"I'll do it. I'll raise it!" Anne raced to midships. Hand over hand she hoisted Jack's pennant higher and higher up the mainmast till it reached the pinnacle where his signature flag, crossed white cutlasses, a skull above, against a black background, spread and fluttered in the wind. She had dreamt of this moment: being part of Jack's gang...
She was no longer an innocent child clining to the ratlines of the William and Mary. She was a woman prepared to fight, to kill if necessary, in defiance of the law".
Wayward Voyage by Anna M. Holmes is a spellbinding historical odyssey, set in the 18C. It opens a fresh window into the familiar and well-recognised historical period.
The title of the book is very apt. Anne Bonny, the main protagonist of the novel, is the very epitome of the word wayward - she is rebellious, strong-willed and wild.
If you're famiiar with the 18C history and the pirates of the Caribbean, you most likely know about Anne Bonny, Calico Jack and Mary Read. As Elizabeth Jones writes in her article, Anne "would earn her place in history by becoming known as one of the fiercest female pirates ever to sail the seas" (Well-behaved women seldom make history - Anne Bonny profile).
All three notorious pirates appear in Wayward Voyage, but it is mainly Anne's story.
We meet little Anne Cormac on board the William and Mary, travelling from Ireland to Charles Town. Caroline is not what they've expected. Anne's father buys a plantation from a German settler, and works hard to establish it. In the first years he works in the fields together with his slaves.
Anne grows up as a wild child. Her parents cannot control her, she always seems to insist on doing things her own way. She enjoys roaming the woods dressed up as boy, and fighting with her neighbours' son. She loves her horse Shotek and rides him bareback. Even as a child, she "witnessed death often enough, and before her own time came she resolved to live life fully. She would drive herself forward just as now she drove Shotek and take life at a gallop".
Rather than conform to the society's expectations, she doesn't want to marry her childhood friend. "She was certain she could not make Richard happy, as year on year her discontent would surely grow. She craved something else; something less predictable. Something bigger than the life around her. Something that would not tie her to land, husband, children".
To escape the constraints of the society and the respectable future, Anne flees on ship bound for the West Indies. To do that, she has to marry in haste a sailor on board the ship. Trying to break free from one bondage she jumps into another. James Bonny is not enthusastic about the marriage, but Anne can be very persuasive. She doesn't care about other people's feelings or aspirations, everyone is just a step on the ladder to a life of a greater adventure for her.
Anne and James settle in New Providence in the Bahamas. Nassau is not a place for a woman. Drunken sailors, despicable pirates, exploited prostitutes... The governor is too weak to do anything to make the settlement prosperous, and is easily outmaneuvered by the pirates. The Bahamas become a nest for pirates plaguing the West Indies.
Then a new governor arrives. Woodes Rogers is as tough as old boots. He offers pardons to the pirates who wish to mend their ways, and displays an uncompromising approach to the pirates.
James sails the seas, trying to make some kind of living for his family, but Anne is dissatisfied. She even encourages her husband to join the pirates. "She totally understood how someone could live for the moment, but she didn't admire those not smart enough to succeed". She tells her husband, "This isn't what I want. There's got to be something more... something bigger... I can't stand this life!"
When she meets Calico Jack, she believes her future lays with him. He is reformed, but doesn't need much encouragement to go back into piracy. Jack and Anne are both reckless, fearless and adventurous. Jack takes up pirating again, and this time Anne refuses to be left waiting on shore.
"Anne knew she had turned away from any kind of conventional life a woman might reasonably seek. She desperately wanted her new course to spiral outwards into a life of greater adveture, craved this, and only in rare moments of self-doubt pushed away uncomfortable thoughts that her life might be spinning out of control".
Anne is not exactly a likeable character, she is cruel, brash, unpredictable and egocentric. While you might have some sympathy towards her, her selfishness is beyond limits. She doesn't care who she hurts. Yet you cannot but have a grudging admiration for her stamina, tenacity and rejection to conform to the conventions of the society.
Wayward Voyage is a beautifully written story, with a strong and intricate plot which gradually builds to its dramatic crescendo. The weaving of the history and fiction is simply remarkable. Strongly recommended!
This post is part of the blog tour for Wayward Voyage.
Many thanks to Anna M. Holmes, The Book Guild Ltd and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!
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Purchase Links
Author Bio –
Anna is originally from New Zealand and lives in the U.K. with her Dutch partner.
WAYWARD VOYAGE is Anna’s first novel. She has been fascinated by the lives of women pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, for a long time. Some years ago, she visualised this story as a screenplay before exploring and building their world more deeply as a novel. WAYWARD VOYAGE made a longlist of 11 for the Virginia Prize in Women’s Fiction 2020.
BLIND EYE an eco-thriller, will be published by The Book Guild in September, so this year, 2021, Anna will have two novels coming out. Her screenplay, BLIND EYE, is joint winner of the 2020 Green Stories screenplay competition.
A documentary about pioneers of flamenco in the UK that Anna produced and directed was screened in Marbella International Film Festival and in London. This passion project ensures a slice of cultural history has been captured. It is available on YouTube and via a portal on her website.
She holds a Humanities B.A, a post-graduate diploma in Journalism and an M.A. in Dance Studies. Initially she worked as a radio journalist before a career in arts management working with U.K. Arts Councils and as an independent producer, dance history lecturer and she has run a dance development agency.
Anna is a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher and enjoys practising flamenco. Writing, dance, and yoga shape her life.
Social Media Links –
Website: https://www.annamholmes.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AnnaMHolmesWriter
Twitter@AnnaMHolmes_
This sounds like an interesting read, not heard of a woman pirate before so am intrigued.
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