"He puts the opal back in its silk bag, draws the ribbon and stands, crouching, one arm holding onto the timbers above him in the lowness of the deck. "There is no luck," he says, as if chiding a child. "You sail your own ship." He strides away, towards the stair, holding the gem in the silk bag closed tight in his fist.
He is wrong, of course. A man can sail his own ship. A woman must put herself in the way of one sailing in the right direction."
On Wilder Seas by Nikki Marmery is an irresistible historical fiction novel, built on the bare facts of Francis Drake's circumnavigation voyage. The author confesses that she has taken particular licence with official records of Drake's exploration of America during the summer of 1579.
The main protagonist of the book - Maria (or Macaia, as she was known in childhood) - lived aboard the Golden Hind for nine months, though her existence is mentioned fleetingly in the records of those times, and not much is known about her. Nikki Marmery gave voice to this mysterious woman. And what a voice it is!
Maria is a compelling figure, intelligent and courageous.
To begin with, Maria is a victim. She is a slave on the Spanish ship.
"Three years have I been on the Cacafuego, first with Gonzalo and now with Don Francisco, changing hands with the ship alongside the sails and the cooking-pots as if I were part of its furniture..."
We meet her first in Acapulco in March 1579, as the treasures of the East are unloaded in the harbour. She is trying to get a few extra pesos by buying and reselling in the next port. She has to be careful about it: "For it is not permitted. Everything I earn belongs by right to Don Francisco, since all that I am, my labour and my body, are his, may the Virgin spit on his sword and the Devil shit in his face".
When Cacafuego is attacked by the English, Maria seizes her chance to escape. The General agrees to take her on board in exchange for a precious opal she steals during the raid of the English.
She escapes the Spanish only to find herself an unprotected woman surrounded by vicious sailors on the Golden Hind.
To survive she has to sell her body to the General: "So here I find myself. In the General's cabin. A place of safety, away from the wolves. From most of them. One unwanted man is better than a pack".
What Maria couldn't foresee in her attempt to find freedom is that she unwittingly joins Francis Drake's circumnavigation voyage. The Golden Hind is about to set sail on a secret detour to find the fabled Anian Straits in the far north.
Being a lone woman among eighty men, Maria has to keep her wits about her. As the Admiral's interest in her dwindles fast, she is terrified of what would become of her. If not lust, how can she keep his interest? "I do believe I have it. That which I can barter for his protection instead of my sex. My soul. A great surprise to find it should prove of a purpose."
The crew and Maria will be tested to the very limits of their endurance. And Maria is hiding a secret.
Maria is taking a central stage in this gripping tale, but there are a lot of supporting characters - real and fictional - who add their voices and stories to create a convincing, authentic historical background.
Francis Drake is not portrayed as a romantic dashing hero of pirates and exploration-themed novels. He is unscrupulous, avaricious, ambitious, cruel and merciless. An anti-hero.
Maria has to find courage to cut the ties that bind her to Drake and pursue her own journey. She craves freedom for herself and her unborn baby.
"Eleven years of slavery. Four masters. Once taken, once given up, once bought, once won. Each time passed from one man to another as if I were a side of beef. Oceans crossed against my will - many times. A life at sea with lustful, violent men. Two babies in my belly by a man I loathe."
She would do anything to be free. That is why she jumped into the unknown.
Maria is a symbol of survival. Physical abuse, rape, loss of freedom, her baby taken away, loneliness and fear of the future, privations of the voyage through the storms and cold, meeting hostile natives on land, diseases - the list of hardships seems to be never-ending. But her spirit is not broken.
A young artist on board the Golden Hind who draws the landscapes, maps, as well as flora and fauna of the new lands, creates a portrait of Maria with a branch of myrtle in her hand:
"Whatever becomes of me, wherever I end, I will be in this picture always. Perhaps John is right: the Queen of England will look upon it one day. What will she think of me then? A wild-haired woman, in a place she does not belong and should not be. Carrying new life inside her, the myrtle in her hands screams it plainly. I am glad this picture exists. That she may see it. Perhaps she will show it, for all to see and know that I was there".
This gripping historical drama will keep you engrossed and flipping pages right to the very end.
Today is the last day of the blog tour for On Wilder Seas, you can find all the other reviews here:
Many thanks to Nikki Marmery and Legend Press for my copy of the book!
I really enjoyed this book and it made me wonder how things were in real life for the people on the ships so many years ago. I enjoyed getting to know Maria, who seems somewhat of a modern hero, but who knows how realistic her portrait is? A great book for a bit of escapism during the confinement !
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, what better way to escape the lockdown's gloom. An amazing story.
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