Bonny & Read

by Julie Walker

Caribbean, 1720. Two extraordinary women are on the run - from their pasts, from the British Navy and the threat of execution, and from the destiny that fate has written for them.

Plantation owner's daughter, runaway wife, pirate - Anne Bonny has forged her own story in a man's world. But when she is involved in the capture of a British merchant ship, she is amazed to find another woman amongst the crew, with a history as unconventional as her own. Dressed as a boy from childhood, Mary Read has been a soldier, a sailor, a widow - but never a woman in charge of her own destiny.

As their exhilarating, tumultuous exploits find fame, the ballad of Bonny and Read is sung from shore to shore - but when you swim against the tide of history, freedom is a dangerous thing...

An exuberant reimagining of the extraordinary story of Bonny & Read - trailblazing, boundary-defying, swashbuckling heroines whose story deserves to be known. Perfect for fans of Ariadne, The Mercies and The Familiars.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Pirates, Historical, Fiction, Audiobook, Adventure, Crime

336 pages, Hardcover

Published August 2, 2022

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went through a "Pirate phase" in my teens when I read and tried to learn anything and everything I could and so I've had a soft spot for pirate since. Don't read much books about pirates sadly but I'm glad I picked this one up. Very well written and so easy getting emersed and invested in the two women. It felt very authentic even tough it's hard to imagine how Anne Bonny and Mary Read would have been like in real life. Not a sapphic read as I had hoped but loved the closeness and friendship between the too. Glad my 2023 started with this one and its a 5 stars read

[Danai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you net Galley for providing me with a free arc of Bonny & Read in exchange for a honest review


Honestly I view this book more like a 3.5-3.75 read however rating it just 3 stars seems unfair considering my inability to put this down. The excellent world building and easy to follow writing makes this a fast and easy read. Throughout the whole book I felt like *I was* in a pirate ship as well.

The characters are my main complain considering that I needed more of a development when it came to the side characters, who I truly could never remember or care enough for. The main characters however, Anne and Mary are quite well written and their relationship with each other was for the most part wonderful to read about (saying for the most part considering there was a small instability in the way it was written) . The ending made me nearly cry and it was an overall great read that I would definitely recommend.

[Kobe · Rating 3 out of 5]

somehow this managed to make female pirates kinda boring? huh?

[bookishcharli · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise then this is definitely a book you’ll want to read. The world building is absolutely incredible and the female characters are absolute badasses in such a male controlled world, however, some of Anne’s character was lacking and I felt there were holes in her background and character arc that let her down a tad. This was overall a quick and fun read which I did enjoy, I just think it could have used some more character development though.

Thank you to Hodder for sending me a copy of this book.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 rounded up) This had definite Pirates of the Caribbean vibes and I knew it would be right up my street - I love a swashbuckling adventure and this had the added bonus of strong female characters trying to find their way in the male-dominated world of piracy.

The drama of the opening grabbed me right away and I knew that I would like Anne Bonny as a character. However, I would have liked more background on her, like we get with Mary - her decision to run off and become a pirate seemed a bit abrupt and I wished that I knew more about her upbringing on the plantation first. I really loved Mary’s backstory though, and piracy seemed a logical step for her after all the adversity she’d faced and the unconventional skills she picked up along the way. It gave her much more depth as a character.

The friendship between Anne and Mary was brilliant and complex. I love how they were both immediately drawn to each other and how they both have such vivid but different personalities. I also liked that they came from such different backgrounds, and the impact this has later on.

Overall, a fun story with some exciting and tragic twists. Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Oh terror of women upon the seas,
And they did sail and they did please
Themselves alone as they did steal
Men’s lives away with ease.” from ‘The Ballad of Bonny & Read’.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Bonny & Read’ by Julie Walker.

This was one of my most anticipated books for the summer of 2022 and I was pleased that it proved to be such a well written and immersive work of historical fiction.

In Captain Charles Johnson’s 1724 publication, ‘A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates’, two extraordinary women, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, became infamous for their seafaring exploits as members of the pirate crew of Captain Jack Rackham.

Julie Walker has expanded on what little is known about the lives of Anne Bonny and Mary Read and integrated this with sources detailing early 18th Century society, including the closing years of the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean.

I felt that Walker vividly evoked the claustrophobic atmosphere of life at sea, interspersed with the high action and dangers associated with capturing a vessel.

