‘Saltblooded, wholehearted, I choose the sea.’

I have so many good things to say about ‘Saltblood’; it is exactly the book I want to read. I felt whalloped right into the story, reading ‘Saltblood’. And what a Shakespearean story it is – an enraged mother (‘[My mother] will not forgive her life for what it has dared to become.’) and a daughter role-playing a gender-swapping kind of masquerade:
‘[My mother] has raised me to be a boy, and she says it is for the money, but sometimes I wonder if it isn’t also so the world will treat me kinder than it has treated her. But that means she hates me too, now that I am a boy and on my way to becoming a man. The older I get, the angrier at me she becomes, and I never know if it is because I am not good enough at playing a man, or because I am too good at it.’

This novel tickled the back of my mind in the most gratifying manner. Francesca de Tores moulds her novel around archetypal source material, the fascination with which we have all mostly internalised: the shapeshifting of women (‘This is the way of it: women making space, and men taking it.’). I love it when contemporary fiction calls allusion into play and re-shapes or adds onto what we already hold in the collective ‘read’ shelf of our consciousness. Yet what I thought would be a tragi-comic spectacle, actually revealed itself quite early on as a more sensitive discourse on what it means to claim an identity:
‘Tell me your crow name. Tell me the name you will wear to the bottom of the sea. Tell me the name shaped to fit every part of you, instep and underarm and the exact curve of your ear. Tell me the name you hear someone calling in a dream, and wake with your mouth already open to reply. Tell me the name that the crows would say, black-voiced, because everybody knows a crow cannot lie.’

And with this gorgeous image, I thought of Ovid’s Crow, who – in the ‘Metamorphoses’ – illustrates the necessity of holding your tongue, of keeping a secret.

Putting these things together, as a reader I appreciated the tale told of keeping who you are a secret, or changing who you are into something other:
'I believe all bodies are as loose as the bodies in [ancient myths]. Zeus changes into a swan [...]; Daphne changes into a tree [...]. I figure there is a truth running through these tales like a thread of gristle through meat: that you can be one thing, and then another. Sometimes it's a threat; sometimes it's a promise.'

In fact, far from melodrama, ‘Saltblood’ is a finely wrought inquiry into emotional being. Mary Read, our protagonist, is as much a shapeshifter as any of Ovid’s figures and she unabashedly calls upon that most iconic of Ovid’s metamorphs, Daphne:
‘For an hour, as I clean the drawing room fireplace, I keep the [cherry] stone in my mouth like a dislodged tooth. In the end I swallow it. For days I dream a cherry tree will grow in me. I think of Grandmother’s book of myths, and the picture of Daphne, half woman and half tree, taking refuge in her own branches. I think of the hardness of women and the softness of wood. I remember the sour-sweetness of the cherry and how it split under my tongue. At night, in my narrow bed, I clench my hand then unfurl it like a leaf, and imagine how boughs might grow from me.’

As for Tores’ writing style, every phrase here can be mined, nothing is flimsy or surface-level; there is craft and gravity borne out in her style. With each piece of technical wowzery and with each looping-back to earlier established imagery, Tores builds upon the reading pleasure, and I found her work elicited a kind of primal satisfaction in me.

For comparisons, I’d say if you enjoyed ‘The Night Ship’ by Jess Kidd, or if you’re a Julia Armfield devotee, I’d highly recommend ‘Saltblood’.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

"All manner of things are possible that we do not know until we do them."

It's 1685 when Mary Beard is born in Plymouth. After her half-brother, Mark, dies, her mother names her after him so she can continue to collect his inheritance money. And so, Mary learns to be a boy as a servant at a manor, and a man, first, as a sailor in the royal navy, and then, a soldier in the war against France and Spain.

But it's the sea that will always call Mary, and after leaving the army she returns to the waters, this time as herself. Most captains won't take her on board, despite her competence as a sailor and when she finally does get a commission, she'll have to take great care. Because in a world made for men, she is always in danger. And, when the opportunity comes to sail without restrictions, she makes a decision to become a pirate, hunted by the Crown.

