but the way I see it is that I read for two reasons: 1. to learn and 2. to see myself, my friends, and the strangers I see walking beside me in my real life on the pages.
I can step back and realize this is historical fiction about two women who lived this life and I can feel hopeful for their ending. But more importantly I can feel happiness in knowing that someone who is struggling with their gender/sexual identity is going to come across this book, and see so much of themselves in the story.
I like to believe that more stories like this will lead to more stories with more diversity and more unquestionably equal societies instead of the ones we live in today or our ancestors have endured in the past.
I loved this book for a lot of reasons. It tugged at my heart, it made me cry, it made me fist pump in moments of victory,and by GODDESS I fell in love with Mary. Absolutely fell in love. I could have read this in one sitting if It wasn't so terrible to my emotions and I was put off about crying in front of my new roommate.
I will state this is heavily a romance, fueled by characters who are realistic, and also a dream, and sometimes a nightmare. I loved the way it was written. I (yes I) felt beautiful, like I was bobbing in the ocean, sitting on a mast, entangled with the ropes around me, smelling the sea, and hearing sounds I haven't heard in years. But I am a sucker for ship settings. I love the language and the life. I always wish for more of it, but the story captured me so much and the description had me there in my mind so vividly that I was content.
I just want anyone to be talking about this story. i could dissect it and discuss it for days. There are so many scenes and so many quotes that I will have with me now forever.
I want books like this, and I want more books better than it, because reading about Mary was an experience I will never forget and I want MORE!!
unread-netgalley
February 17, 2018Aaaah. I was so looking forward to getting this in March but it's been pushed back to June. A pirate book with girl pirates and wlw and a bisexual character and I can't waiiiit. I am so here for this. I rarely ever pre-order but i'm going to have to make an exception for this book if I can! I NEED IT. I just saw it on Netgalley but i'm resisting because I know i'll get it either way once it comes out. Just figured i'd let y'all know it's on Netgalley :)
Edit: Screw what I said. I realized it's "read now" you don't even need to request it and I lost all self control. If you want to read it GO
Edit: Screw what I said. I realized it's "read now" you don't even need to request it and I lost all self control. If you want to read it GO
April 3, 2018
Gah...my heart is so freaking full after finishing this book!!! I went into it expecting a story telling the tale of a girl who wasn’t quite sure who she was, and that’s exactly what I got! I also got some epic pirate scenes, some forbidden romance, and an ending that put a ginormous smile on my face! There were definitely some tough scenes (it is set in the 1700s after all), but they just made the story more real for me! I loved the characters, and I loved seeing Mary’s character evolve!
If you’re looking for a great LGBTQ story and you also love pirates, you’ll love this one! Just don’t go into it expecting all pirates, all the time. :D
If you’re looking for a great LGBTQ story and you also love pirates, you’ll love this one! Just don’t go into it expecting all pirates, all the time. :D
March 7, 2023
I LOVED THIS!!! HOLY SHIT!!!! QUEER PIRATES!!! the mc's genderqueerness being described in a 1700s lens was really fucking cool. i wish it were longer, so we could get to know the characters a bit more but I LOVED IT!!! GO READ IT!!!!
4.75🌟
4.75🌟
May 30, 2018
This is a wonderful story about self-discovery and self-acceptance all rolled into an historical pirate story!
August 11, 2018
First let me thank Netgalley, Miriam McNamara and Sky Pony Press for this ARC ebook.
I was entranced by the idea, championing the LGBTQ romance, fell in love with the cover, and was ready to fall in love with this book. The problem was I didn't fall in love, I didn't even come to like it till I got towards the end and by then my crush on "The Unbinding Of Mary Reade" was no more.
McNamara had a great idea in taking the real-life Mary Reade and Anne Bonny and writing a book about them which is why I read this but I didn't get a pirate fantasy that would take the reader from meet-cute to sailing, fighting against the social system, and pirating the high seas and that is regrettable because I would have more than likely loved it.
What I did get from McNamara was a lukewarm set of characters that just didn't feel like they fit into the roles. Her Anne Bonny came across as petulant selfish, and childish child-woman while the side characters were bland.
Although I saw the need to introduce Mary in flashbacks as she pulls off the transition to Mark and becoming a sailor, the flashbacks as they were presented became less interesting to me as I read further especially in terms of her love for Nat as Mary and Anne as Mark.
