Book Review: Historical fiction novel, Saltblood by Francesca de Tores
Review of historical fiction novel, Saltblood by Australian author, Francesca de Tores
Official Blurb:
In a rented room outside Plymouth in 1685, a daughter is born as her half-brother is dying. Her mother makes a decision: Mary will become Mark, and Ma will continue to collect his inheritance money.
Mary's dual existence will take her to a grand house where she'll serve a French mistress; to the navy where she'll learn who to trust, and how to navigate by the stars; to the army and the battlegrounds of Flanders, following her one true friend; and finding love among the bloodshed and mud. But none of this will stop her yearning for the sea…
Drawn back to the water, Mary must reinvent herself yet again, for a woman aboard a ship is a dangerous thing. This time Mary will become something more dangerous than a woman.
She will become a pirate…
Breathing life into the Golden Age of Piracy, Saltblood is a wild adventure, a treasure trove, weaving an intoxicating tale of gender and survival, passion and loss, journeys and transformation, through the story of Mary Read, one of history's most remarkable figures.
My thoughts on this historical fiction novel
Beautifully written, poetic, well researched and well paced. Love the way author, Francesca de Tores connects to the sea and nature.
And I love the prologue:
Tell me your crow name. Tell me the name you will wear to the bottom of the sea. The name shaped to fit every part of you, instep and underarm and the exact curve of your ear. Tell me the name you hear someone calling in a dream, and wake with your mouth already open to reply. Tell me the name that the crows would say, black-voiced, because everybody knows a crow cannot lie.
I’ve had many names – some were given to me, and some I took. Each of them was a lie, big or small. The wrong name, or the wrong form, or the wrong time. Sometimes all three.
In the main, they call me Mary Read. If I am to be remembered at all, it will likely be by that name.
As for my true name? Go ask the sea.
I read Rose Lucas's review on Australian Book Review and was immediately hooked on the chance to learn more about historical women. It's a great story about adventurous souls and the call of the sea.
You might expect a story about pirates to have a bit of swashbuckling action included, and there definitely is some but it was by no means the foundation of the story. Bursts of action are cocooned within the story of one woman and the social history of her time. Mary Read's introspection of her life, identity, past and future serves to draw you deep into the story. So deep, at times it's almost possible to forget that this is fictionalised history, and not a true biography. We explore gender roles and their fluidity, the politics of identity, and acceptance. Mary Read did not hide who she was while she was pirating. There was no expectation of fragility or weakness from her fellow sailors yet her journey to that point was full of secrets. She would not have survived in the world for so long if she had not (and her mother before her) hidden her gender.
Reading up on the research that Francesca de Tores undertook is a tale in itself; the lack of historical data on women isn't because they weren't out swashbuckling, fighting and being heroic, but due to the ignorance of male historians and social recorders. Women who didn't serve in the strict social role they were assigned to were more often than not written out of history and forgotten. de Tores's commitment to the task at hand also enabled her to delve into the life and times of Anne Bonny, another adventurous soul of the time.
If you enjoy a good tale filled with imagery of the sea and a different take on pirate history, and if you want sparkle and depth to that story, Saltblood by Francesca de Tores is for you.
I chose twice, once when I boarded the Resolve, and again in the blood-scented sick bay. The first time I chose in ignorance, knowing nothing of what it is to be a sailor. This second time, I know well enough the cost it demands. Saltblooded, wholehearted, I choose the sea.
About the author:
Francesca is an author and academic (and poet).
As Francesca de Tores, she writes historical fiction. Her latest novel is Saltblood (Bloomsbury), based on the true story of Mary Read, a historical figure from piracy’s Golden Age. Saltblood was a Sunday Times top-twenty bestseller, and won the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.
As Francesca Haig, she is the author of four novels. The most recent, The Cookbook of Common Prayer, was published in 2021. Her post-apocalyptic Fire Sermon trilogy is published in more than 20 languages. The first novel, The Fire Sermon, was published in 2015, followed by The Map of Bones in 2016, and concluding with The Forever Ship in 2017.
About the book:
Read an extract (scroll down to link)
Published: April 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing.
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