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worth the read indeed
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Re: review of THE PIRATE's DAUGHTER
das it!!???
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Re: review of THE PIRATE's DAUGHTER
Where you ordered your copy? I'm at Amazon.com and it's on pre-order.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">worth the read indeed </div></div>Comment
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Re: review of THE PIRATE's DAUGHTER
got a galley [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bannana_purple.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bannana_purple.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bannana_purple.gif[/img] ....it is worth the reading...she has done it again....so many things to discuss from the book....fi real...an dis is mi second go rung....Comment
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my ongoing conversation with the author
i know the book is not out but i am doing a sort of 'interview 'with the author ...if any r interested in reading bits of it as an intro to ur future reading of the book, i have her permission to post the conversation....
the book is slated to be published in October and I dont think it will spoil ur reading of it...
so let me know ...dont want to fix it up for public consumption ongle to have it ignored....time and all ...u know how it can beComment
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Re: my ongoing conversation with the author
I would definitely love to read anything about that book and if the author is willing to share tidbits the more the better. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]Comment
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Re: my ongoing conversation with the author
oh yes! put me dung for an intro read.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i know the book is not out but i am doing a sort of 'interview 'with the author ...if any r interested in reading bits of it as an intro to ur future reading of the book, i have her permission to post the conversation....
the book is slated to be published in October and I dont think it will spoil ur reading of it...
so let me know ...dont want to fix it up for public consumption ongle to have it ignored....time and all ...u know how it can be </div></div>Comment
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Re: my ongoing conversation with the author
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i know the book is not out but i am doing a sort of 'interview 'with the author ...if any r interested in reading bits of it as an intro to ur future reading of the book, i have her permission to post the conversation....
the book is slated to be published in October and I dont think it will spoil ur reading of it...
so let me know ...dont want to fix it up for public consumption ongle to have it ignored....time and all ...u know how it can be </div></div>
if you're willing to post it here in the book club, vannie,rather than on the front page fi di enjoyment of di many and not di few, then we would be honoured to read of your conversation with the author. She has a solid fan base in this corner of Jcans.com. [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]Comment
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Re: my ongoing conversation with the author
aiight...juss so u know is not necessarily the book but the writing of the book...it will touch on the characters, the storyline etc....
mek mi gwane edit an dweet wid wat mi ask har so far...is bak an forth, so mi sen an den wait...u done know how dat go...
i have to reiterate that i really enjoyed the book...did it in one read the fuss time...is a galley, an uncorrected one it is stamped, but mi no see nutten fi correk...love it [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/proud_jamaica.gif[/img]Comment
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Re: my ongoing conversation with the author
Q: how much licence did u take with any info u garnered wen researching the book? e.g. the shipwreck which brought Flynn to the island.....the start up of UFC in Port Antonia almost by chance...the history of the Otaheiti apple etc?
A: As I say in my author's note, I do change a few facts and the work, while based on a real person, is a fictional work not non-fiction.
Flynn's arriving on a wrecked boat is true, but he landed in Port Royal not Port Antonio as I have in my book (for simplicity & unity of the plot I changedit to Port Antonio).
The United Fruit Company info is based on facts & historic research (it was first called the Boston Fruit Company, and it was a Boston skipper, Dow Baker, who happened upon the whole banana thing, then built a hotel (The Titchfield, which I call the Somerset in my book) you can read about this history of Port Antonio & the UFC in a wonderfulbook called The Conquest of the Tropics - though Baker went on to be only one of two co-founders of the UFC);
the Otaheiti apple, as I discovered, is a South Seas fruit.
Interestingly, I made up that story about Sabine & the sailors on Captain Bligh's ship giving her Otaheitis (however, Bligh did actually stop at Navy Island when he brought over the breadfruit), but have since read in various books & online that the Otaheiti's presence on the island has been attributed to Bligh's arrival.
Other historical facts that I came across -- the boucaniers, Navy Island as a place for repairing the British navy's boats etc.
As you know from my first book, I love history, and I was intrigued by the amount of history I found in Port Antonio. I couldn't even begin to fit it all into this book. But yes, I changed a couple of facts (something I usually try not to do) for the sake of a cohesive story;
Navy Island,for instance is not really quite as lush or hilly as it is in my book,though still quite a lovely little paradise. and there was indeed a movietheatre in Port Antonio earlier than the 1950's (but I really wanted EliJoseph in my book to have that achievement).Comment
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Re: my ongoing conversation with the author
[bQ [/b] ....i notice that u refrained from using the names James Bondand Ian Fleming in the same 'open' way u did Flynn etc...was that due to copyright reasons...forgive me if u have the reason in the notes, u can tell i went straight to the book...did i mention that i love it ...oh, the reason i ask is that the book is so well written, that i am almost convinced that ,as written, the facts r that...facts and historical ones to boot ...bravo...
A You are so dear...I wavered about whether or not to call NIgel Fletcher Ian Fleming. My literary agent said it was more interesting to do it this way, leaving people to guess... also I felt I had a lot more freedom with the character if he was only part Ian Fleming and partly my own creation.
It's funny about facts & fiction... with my first book too...readers would say to me that they recognized such and such a person in my book (one person at a reading told me he was convinced one of the characters was his grandfather!) or they remember an occurrence in Jamaica that I know I made up.
