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The Only Life That Mattered

The Short and Merry Lives of Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack Rackham

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About this listen

Fed up with an outlaw existence, Calico Jack Rackam swears off the pirate life, but he hasn’t reckoned with Anne Bonny, a woman who would as soon stab a man as give him a good tumble—that is, unless he’s a pirate. Soon Jack finds himself out on the high seas again, with Anne by his side and his men spoiling for action. And when they capture a Dutch merchant ship, they pick up an unlikely crewmate as well, an expert sword fighter and topmast seaman who has a secret: he just happens to be a woman named Mary.

Together Jack, Anne, and Mary cut a bold swath through the West Indies, stealing naval sloops, plundering rich merchant ships, and choosing to live a life of freedom—the only life that mattered.

©2004 James L. Nelson (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing Action & Adventure Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Sea Adventures Adventure Pirate
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I really enjoyed this. The novel had a great balance between history and fiction. I loved the way that the two women's characters developed and their feelings were explored with great sensitivity.

Exciting , fast paced but weitten with depth and feeling

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