Bonny & Read: The beautiful and page-turning feminist historical novel for 2023

Thelma & Louise meets Pirates of the Caribbean - an exuberant historical debut reimagining the lives of the trailblazing, boundary-defying outlaws Anne Bonny & Mary Read

The stunning new feminist retelling of the real-life female pirates of the Caribbean

*One of The Times' Best Historical Fiction Novels of August*

'This swashbuckling debut is great fun'
THE TIMES

'Wonderfully drawn characters and a terrific pace'
JESS KIDD, bestselling author of THE NIGHT SHIP

''A poignant depiction of true female friendship, and a really good adventure story, beautifully told'
FRANCES QUINN, author of THE SMALLEST MAN

'A cracking read. . . Fascinating, complex characters and a real page-turner!'
LIZ HYDER, author of THE GIFTS

'Bonny and Read has it all. Adventure, atmosphere, sizzling suspense and unforgettable characters. Such a brilliant debut!'
SD SYKES, author of THE GOOD DEATH

'A deftly told tale of the complexities of friendship, female identity & freedom, featuring two remarkable women determined to define their own destinies . . . the pages turn themselves'
ANITA FRANK, author of THE LOST ONES

'What a debut! A fabulous, dangerous sea-shanty of a story'
KATIE MUNNIK, author of THE AERIALISTS

'A wonderful story, so beautifully told and absolutely gripping to the very end'
EMMA CARROLL

'Walker's book is a warm and wonderful tribute to these timeless women, with intriguing detail of the period and the pirate life.'
LISA REDMOND, Historical Novel Society

***

Rebels. Pirates. Women.

Caribbean, 1720. Two extraordinary women are on the run - from their pasts, from the British Navy and the threat of execution, and from the destiny that fate has written for them.

Plantation owner's daughter, runaway wife, pirate - Anne Bonny has forged her own story in a man's world. But when she is involved in the capture of a British merchant ship, she is amazed to find another woman amongst the crew, with a history as unconventional as her own. Dressed as a boy from childhood, Mary Read has been a soldier, a sailor, a widow - but never a woman in charge of her own destiny.

As their exhilarating, tumultuous exploits find fame, the ballad of Bonny and Read is sung from shore to shore - but when you swim against the tide of history, freedom is a dangerous thing...

An exuberant reimagining of the extraordinary story of Bonny & Read - trailblazing, boundary-defying, swashbuckling heroines whose story deserves to be known. Perfect for fans of Ariadne, The Mercies and The Familiars.