Mary Beard is a real historical figure, who came to infamy during the so-called Golden Age of piracy. She's absolutely fascinating. The author uses her to explore gender identity, and themes of love, loss and fierce independence. Mary made her own way, her own luck, at a time when women were mostly chattel. I loved reading about her. At times I felt a bit lost with the nautical terminology and had to look up a lot of words, so I feel the author could have dumbed that down a bit.

Otherwise, a great read.

his is a new author for me. I loved Saltblood. I’d like to read the author’s other books some day because I enjoyed this so much. The book recounts in part the live of Anne Bonny, a father famous pirate whose story I’ve come across before. Her paths cross with Mary’s and the relationship between them is the core of this novel. I loved their story. This is well-written and engaging. I got sucked into Mary and Anne’s life every time I picked up the book and didn’t want to leave. I loved this book and would recommend it.

Sticking closely to the few facts known about Mary Read, Saltblood is a fictionalised account of her childhood, life, military service and Piracy!

From being forced to live life as a boy, her deceased older brother Mark to keep her and her mother fed - to becoming a footman, enrolling in the Navy and later taking to the seas as a pirate with the notorious Anne Bonny - Mary lived an interesting and unusual life for an 18th century woman.

She found love but lost him too soon and couldn't settle to a life without adventure - Mary was used to living life on the edge of being discovered as a woman in a world where a woman, especially a poor woman, were rarely ever allowed to be more than a wife, mother or lady-of-negotiable-affection.

The narrative is vivid and descriptive and I felt a strong connection to Mary's need for independence and to be accepted on her own terms.

Travelling the seas, disguised as a man in the ‘golden age’ of piracy

Francesca de Tores has written an absorbing, believable fiction, weaving together the known facts of the lives of two female pirates of the early eighteenth century, Mary Read and Anne Bonny, who were part of ‘Calico Jack’s’ crew.

It is Mary who is the major character in de Tores book, and we follow her, disguised as a boy and then a man, in her journey through the navy, then joining the army, and, later, going back to sea on a merchant ship and privateer, plying trade in the West Indies, before eventually joining a pirate crew.

De Tores really evokes the period well. My only challenge (and dropping of star) is that, because inevitably de Tores wants us to understand and have some empathy with her central characters, some inevitably horrific history is glossed over. This was well within the period of the slave trade, which features very little, and de Tores makes ‘Calico Jack’ opposed to the slave trade, and Mary befriends one black pirate who has escaped slavery. There is no other reference to any of her earlier sea history within the merchant navy trading in anything other than goods, and this includes the privateers who were making their own side hustles.

Maybe Mary, Anne and Jack were all incredibly enlightened people, well in advance of their society, but the extremely slight reference to the fact that people were being traded seemed somewhat odd

I was delighted to read this as an ARC and will certainly want to read more of de Tores writing

I'd heard the name Mary Read before, but have to admit I'd never really given much thought to the lives of female pirates. I've obviously been missing out though, because it turns out the Golden Age of Piracy was a fascinating time. Saltblood is a fictionalised account of Mary Read's life: her childhood in London (where she was raised as a boy), the time she spent in the army and navy (disguised as a young man), her journey to the Bahamas, where she eventually joined John 'Calico Jack' Rackham's pirate crew, and her relationship with Anne Bonny (another infamous female pirate based in the Caribbean). It's well-researched and well-written, and has lots of interesting commentary on womanhood and gender in the 18th century Atlantic world, alongside everything else you'd expect from a novel about pirates (daring, duels, and adventures on the high seas). I'm excited to read more from Francesca De Tores. Thanks NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the e-ARC!