I understood Mary's confusion, loving two people as she herself was also two people and uncomfortable in both skins. McNamara wrote that confusion very well and I was fine to have her walking that fine line because the "romance" unfortunately felt forced on both sides and I despised both Nat and Anne because they both ended up using Reade for their own needs just as much as I despised Reade for allowing it.
For a book about pirates, I hate to admit that there is very little action or actual pirating written and it lead for a longer read than I normally would have liked. In addition, my lack of reading was also dampened by the back and forth chapters as McNamara would switch time periods from chapter to chapter and in some cases lose whatever steam to excitement there might have been.
I do want to reiterate that I loved the premise of this idea as it's a good one based one two real-life female pirates and I'm a fan of wanting more female-driven women fighting against stereotypes but this wasn't that.
I was entranced by the idea, championing the LGBTQ romance, fell in love with the cover, and was ready to fall in love with this book. The problem was I didn't fall in love, I didn't even come to like it till I got towards the end and by then my crush on "The Unbinding Of Mary Reade" was no more.
McNamara had a great idea in taking the real-life Mary Reade and Anne Bonny and writing a book about them which is why I read this but I didn't get a pirate fantasy that would take the reader from meet-cute to sailing, fighting against the social system, and pirating the high seas and that is regrettable because I would have more than likely loved it.
What I did get from McNamara was a lukewarm set of characters that just didn't feel like they fit into the roles. Her Anne Bonny came across as petulant selfish, and childish child-woman while the side characters were bland.
Although I saw the need to introduce Mary in flashbacks as she pulls off the transition to Mark and becoming a sailor, the flashbacks as they were presented became less interesting to me as I read further especially in terms of her love for Nat as Mary and Anne as Mark.
I understood Mary's confusion, loving two people as she herself was also two people and uncomfortable in both skins. McNamara wrote that confusion very well and I was fine to have her walking that fine line because the "romance" unfortunately felt forced on both sides and I despised both Nat and Anne because they both ended up using Reade for their own needs just as much as I despised Reade for allowing it.
For a book about pirates, I hate to admit that there is very little action or actual pirating written and it lead for a longer read than I normally would have liked. In addition, my lack of reading was also dampened by the back and forth chapters as McNamara would switch time periods from chapter to chapter and in some cases lose whatever steam to excitement there might have been.
I do want to reiterate that I loved the premise of this idea as it's a good one based one two real-life female pirates and I'm a fan of wanting more female-driven women fighting against stereotypes but this wasn't that.
June 11, 2018
I have a thing for pirates. Ever since Jack Sparrow, I am simply sold on any pirate-related movie, series or book. So, of course, I needed to read The Unbinding of Mary Reade but... Yeah...
I honestly liked the writing style of Miriam McNamara. It was descriptive and really gave me the vibe you need to pull of a historical fiction novel like this one - especially one with pirates. It also read ridiculously fluently!
Of course, the f/f romance was a huge plus. I love anything LGBTQIA+ and I... quite... liked seeing Lucie and Anne Bonny's relationship develop.
But...
First of all, I got annoyed by Anne. Why? The Anne Bonny I know, is the mysterious, bad-ass one Black Sails gave us in their show. Not a woman in dresses who loves all things romance and needs men to solve her shit. It messed with my brain. It got on my nerves.
I realize I should've kept the two Anne's separate but it just wouldn't work?!
As for Nat, I simply wanted to know more. Him and Lucie hadn't been in contact for a while and they don't even feel the need to properly catch up with each other in the slightest. Like. What kind of friend is like that?
Apart from that, I also felt like the characters fell extremely flat. It was a cute story - sure - but there wasn't really any development other than Mary's journey towards accepting herself. That's it.
I didn't even feel like there was a focus on anything other than the romance and that's just wrong - especially since I thought it would focus on Mary's self-acceptance once I started reading but nope. That and it's a pirates novel. There's supposed to be some swashbuckling adventure and I didn't get that at all!
Overall I did enjoy reading this novel, because it was such a quick read and the romance between two female characters definitely helped that but... I definitely had some issues with it as well...
3 / 5!
Kathy
I honestly liked the writing style of Miriam McNamara. It was descriptive and really gave me the vibe you need to pull of a historical fiction novel like this one - especially one with pirates. It also read ridiculously fluently!
Of course, the f/f romance was a huge plus. I love anything LGBTQIA+ and I... quite... liked seeing Lucie and Anne Bonny's relationship develop.
But...
