Kingston by Starlight: A Novel

Overview

Irish-born Anne Bonny is only a teenager when she is left destitute by her mother's death. Abandoned by her father, she seems destined to be forgotten by the world. But Anne chooses to seek her fortune in the lush tropics of the colonial West Indies, where she passes herself off as a young man named Bonn. She finds work as a ship's hand, sailing under the command of Calico Jack Rackam, a notorious and charismatic pirate with a bounty on his head. Calico Jack has his heart set on raiding the Madrid Galleon, the richest ship in the Caribbean, which sails from Kingston laden with Cuban gold and Jamaican rum.

Editorial Reviews

Time magazine senior editor Farley writes a wonderfully swashbuckling tale of life on the high seas as seen through the eyes of female pirate Anne Bonny. Fictionalizing the central players of one of Jamaica's most famous pirating trials, he picks up with Bonny as a teenager in her native Ireland and follows her quest for her father, which eventually leads her to the Bahamas. Bonny is drawn to the sailing life and particularly to pirate Calico Jack Rackham, signing aboard his ship disguised as a man. Wonderful descriptions of seafaring recall passages from the likes of Moby-Dick and Treasure Island and reveal to the reader the rough and sometimes deadly life that Bonny has chosen. A motley ship's crew forms a brotherhood of sorts as the members share their tales and secrets of their own-especially with regard to the mysterious and compelling swordfighter known as Read, who befriends Bonny. The climax is a trial with a most unusual outcome. An engrossing and exciting story; highly recommended for all libraries.-Leann Restaino, Jameson Health Syst., New Castle, PA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Author Information

Bio of Christopher John Farley

Christopher John Farley was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and now lives in New York. He is a senior editor at Time magazine.

Bio of Plutarch

PLUTARCH. c.46--c.125 Considered by many the most important Greek writer of the early Roman period, Plutarch was a member of a well-to-do Greek family, a chief magistrate, a priest at Delphi, and an exceptionally well-read individual. His philosophical views were based on those of Plato (see Vol. 4) and, although a Greek, he esteemed the achievements and attributes of the Romans. By the time Plutarch's works were published for the first time in the eleventh century, some had already been lost. He wrote innumerable essays on philosophical, historical, political, religious, and literary subjects, 78 of which survive today and are known collectively as the "Moralia." He is known primarily, however, for his Parallel Lives of Greeks and Romans, which consists of 50 biographies---23 of prominent Greeks, 23 of Roman leaders, and 4 separate lives---accompanied at intervals by short comparative essays. Although historical information is included in the work, Plutarch wrote it originally to inspire emulation in youth, so the emphasis is on character, moral choice, and anecdote. Sir Thomas North's 1579 translation into English of Parallel Lives became an important source for William Shakespeare which he used for three plays, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus.

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Additional Info

Imprint

Three Rivers Press

Filesize

1.23 MB

Number of Pages

336

eBook ISBN

9780307238405