Saltblood is a brilliantly written debut novel. This historical fiction is so descriptively written and the author does a brilliant job of transporting you into the various scenes, making it all feel very realistic. It covers in great detail the extensive life of the character Mary/Mark and their many adventures. The pace is a bit slow in places and I found myself struggling to connect with the character at times but overall this is a fantastic historical fiction. It explores a number of themes including gender, sexuality and family dynamics to name a few. A really interesting read that fans of historical fiction will enjoy.

Great historical novel the characters were well developed and the book had a mixed cadence which kept interst u til the end

This was a masterpiece of historical fiction. I had a vague idea of the lives of Ann Bonney and Mary Read, but this book literally brought Mary to life. I was surprised at first how much of the book dealt with her early life before she went to sea, but it really helped flesh out her character and why she ,right have chosen such an unusual way of life. It reminded me of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, a book I loved as a child for its maritime setting and satisfying female characters. Literary but enjoyable!

This book grabs you from the beginning! You know how the story ends from the start, but you are invested from the first chapter. I really liked it and I'm glad that pirates are becoming a new trend in fiction!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for this eCopy to review

Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. What a life Mary Read led. Saltblood is a fascinating account of her life and how she managed to keep her disguise of being a boy/man. De Tores is a gifted storyteller and I really felt as if I was travelling with Mary on all her adventures. I will definitely read more books written by her in the future

First of all let me tell you that I liked the book but I didn't enjoy it as much as I would've liked.

The first few chapters were very powerful and hooked me, but then everything felt very flat, and don't get me wrong, the writing style was really beautiful, but I couldn't connect with any characters because it felt like I was reading a diary that only described facts but not emotions, so even though i could understan what Mary was going through i couldn't connect with her story

The story was interesting because Mary Read is an interesting character, but i wish i could've connect with the story and the characters.

Overall, I had fun reading it and I can't wait to read more from the author!

This is a truly epic tale of imagination, but based on real people, Mary Read and Ann Bonny. Francesca De Tores has really captured the spirit of the era as the central character’s life is followed across the world. It’s not a tale of pirates, it’s more about the strength of an individual, disadvantaged from the outset, but with a spirit and heart that’s stronger than a lion. I knew little about Mary Read and I found the years spent before her piracy days absolutely fascinating. De Tores narrative style fits with the age and it’s easy to be transported to a completely different setting and feel like an observer. The language and descriptions are exceptional and she has a real eye for detail. I imagine there’s been a great deal of research involved in writing this tale and it pays off because it feels so authentic. I really enjoyed a depiction of a powerful and inventive female, empowered and capable and this is a truly rollicking adventure.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley. However I did subsequently buy a physical copy of the book as I enjoyed it and it’s one I want to reread.

What a wonderful historical novel! I went into this looking to enjoy a pirate story but it’s so much more than that. The pirates don’t even come into the story until halfway through but I was riveted through out!

This book is about Mary Read, one of the famous golden age pirates along with Anne Bonny (who also features). We learn of Mary’s childhood as Mark as her mother made her live as her dead brother to ensure she could still get an allowance from her grandmother. Mary being brought up as a boy influences everything in her life, from her early job to her joining the navy and developing a deep love of the sea.

I found Mary fascinating and I loved the crow! Mary felt like such a unique voice compared to some other historical fiction I’ve read and her determination to forge a path for herself even where it leads to living in rough situations was riveting.

This is a period of history I was already really interested in and it was so vividly presented in this book. I was really impressed with the writing style and how the book managed to cover so much of Mary’s life but still move along at pace without feeling like there were any gaps.

Highly recommend for those looking for a really exciting historical novel.

A phenomenal debut novel, I savored every page. Loved the writing - beautifully descriptive and a great story. I will be looking out for this author in the future. 5 stars, highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for this arc!