First of all, I got annoyed by Anne. Why? The Anne Bonny I know, is the mysterious, bad-ass one Black Sails gave us in their show. Not a woman in dresses who loves all things romance and needs men to solve her shit. It messed with my brain. It got on my nerves.
I realize I should've kept the two Anne's separate but it just wouldn't work?!
As for Nat, I simply wanted to know more. Him and Lucie hadn't been in contact for a while and they don't even feel the need to properly catch up with each other in the slightest. Like. What kind of friend is like that?
Apart from that, I also felt like the characters fell extremely flat. It was a cute story - sure - but there wasn't really any development other than Mary's journey towards accepting herself. That's it.
I didn't even feel like there was a focus on anything other than the romance and that's just wrong - especially since I thought it would focus on Mary's self-acceptance once I started reading but nope. That and it's a pirates novel. There's supposed to be some swashbuckling adventure and I didn't get that at all!
Overall I did enjoy reading this novel, because it was such a quick read and the romance between two female characters definitely helped that but... I definitely had some issues with it as well...
3 / 5!
Kathy
April 12, 2020
I absolutely love stories featuring pirates, so I am always on the look out for new novels to read. The Unbinding Of Mary Reade immediately appealed to me for this reason, however I was really disappointed.
The biggest problem I had with this novel was that it was not the swashbuckling, pirate adventure I was hoping for. There was very little action as the main narrative centred around the various romances featured throughout the book. As a result, I struggled to engage with the story and therefore did not enjoy it very much. On the other hand, the novel did address issues surrounding gender identity that were actually handled quite well.
There was nobody likeable in this entire novel, as practically everyone Mary interacts with is a horrible and often cruel person. Mary herself was really quite annoying, but it was Anne who was the most disappointing character. She was introduced to be an incredibly badass female pirate, but she really was not. She was mean, hypocritical and constantly under the control of the various men in her life, and I would much rather have seen her depicted with some agency.
Another problem I had with this novel was that I did not buy into any of the love stories featured throughout it, whether that was Mary and Anne, Mary and Nat, or even Anne and Jack. There seemed to be no connection between any of the characters, so for me none of it was believable, which was a big problem considering how heavily the novel relied on their relationships.
I did not care for any of the characters and the narrative was largely uninteresting. Perhaps if you were looking for a romance-based pirate novel then this might just be for you, but other than that it was incredibly disappointing.
Rating - 2/5
★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
The biggest problem I had with this novel was that it was not the swashbuckling, pirate adventure I was hoping for. There was very little action as the main narrative centred around the various romances featured throughout the book. As a result, I struggled to engage with the story and therefore did not enjoy it very much. On the other hand, the novel did address issues surrounding gender identity that were actually handled quite well.
There was nobody likeable in this entire novel, as practically everyone Mary interacts with is a horrible and often cruel person. Mary herself was really quite annoying, but it was Anne who was the most disappointing character. She was introduced to be an incredibly badass female pirate, but she really was not. She was mean, hypocritical and constantly under the control of the various men in her life, and I would much rather have seen her depicted with some agency.
Another problem I had with this novel was that I did not buy into any of the love stories featured throughout it, whether that was Mary and Anne, Mary and Nat, or even Anne and Jack. There seemed to be no connection between any of the characters, so for me none of it was believable, which was a big problem considering how heavily the novel relied on their relationships.
I did not care for any of the characters and the narrative was largely uninteresting. Perhaps if you were looking for a romance-based pirate novel then this might just be for you, but other than that it was incredibly disappointing.
Rating - 2/5
★★
There is also a link to this review on my blog here!
June 8, 2018
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
If you are expecting a pirate adventure that is non-stop adventure - then this might not be for you. Don't get me wrong, there's action scenes and killing abound - but what truly lies at the heart of this story is more of a romance plot line. That didn't mean I hated it, but it just wasn't what I was expecting.
Moving on to the review, because there was more of an emphasis on romantic elements, the characters were particularly important - and none as important as Mary. Mary was a fascinating character not only because she is bisexual, but she is also questioning this sort of gender fluid identity (as someone who isn't part of either of this group, I cannot speak to the accuracy of these). But she's not only reduced to her diversity, she's also an intriguing character because, in many ways, she's beyond her time. This is still the time in period where homosexuality is executionable.