As much as I loved the ‘Treasure Island’ prequel, ‘Black Sails’, this far more gritty and realistic depiction proved very satisfying. In her Acknowledgements Walker includes a list of publications that had assisted in her research.

Overall, I found this an engaging fictional biography that celebrated these remarkable women, who had defied the conventions of their day and earned their places among the rogues gallery of those who were the real life pirates of the Caribbean.

Given her attention to period detail and quality of writing, I definitely will be looking forward to Julie Walker’s future projects.

[barbiereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

thank you Kimberley from Hodder & stoughton for sending me an ARC of this!

"Before them is a sight the soldiers will never forget. Anne and Mary stand side by side, planted to the deck, cutlasses and pistols waving, seeming together like the goddess Kali, multi-armed and reeking of death." (p.254)
"She was unmoored for so long: it was Mary, not Jack, who centred her." (p.324)
"Her memories are precious for they keep Mary with her." (ibid.)

Julie Walker does a brilliant job of bringing two of history's most interesting women back to life in this thrilling, heartfelt and adventurous retelling. From start to finish, this book feels alive, with colourful, interesting characters and a storytelling that never leaves you feeling lacking.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, retellings, strong women, an undeniable sense of homo-eroticism in female friendships, pirates, stories about love and grief, Bonny & Read is right up your alley. If you're wondering if this is gay, it most definitely is. If you're wondering if it could be more gay, it most definitely could be.

There were so many parts of this story that filled my heart with warmth and adoration for not only these two female pirates, but for Walker for managing to capture this story that I have always loved so much so brilliantly.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this, but this was rushed and too short and shallow. Everything happened and also nothing really happened. Very disappointed indeed. (11 of 24)

[whisperofthewind · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a shame that the book was really aiming for staying true to the real story as I see it as a huge missed opportunity for a unique gay romance, but understandably Anne and Mary’s alleged relationship wasn’t included as we don’t truly know if those rumours were true. Many say otherwise.

With that said, the homo-erotic sense throughout the book left me more uncomfortable and agitated than anything. To me it came off rather like queerbating.

If we are not going to go with the story of them being lesbian lovers then let’s leave that part of their relationship out completely, rather than putting in the odd hint of jealousy or romantic attraction at the end of a chapter without ever outright stating that there is any romantic connection between them.
It made the story extremely confusing as the women’s feelings we’re not exactly coming off as strong feminist platonic friendship nor suppressed romantic feelings, they were balancing on a odd middle ground between.

I would’ve loved to see this written as a semi fictional romance between them, but I would’ve been happy enough if they were portrayed as fully platonic partners in crime nonetheless. As it is I found this portrayal confusing.

Additionally, the character development of the women’s love interests was so lacking that I did not find myself mourning their losses, which is a great shame.

3.5/5 stars

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caribbean, 1720. Two extraordinary women are on the run - from their past, from the British navy, and the threat of execution, and from the destiny that fate has written for them. Plantation owners daughter, run away wife, pirate- Anne Bonny has forged her own story in a man's world. But when she is involved in the capture of a British merchant ship, she is amazed to find another woman amongst the crew, with a history as unconventional as her own. Dressed as a boy from childhood, Mary Read has been a soldier, a sailor, a Widow- but never a woman in charge of her own destiny. The ballad of Bonny and Read is sung from shore to shore - but when you swim against the tide of history, freedom is a dangerous thing..

Five star read alert!!!!! This swashbuckling, adventure filled, magnificent sea shanty of a tale is absolutely brilliant. Based on the true stories of Anne Bonny and Mary Read - two of the most famous female pirates of the 18th Century, this story had me hooked from start to finish. Not much is known about these two fabulous women, most information is from the book ' A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates' by Captain Charles Johnson, however what is known about them leaves the reader in no doubt that these two women broke every single gender norm of the time.

Very simply written with no bells or whistles this delicious little story really does pack one hell of a punch. It is sad, very tragic and upsetting in places, uplifting and breathtaking in its adventure but most of all it is empowering and strong. A simple tale of two young women not wanting to adhere to their gender norms, wanting more than just being the shy, quiet and genteel wife and mother with no chance of exploring life - so they take to the high seas, caused as much trouble as they could, loved as hard as they could and had as much adventure as they could - turning themselves into the most formidable and feared women in history. I loved it. Julie Walker has given these two amazing women a voice ....and it is magnificent ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

''Oh terror of women upon the seas, and they did sail and they did please, Themselves alone as they did steal mens lives away with ease '

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Spoiler free*

It's books like Bonny & Read where I wish 3.5 stars was a proper thing. Giving this book three stars seems to undervalue it, but I held out on four stars for my own reasons - I think it's taste rather than anything else. Make no mistake, though, Bonny & Read is a good book that deserves to be read.