Wow, this was a treat. Francesca de Tores’s prose is absolutely gorgeous — so lyrical, so full, each sentence’s structure beautifully reminiscent of writing from the 18th century in its wordiness (complimentary) and its ability to carry across so much feeling without speech. I found myself pausing at many a sentence that took my breath away; the seeming simplicity of so many lines in fact belied their very own treasure troves of emotion and focused consideration of the situation/character being described. Mary was a fantastic protagonist to be in the head of: her sharp understanding of the world and how it works (and how it doesn’t), her crow-eyed awareness of a room/cabin/deck and how/where everyone stands and how they may react to different scenarios, her acceptance of her body and how it functions and fits and shifts within the societal mould of the early 1700s. I loved de Tores’s explorations of gender and sexuality, of how fluid and sea-like it can be — de Tores managed to avoid anachronisms and maintain a pretty convincing historical approach to these ideas. I also enjoyed all of the water imagery and metaphors, and de Tores’s writing really shone for me in these moments.

This really is a historical epic, a pirate odyssey, and I have a feeling I’ll be thinking back to this book a lot. I came away tasting salt on my tongue, eager to lean over the side of a boat, shading my eyes from the glare of the sun as I stare out at the expansive futurity of the horizon and the sea on which it sits. 4.5/5!

An amazing book covering the 1600’s and 1700’s. A fascinating story of a very young girl forced to dress as a boy. Mary Read has to adopt the name of her dead brother Mark and continues to live as a male. The adventures of Mark/Mary are incredible including time spent in the Navy, Army and getting involved in Piracy.
It’s not a quick read however I really enjoyed it. The characters are great and the writing very good.

Saltblood by Francesca De Tores
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Awe-inspiring!

Saltblood is the fictional tale of real life pirate Mary Read from the 17th-18th century. Disguised as a boy from birth by her mother she is made to take on her dead brother’s name, Mark Read, which she takes with her into service, the Navy and beyond, in her journey to becoming Mary again. We meet so many famous pirates, from Charles Vane to Captain Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny.

Firstly if you enjoyed Black Sails the TV series then let me recommend this to you, because I’ve lost count of my rewatches of Black Sails, and although this book has differences, and is actually a bit more factual, I can see myself reaching for it again and again. De Tores has done her research, and throughout the story I was buried in the sights, sounds and smells of Mary’s life as it was so perfectly written. It transported me into Mary’s extraordinary life, I feel like I’ve physically been to Nassau.

This is historical fiction done superbly, and brings into discussion gender and sexuality in the modern society and as we know, it’s not new, and as Mary finds her peace with who she is it makes me hope that our society will find similar peace with themselves and let people live and love as they are.

Francesca De Tores is now an author I want to read more from, and Saltblood is at the top of my reads for this year so far!

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital copy before release, I only ever share my own opinion.

Saltblood by Francesca de Tores
I loved this book about the pirate Mary Read. We begin her history with her birth in Plymouth in 1685 as her half-brother is dying. Her mother is in need of the money from her dead husband’s family and so passes Mary off as Mark, her half brother. So begins Mary’s adventure as a woman in a man’s world. She is fearless in the face of danger and proves herself to be a real woman of the sea.
This is a fascinating exploration of what it meant to be a woman during this period and the story of her life takes many and varied turns before she reinvents herself once more as a pirate. The descriptions of the life of a sailor in the Navy and also that of a cavalryman in the army are very evocative. The author also brings to life other characters from history who leap from the page such as Ann Bonny and Calico Jack.
From the first page you are drawn into the fascinating story of Mary’s life and the author keeps you well and truly hooked until the very last page. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will be recommending it at my various book clubs. Many thanks to the author, publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review. Id probably give it 4 1/2 out of 5 as a review score.

An entertaining story based on two women pirates during the eight century. The language has an ease and vitality to it, feels authentic but accessible for the modern reader, yet is charming and original. We follow Mary Read from a youth spent in disguise as a boy to an adventurous adulthood, falling somewhere between woman and man. A thoroughly enjoyable tale, with many colourful characters, yet wistful in its praise of the sea.