And writing wise, there's two different timelines in the book - the past and the present. The past deals with Mary's history, why she becomes a pirate, and her desire to get to Nassou. In the present we unfold her journeys and the new relationships she forms. This unique dynamic helps reveal the intricacies of Mary's character and internal dilemmas.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
If you are expecting a pirate adventure that is non-stop adventure - then this might not be for you. Don't get me wrong, there's action scenes and killing abound - but what truly lies at the heart of this story is more of a romance plot line. That didn't mean I hated it, but it just wasn't what I was expecting.
Moving on to the review, because there was more of an emphasis on romantic elements, the characters were particularly important - and none as important as Mary. Mary was a fascinating character not only because she is bisexual, but she is also questioning this sort of gender fluid identity (as someone who isn't part of either of this group, I cannot speak to the accuracy of these). But she's not only reduced to her diversity, she's also an intriguing character because, in many ways, she's beyond her time. This is still the time in period where homosexuality is executionable.
And writing wise, there's two different timelines in the book - the past and the present. The past deals with Mary's history, why she becomes a pirate, and her desire to get to Nassou. In the present we unfold her journeys and the new relationships she forms. This unique dynamic helps reveal the intricacies of Mary's character and internal dilemmas.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
June 29, 2018
This review, and many others, can be found at Lost in My Library. I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Oh, this is exactly what I have wanted for so long! Not only queer historical fiction, but queer historical fiction based on real people! And from what I've read (which is admittedly not much), a lot of the events on the book are based on real events.
It was a bit hard for me to get my bearings at first. I love stories told in multiple times at once, but there was enough ambiguity at the beginning of both of the stories that I had some trouble figuring out exactly what was going on. Once I did, though, I was fully engrossed in Mary's adventures and very excited to find out what would happen.
One thing I really loved about this is that Mary and Anne didn't always do things that I could root for. Even with that, I always wanted to root for them, and it really helped them become fully-developed characters. It also made it so that I never quite knew what was going to happen next, even when I had a general idea of where the story was going.
If you're looking for more queer books, or more historical fiction, I would definitely recommend this book!
CONTENT WARNINGS: Sexual assault, domestic violence
Oh, this is exactly what I have wanted for so long! Not only queer historical fiction, but queer historical fiction based on real people! And from what I've read (which is admittedly not much), a lot of the events on the book are based on real events.
It was a bit hard for me to get my bearings at first. I love stories told in multiple times at once, but there was enough ambiguity at the beginning of both of the stories that I had some trouble figuring out exactly what was going on. Once I did, though, I was fully engrossed in Mary's adventures and very excited to find out what would happen.
One thing I really loved about this is that Mary and Anne didn't always do things that I could root for. Even with that, I always wanted to root for them, and it really helped them become fully-developed characters. It also made it so that I never quite knew what was going to happen next, even when I had a general idea of where the story was going.
If you're looking for more queer books, or more historical fiction, I would definitely recommend this book!
CONTENT WARNINGS: Sexual assault, domestic violence
June 27, 2018
The Unbinding of Mary Reade is the perfect YA novel for all history fans.
After Mary's brother dies, her mother tries to pass her off as her deceased brother in order to get some money from Mary's grandmother. But when a maid in her grandmother's manor discovers her secret, Mary decides that she would rather prefer a life at sea. When a pirate ship attacks, Mary spots a woman among the other pirates, Anne doesn't have to hide the fact that she's a woman, unlike Mary. Intrigued, Mary decides to shoot her captain and join the life or piracy.
This novel is definitely focused on the history accuracy of the true story of Mary Reade with a little fictional twist, as well as the budding romance in Mary's life. The only thing thats missing is adventure. If you're like me and you need some good action, then this might not be the book for you.
Mary is a great main character. She is a very complex main character and its absolutely wonderful to watch her grow into herself and go throughout her life with her. I really loved the fact that she is based on a real character, it made her that much more interesting to read about.
Overall, I loved the storyline, I loved the history aspect and I loved Mary's character. The only thing I wish was different was increasing the amount of action just to keep the speed of the story going.
After Mary's brother dies, her mother tries to pass her off as her deceased brother in order to get some money from Mary's grandmother. But when a maid in her grandmother's manor discovers her secret, Mary decides that she would rather prefer a life at sea. When a pirate ship attacks, Mary spots a woman among the other pirates, Anne doesn't have to hide the fact that she's a woman, unlike Mary. Intrigued, Mary decides to shoot her captain and join the life or piracy.