Bonny and Read is definitely the type of book you pick up when you're looking to be swept away by action, adventure and high stakes. I loved the premise of the book. It oozes feminist values and reading about dangerous women - especially when they're based upon real people, like in this book - is always awesome. Mary is a force to be reckoned with from the start of the novel, and it was interesting to see Anne develop her lethal streak.

The start and end of this book are both great. Especially the ending -- I read the last 25% of the book in one sitting, and it really pulled at my heartstrings. My main criticism of the book though is I found the middle a drag. Sailing on the high seas is a cool adventure, but there is definitely times when the 'tension' of the book dies. I think this is partly because once the two heroines meet, the anticipation drops. We are left to see how Anne and Mary develop as characters and (for a time) there's not much danger or threat in the story. I almost gave up on it until a 'ticking time bomb' is revealed, at which point I started t enjoy the book a lot more.

I recommend Bonny & Read - it reminds you how important it is to carve your own way in life, but that equally everything comes at a cost. It's fun but it's also sad at points, which isn't a bad thing, but makes it worldly and honest. I just which it had kept me enthralled the whole way through.

[Seriesbooklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t resist a book, film or TV show about pirates and when I saw this title on NetGalley- I knew I had to read this and I wasn’t disappointed.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased review
This book is told from the points of view of Anne and Mary in the third person. Their voices are strong and interesting. I loved how the author portrayed them as women who turned to piracy because they are women ahead of their time. These women choose a life on the sea to be free from society’s expectations of them rather than being victims or forced into a life on the sea.
Anne runs away from a husband she married in haste by joining Jack Ratham and his crew on his pirate ship. Mary, who dresses as a man has served as a man in the army and later joins the Navy as a widow dressed as a man. She gleefully joins Anne and Jack when her ship is boarded and finds out one of the pirates is quite clearly a pirate.
I particularly liked the relationship between Anne and Mary grows into a strong friendship with no resentment or jealousy. The book doesn’t shy away from Bonny’s violence and her lack of empathy for the people around her or Read’s reaction to this.
The story does slow a bit towards the middle but picks up towards the end( the fate of most of the pirates shouldn’t come as a surprise. I noticed a lack of historical notes in the book but thankfully google came to the rescue.
Perfect for fans of
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction with strong women or anyone who loves reading about pirates. Black Sails, the TV show.

Content warning
Stillbirth

[Shay Boland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a highly entertaining, feminist tale of women defying gender roles and societal norms. It's also an interesting condemnation of the society that drove people to piracy and law breaking, in a world where the laws were so unjust to women, the working class and anyone who was not a straight white wealthy man.

I had a few issues with this book, mostly the pacing in some places, but the subject matter is so fascinating and told with real passion, that I'll forgive a bit of clunkiness on the technical side. This is a debut , and I'm very interested to see what the author does next.

I saw this book featured on a list of upcoming LGBTQ+ books, so I was expecting a bit more on that end. Mary and Anne certainly defy gender roles and preconceived notions of womanhood for the time, and this could certainly be read as an exploration of gender, but the two characters do seem to be presented as cisgender women defying societal norms more so than characters who do not identify with their assigned gender at birth.

This book will appeal greatly to readers of feminist historical fiction, those with an interest in trailblazing women in history, or fans the TV series "Black Sails" which also features many of the characters from this book.

[Emsal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve just finished this book and unfortunately, found that this one wasn’t for me. This review has spoilers.

A big thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of this one.

I adore pirates and strong women and therefore had high hopes. I really enjoyed the beginning of the novel; there were some hilarious moments and witty comments made by both women, particularly Anne, however towards the middle of the novel we seem to lose this. The book tends to become formatted in list-like fashion and verges on being a flat read.