This novel is definitely focused on the history accuracy of the true story of Mary Reade with a little fictional twist, as well as the budding romance in Mary's life. The only thing thats missing is adventure. If you're like me and you need some good action, then this might not be the book for you.
Mary is a great main character. She is a very complex main character and its absolutely wonderful to watch her grow into herself and go throughout her life with her. I really loved the fact that she is based on a real character, it made her that much more interesting to read about.
Overall, I loved the storyline, I loved the history aspect and I loved Mary's character. The only thing I wish was different was increasing the amount of action just to keep the speed of the story going.
May 24, 2018
It saddens me to say this book just lost its mark. If you are expecting this to be an exciting tale of piracy or an epic f/f romance this won't be a book you enjoy either.
What really made this book fail for me was that the choice to tell the story nonlinearly turned everything into a mixed puzzle that never went anywhere to show me the full picture. I'd feel way more attached to the protagonist if we got everything in the right order. I usually like stories told out of order but this one just felt like I was thrown in the middle of book 2 of a series and nothing made me feel interested enough.
The f/f romance was so pushed to the side that I couldn't cheer for these two women to be together. Anne was a terrible woman who never did anything nice and purely selfless for Mary and I couldn't believe they'd ever make each other happy.
There is also a lot of misogyny, homophobia, and sexual assault that made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I think if you are writing a story with your own shift on it you should be able to make it a little less messy. But that's how I prefer my stories.
I wanted to cheer for these women and to feel something about their romance, but this book just dragged for me. Unfortunately, not a story I'd recommend.
What really made this book fail for me was that the choice to tell the story nonlinearly turned everything into a mixed puzzle that never went anywhere to show me the full picture. I'd feel way more attached to the protagonist if we got everything in the right order. I usually like stories told out of order but this one just felt like I was thrown in the middle of book 2 of a series and nothing made me feel interested enough.
The f/f romance was so pushed to the side that I couldn't cheer for these two women to be together. Anne was a terrible woman who never did anything nice and purely selfless for Mary and I couldn't believe they'd ever make each other happy.
There is also a lot of misogyny, homophobia, and sexual assault that made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I think if you are writing a story with your own shift on it you should be able to make it a little less messy. But that's how I prefer my stories.
I wanted to cheer for these women and to feel something about their romance, but this book just dragged for me. Unfortunately, not a story I'd recommend.
June 12, 2018
Finished reading: June 11th 2018
"All that water, bits of land - so many places she could be in this new world. But for all of Anne's geography lessons, Mary was still hopeless at figuring out where exactly she might fit in it."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Sky Pony Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
April 9, 2018
I was sent an advance copy of this wonderful, rollicking adventure, and I loved experiencing Jack Sparrow's Caribbean through a feminine perspective. The confused budding sexuality is everything one could hope for from a girl in breeches living the life of a swashbuckling pirate. You can't help rooting for Mary!
April 18, 2018
I haven’t read any pirate stories (outside of picture books!) so this was a new adventure for me! Loved the strong fierce women portrayed in this book. Lots of inner and external conflicts happening here, which made for a great amount of tension throughout the story.
April 9, 2018
Review:
2.5
I recieved this book from NetGalley for review.
Well, this book was disappointingly boring. Pirates, and boring. Such a shame. There was potential in this book. But honestly, everything is so dull.
This book has a really heavy focus on romance and ignores a lot of actual pirating. The romance aspect wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't the main focus of a story about pirates. It's based on a true story, that I feel might be more interesting and exciting than this book is. So this book brought that about, inspiring me to read the true story. (I read a small amount already, and the characters of Anne and Mary have been aged down by about 20 years, even though the year they met remains the same)
I just had higher hopes for this book. I wish it was more exciting than it was.
2.5
I recieved this book from NetGalley for review.
Well, this book was disappointingly boring. Pirates, and boring. Such a shame. There was potential in this book. But honestly, everything is so dull.
This book has a really heavy focus on romance and ignores a lot of actual pirating. The romance aspect wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't the main focus of a story about pirates. It's based on a true story, that I feel might be more interesting and exciting than this book is. So this book brought that about, inspiring me to read the true story. (I read a small amount already, and the characters of Anne and Mary have been aged down by about 20 years, even though the year they met remains the same)
I just had higher hopes for this book. I wish it was more exciting than it was.
March 21, 2021
I have really mixed feelings about this book.
Positives:
-Sapphic relationship
-Coming to terms with sexuality and gender identity/expression in a healthy way even though the character's surroundings were so against anything that wasn't 'normal' showed unique strength that I was interested in reading.
-A tiny bit of pirate life
-The pacing was simply lovely. I was really proud of myself when I guessed correctly that the author was going to end the book with the first chapter.
Negatives:
- Most of the book was about homophobia and sexism and yes, it was accurate for the 1700s but it was SO MUCH of the book that it just became uninteresting.
-NOT ENOUGH PIRATES. A good portion of this book didn't even take place on a pirate ship. I want action scenes and pirate shenanigans if I'm reading a book about pirates.
- This is a weird critic but the description of the setting was so sparse. I had no idea what it was like in new providence because it was never described.
Positives:
-Sapphic relationship
-Coming to terms with sexuality and gender identity/expression in a healthy way even though the character's surroundings were so against anything that wasn't 'normal' showed unique strength that I was interested in reading.
-A tiny bit of pirate life
-The pacing was simply lovely. I was really proud of myself when I guessed correctly that the author was going to end the book with the first chapter.
Negatives:
- Most of the book was about homophobia and sexism and yes, it was accurate for the 1700s but it was SO MUCH of the book that it just became uninteresting.
-NOT ENOUGH PIRATES. A good portion of this book didn't even take place on a pirate ship. I want action scenes and pirate shenanigans if I'm reading a book about pirates.
- This is a weird critic but the description of the setting was so sparse. I had no idea what it was like in new providence because it was never described.
August 1, 2018
The Unbinding of Mary Reade is full of forbidden YA romance, mistaken identities and pirates galore!
In a Twelfth Night meets As You Like It pirate twist we meet Mary Reade who has been living a double life. She has spent most of her time disguised as her brother Mark. The story is told across timelines with flashbacks to her past. In the present we meet her working on board a ship as it is attacked by pirates. Dressed as Mark, Mary finds herself spared by the infamous pirate captain, Calico Jack Rackham, and his pirate girlfriend Anne Bonny. I was a big fan of the TV show Black Sails so already had an image of how these two pirates should be and look, but it was interesting to see them portrayed in a very different manner through Mary's teenage eyes.
The representation of gender identity is handled very tactfully. I loved Mary as Mark. I felt so bad for her whenever she was forced to dress as Mary again. Her pain and confusion is palpable - I really empathised with the struggle even though it's not something I've experienced myself.
Where so many other have failed The Unbinding of Mary Reade takes a positive approach to bisexuality. BUT there is a lot of confusion with some elements including the blatant homophobia and sexism demonstrated, particularly by the male characters in England. This shows the unfortunate attitudes of the time.
I liked Mary even with her incessant pursuit of the idolised version of Nat. I wanted her to be happy with she is and to get a HEA. Where I liked Mary wasn't won over by either Anne or Jack. This was surprising considering how much I loved them in Black Sails. Jack is borderline abusive to Anne and considering what a badass Anne Bonny was she definitely takes a lot more nonsense from him than I was expecting. Perhaps this too was down to the position of women at the time in the 1700s?!
The action itself is kinda slow. A LOT of the focus is on the romance, but I wanted more time spent focusing on a being a pirate and life at sea. Mostly I wanted Anne to be the badass I was expecting! I liked the ending and the message of the book is good. I think I just wanted a quicker pace and more chemistry between Mary and Anne.
3 Stars in my Sky!
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!
In a Twelfth Night meets As You Like It pirate twist we meet Mary Reade who has been living a double life. She has spent most of her time disguised as her brother Mark. The story is told across timelines with flashbacks to her past. In the present we meet her working on board a ship as it is attacked by pirates. Dressed as Mark, Mary finds herself spared by the infamous pirate captain, Calico Jack Rackham, and his pirate girlfriend Anne Bonny. I was a big fan of the TV show Black Sails so already had an image of how these two pirates should be and look, but it was interesting to see them portrayed in a very different manner through Mary's teenage eyes.
The representation of gender identity is handled very tactfully. I loved Mary as Mark. I felt so bad for her whenever she was forced to dress as Mary again. Her pain and confusion is palpable - I really empathised with the struggle even though it's not something I've experienced myself.
Where so many other have failed The Unbinding of Mary Reade takes a positive approach to bisexuality. BUT there is a lot of confusion with some elements including the blatant homophobia and sexism demonstrated, particularly by the male characters in England. This shows the unfortunate attitudes of the time.