I kind of hoped we would get more pirate action, and more insight into both women’s feelings during their time with Rackam, and a deeper dive into these historically-told ferocious women. It was common for them to take out a breast to intimidate their victims, I don’t recall this aspect being mentioned. Also, Anne and Mary very much had male alter-ego’s, especially Mary, who grew up as a male and I feel like there was not enough exploration to the psychological aspects of her being when she became Mary again.

Towards the end of the book I massively enjoyed the scenes in the cells between Mary and Anne. I thought this was a unique perspective on what could have happened, and I liked that it was Anne that had to help Mary give birth. I also thought it was really interesting that Anne managed, in secret, to continue her life and be remarried into a rich family to raise hers and Mary’s child, as a financial transaction between her father and her husband. I like the idea that Anne got out and survived.

Overall, this book is a good exploration of their characteristics, however I think I wanted more from this one.

[Ingibjörg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Bonnie and Read after Saltblood by Francesca de Tores, which also focuses on these historical figures. While Saltblood centres entirely on Mary Read as the narrator, Julie Walker’s novel adopts a third-person narrative that shifts between both Mary Read and Anne Bonny. The two novels offer quite different takes on the characters and their world.

I found Walker’s portrayal of the two central figures—Bonny and Read—engaging and effectively drawn. The narrative is compelling, rich in action, and largely well written, with strong world-building throughout.

However, I found the secondary characters less convincingly rendered. Jack Rackham, in particular, felt somewhat underdeveloped, and I struggled to see a compelling reason for the relationship between him and Anne Bonny as it is presented here—it didn’t come across as especially convincing or well motivated.

On the whole, Bonnie and Read is an interesting and readable novel, though I would say I preferred Saltblood overall. I would rate this between three and a half and four stars.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until I read Bonny & Read, I hadn't read many, if any, historical fiction novels in the last year, having gone off them slightly. Maybe I was reading about people or periods that were too familiar to me, but Bonny & Read felt so refreshing!

I've read many novels now, from different genres for all age groups, with strong female characters, but Anne Bonny and Mary Read felt so well fleshed out and real, each had different motivations and journeys, and had to work hard in different ways, fighting in different ways to forge their paths. Anne Bonny was especially interesting, in Julie Walker's interpretation, because her struggle was largely mental, she didn't understand what she wanted her place to be and had to figure out what made her happy or gave her purpose, when the things she first thought she wanted turned out to be disappointing. She was influenced by Mary Read without wanting to become her, and Mary Read wanted many traditionally female things - love and family, but got their through her (often seen as male) talents for fighting and by getting the money and respect she needed to try and build a life for herself and her loved ones by becoming a man in a man's world. Each sought independence of mind in different ways, and in ways I found much more interesting and nuanced than I expected. Mary's relationships, in particular, also meant that the female characters were not the only ones to have traits worthy of respect, while some of the men were foolish, arrogant, or abusive, some were kind, strong, and funny. Likewise, not all of the female characters were role models either, Julie Walker's world, as a result, felt believable and human.

Throw in danger on the high seas, and a fast-paced, though character-driven plot, and the book quickly became one of my favourites, filling the piratey gap that had been left unfilled since I had finished binge-watching Black Sails

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Rebels. Pirates. Women."

Bonny & Read by Julie Walker tells the story of Anne Bonny, plantation owner's daughter and runaway wife, and Mary Read, who was a soldier, married and was widowed, and then became a Navy sailor, before being on a ship that was raided by the Revenge, pirate ship, captained by Jack Rackham.

We learn a little of the backgrounds of Anne and Mary, one who was in want of nothing, and one who had to pretend to be a boy when her brother dies. They both ultimately end up as pirates and part of a crew of men where they more than hold their own.

It is based on the real lives of two women who were pirates and is a swashbuckling tale of adventure on the high seas in the Caribbean in the early 1720's.

I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on Spotify. I read this for prompt 8, features an ocean, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.

[Nicolette Weaver]

aribbean, 1720. Two extraordinary women are on the run - from their pasts, from the British Navy and the threat of execution, and from the destiny that fate has written for them.

Plantation owner's daughter, runaway wife, pirate - Anne Bonny has forged her own story in a man's world. But when she is involved in the capture of a British merchant ship, she is amazed to find another woman amongst the crew, with a history as unconventional as her own. Dressed as a boy from childhood, Mary Read has been a soldier, a sailor, a widow - but never a woman in charge of her own destiny.

As their exhilarating, tumultuous exploits find fame, the ballad of Bonny and Read is sung from shore to shore - but when you swim against the tide of history, freedom is a dangerous thing...