I liked Mary even with her incessant pursuit of the idolised version of Nat. I wanted her to be happy with she is and to get a HEA. Where I liked Mary wasn't won over by either Anne or Jack. This was surprising considering how much I loved them in Black Sails. Jack is borderline abusive to Anne and considering what a badass Anne Bonny was she definitely takes a lot more nonsense from him than I was expecting. Perhaps this too was down to the position of women at the time in the 1700s?!
The action itself is kinda slow. A LOT of the focus is on the romance, but I wanted more time spent focusing on a being a pirate and life at sea. Mostly I wanted Anne to be the badass I was expecting! I liked the ending and the message of the book is good. I think I just wanted a quicker pace and more chemistry between Mary and Anne.
3 Stars in my Sky!
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!
April 10, 2018
A brilliant historical novel that stays true to the gender norms of the time while holding up a mirror to the restrictions our own time has upheld. It's a swashbuckling, sexy, page-turning, adventure - yes, but it's also full of tender moments with heart. Beautiful imagery, a thoroughly satisfying resolution - who is really bound in the end after all is said and done? Highly recommend.
January 15, 2019
Trigger Warnings:homophobia, sexism, abusive relationships, transphobia and sexual assault
Representation:Sapphic, gender non-conforming, maybe trans and/or non-binary, gender fluid?
Hands up if you were expecting this to be a cutting discussion on gender and not conforming to society's expectations and also lots of action-packed pirate scenes??? Keep your hands up if you were incredibly let down when you didn’t get any of this???
The Unbinding of Mary Reade follows Mary as she becomes Mark in a bid to get what every man in the 1700s got until she meets Anne who discovers her secret, tests her understanding of her own privilege and basically just wrecks havoc on Mary’s life.
If you want historically accurate portrayals of what it was like to live as a pirate across the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean in the eighteenth century and by that I mean do you like to read about loads of homophobia, sexism, abuse, transphobia and sexual assault while barely being given a commentary with anymore than a surface level depth, on any of them boy oh boy are you gonna love the fuck out of this book.
The writing was fine??? It wasn’t anything special but I guess it also wasn’t terrible which I mean, is not a great standard.
And for god sake, if you’re gonna write a book about pirates please give us more than just the label and basically a one (1) Pirate™ action scene.
I was super disappointed by the use of Mary Reade and Anne Bonny. The versions of them I know were kickass and didn’t give a single flying fuck about society’s expectations for them. We don’t get that Mary and Anne until the end of the fucking book. Why couldn’t we have gotten the story after this one instead?
I wanna see queer women going on adventures and running amuck, I’m really tired of the queer women struggling because they’re queer women narrative that’s forced down our throats.
—
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
___
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Representation:Sapphic, gender non-conforming, maybe trans and/or non-binary, gender fluid?
People wanted to think that everything was black and white. Laws were laws. Family was family. Right was right and wrong was wrong. Boy was boy and girl was girl. Her crew was good and the pirates were evil.
Life had revealed itself to be much more complicated.
Hands up if you were expecting this to be a cutting discussion on gender and not conforming to society's expectations and also lots of action-packed pirate scenes??? Keep your hands up if you were incredibly let down when you didn’t get any of this???
The Unbinding of Mary Reade follows Mary as she becomes Mark in a bid to get what every man in the 1700s got until she meets Anne who discovers her secret, tests her understanding of her own privilege and basically just wrecks havoc on Mary’s life.
If you want historically accurate portrayals of what it was like to live as a pirate across the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean in the eighteenth century and by that I mean do you like to read about loads of homophobia, sexism, abuse, transphobia and sexual assault while barely being given a commentary with anymore than a surface level depth, on any of them boy oh boy are you gonna love the fuck out of this book.
The writing was fine??? It wasn’t anything special but I guess it also wasn’t terrible which I mean, is not a great standard.
And for god sake, if you’re gonna write a book about pirates please give us more than just the label and basically a one (1) Pirate™ action scene.
I was super disappointed by the use of Mary Reade and Anne Bonny. The versions of them I know were kickass and didn’t give a single flying fuck about society’s expectations for them. We don’t get that Mary and Anne until the end of the fucking book. Why couldn’t we have gotten the story after this one instead?
I wanna see queer women going on adventures and running amuck, I’m really tired of the queer women struggling because they’re queer women narrative that’s forced down our throats.
Anne snapped. “I shouldn’t have to be content to accept things as they are. I deserve better.”
—
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
___
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