An exuberant reimagining of the extraordinary story of Bonny & Read - trailblazing, boundary-defying, swashbuckling heroines whose story deserves to be known.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really appealed to me because it focused on the women, rather than them being side attractions / distractions for the male characters. Not only that, but the women were actual pirates!

I loved the first part of the book, discovering what drive Bonny and Read to sea and I also enjoyed the action-packed ending (although I thought this over and done with quite quickly). The action stalled a bit in the middle of the book though.

I loved the descriptions of live on board the ship and the deepening connections and friction between Bonny and Read, but some of the other characters were difficult to keep straight in my head. They did blur together at times!

So good to have strong women at the heart of the action in a traditionally male-dominated genre.

Overall, a really enjoyable book - very different from my usual fare!

Thanks to the author, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Bonny grew up in South Carolina, privileged but not loved. She elopes with a man who disappoints her and she escapes again as mistress to a pirate. Whilst living the life she loves, Anne meets a fellow sailor and female, Mary Read. Mary was brought up a boy and fought in the army but gave it up for love. After the death of her husband Mary also ran away to sea. Now the two women pirates will become notorious.
Whilst touted in some reviews as a feminist book, I feel that is too easy a label to put on any story with women at the centre. What this book is is really good fun! Yes, the setting in 1720 means that women were seen as wives or whores and Bonny and Read went against convention but this is a very fictionalised version of their story as there is only limited source material. Here Walker has written an engaging and entertaining novel.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bonny & Read by Julie Walker is a rollicking read, set mainly on the high seas. It follows the little-known story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, female pirates in the 18th century, whose lives were anything but usual for women of their day. Walker vividly brings to life their adventures, along with a cast of characters such as Captain Jack Rackham, and I was plunged into a wonderful world of seafaring piracy. I knew almost nothing about Bonny and Read before I started this brilliant novel, but now I almost feel as though I've visited the past, and experienced the lives of two incredible women, who deserve to be remembered.

[Dagmar Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about Anne Bonny and Mary Read, two strong women in the 18th century who did not want to live a conventional life.
I did not realise until the epilogue that the story was based on 2 real life women pirates.
I enjoyed reading about Mary and Anne, even though I struggled to empathize with Anne.
The story has 3 distinct parts, how they ended up being pirates, a stint in the Caribbean and life after pirating. The last part I found a bit rushed and sad but realise now that it was following the real life events.
But non the less a very interesting read.

[Angela Groves · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic swashbuckling tale that brings flesh to the stories of Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

The story makes use of the what is known about their lives, and fills what is not with excitement, love and loss. There are plenty of nods to other well known pirates (Charles Vane and Blackbeard) and the descriptions of life aboard the ship are so vivid you can almost taste the salt in the air.

Overall I felt I wanted a little more piracy (a few more sea battles and plundering), but in the end, that's not the focus, it's Bonny and Read, and it's done very, very well.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for 52 Book Club Challenge #22 A plot similar to another book (Saltblood by Francesca de Tores, which also tells the story of Mary Read & Anne Bonny).

Enjoyable historical romp about women pirates. Walker made them believable characters, making difficult choices to survive and thrive in a harsh world. I particularly liked the way the complex relationship between the two women was drawn. I look forward to comparing how Francesca de Tores treats the same base material, I suspect in a very different style.

[Lee Wilson-Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read! Very evocative of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. It's always fun to cheer on female protagonists fighting their battles in a man's world.

The writing style was simple but lively. The characters were largely two-dimensional but engaging. A quick and easy read for action-adventure lovers.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes this adventurous and feministic story felt a little shallow as if the reader only reaches the surface and never actually dives into the deep seas of the characters. However pages where easily turned and everyone had a clearly portrait. Freedom and free will, a life of adventure, friendship. ⚓️

[Simon Gosden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fascinating story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, two female pirates who roamed the
Caribbean seas with Captain Jack Rackham in the 1700s. It’s a novel packed with swashbuckling and violent adventure, but there’s a very human tale here as well. I loved it.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book, I genuinely didn’t want to put it down. Personally the writing style suited me and flowed easily, making the story a quick read.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this far more than I was expecting to. Super fast paced with short chapters, I was sucked into the action from the start. It’s written in much more of a “factual” style than a lot of prose but I enjoyed it.