Then there are things (mostly family lore, memories) where I seem to be the only one who remembers them as true, not fiction. But I am careful to stay within the bounds of what is legal and ethical.
Yes you may quote me...all the best,Comment
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Re: my ongoing conversation with the author
Summary
“Back in America, little was known of my life in Jamaica,” wrote Errol Flynn.
In 1946, a storm-wrecked boat carrying Hollywood’s most famous swashbuckler shored up on the coast of Jamaica, and the glamorous world of 1940’s Hollywood converged with that of a small West Indian society. After a long and storied career on the silver screen, Errol Flynn spent much of the last years of his life on a small island off of Jamaica, throwing parties and sleeping with increasingly younger teenaged girls. Based on those years, The Pirate’s Daughter is the story of Ida, a local girl who has an affair with Flynn that produces a daughter, May, who meets her father but once.
Spanning two generations of women whose destinies become inextricably linked with the matinee idol’s, this lively novel tells the provocative history of a vanished era, of uncommon kinships, compelling attachments, betrayal and atonement in a paradisal, tropical setting. As adept with Jamaican vernacular as she is at revealing the internal machinations of a fading and bloated matinee idol, Margaret Cezair-Thompson weaves a saga of a mother and daughter finding their way in a nation struggling to rise to the challenge of independence.
Praise
"I was completely caught off guard by how wonderful it is.... Everything here is very real and alive. The story is light and swift as a sea breeze, and imbued with the genuine essence of Jamaica. Her characters bound off the page, and while many writers would be tempted to give Errol Flynn run of the show, the mother and daughter outshine the matinee idol. I won't soon forget this family. The Pirate's Daughter has the makings of a sleeper hit." - Jamie Kornegay, Turnrow Books
"Buried treasures, lost treasures, and treasures of the heart; all are fair game in this tale of love and desire. Be warned though, Margaret Cezair-Thompson buccaneers are not the swash-buckling ones of storybooks. Here classic Hollywood and Jamaica collide in a story of place, friendship, and family. The Pirate's Daughter is rich in the complications of who and how we keep those we love close to us." - Lisa Baudoin Books & Company, Oconomowoc, WI
“The Pirate's Daughter could be a break-out commercial read. This first novel combine pirates, the hottest thing going, with Errol Flynn, the hottest action star of his time, with some voodoo spells and reggae music. Add some Jamaican history and a bit of patois and you'll crave a cool breeze, a cold drink and plenty of time to finish this.” - Sydne Waller, Hudson Booksellers
"There are books and then there are great books . Once in awhile, these days, a great book comes along that makes a bookseller proud to be a part of its success. The Kite Runner, The Life of Pi, and now The Pirate's Daughter. The Pirate's Daughter is a literary triumph that combines all the elements of a great novel: romance, intrigue, history, glamour and suspense. What an unforgettable masterpiece. I can't wait for the giant to awaken!" - Marva Allen, Hue-Man Bookstore (NY)
“What a great read!! It is perfect for the arm-chair traveler--or those who forget that we now need a passport for all out of the country travel. Thank goodness for this book. Cezair-Thompson lets us experience Jamaica post WWII through the establishment of the country--from the shipwreck off shore to the mountain top home of Uni. The characters who move the story along flesh out Jamaica's people and culture at this crossroads in its history. Here's hoping every Jamaican ex-pat finds this book. And haven't we all wanted to be pirates--at least for the burying and unearthing the treasure part. So the title invites us all in. The story we share of the pirate's daughter who eventually finds the treasure is rewarding.” - Mary Gay Shipley, That Bookstore in Blytheville (AR)
"I love The Pirate’s Daughter. The cultural melting pot of Jamaica against the celluloid backdrop of Errol Flynn and his Hollywood friends, young women and local workers on Navy Island provides the author with so much rich material. The Pirate’s Daughter brings to life a cast of remarkable characters who maneuver their way through cultures, real and imagined, families and classes looking for security and love...charms even the most hard hearted with her simple prose, authentic dialects, and heartbreaking look at dreams, both broken and realized in an era of stardom and glamour. I think you have a winner on your hands." - Sarah Bagby, Watermark Books (KS)
"Impossible to put down." - Lisa Casper, Tattered Cover Bookstore
"A treasure to read…A splendid adventure in reading and one that I would highly recommend for any armchair traveler." - Kathy L. Patrick, Founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs
"It's really hard to describe how thrilling it is to read such an original story.” - Valerie Koehler, Blue Willow Bookstore
"Margaret Cezair-Thompson writes a pirate story we can read unashamed on the beach or at the coffee-shop…" - Keri Holmes, The Kaleidoscope: Our Focus is You
"[T]he story was the kind that eats up a week of time and leaves you happier for having done so.” - Hans Weyandt, Micawbers
"[R]emarkably believable and engrossing....This is a book filled with the desire for adventure, unfulfilled romantic intentions, and a bold and startling history.”—Laura Hansen, Bookin' It
Bio
Margaret Cezair-Thompson is the author of a widely acclaimed previous novel, The True History of Paradise. Other publications include short fiction, essays, and articles in Callaloo, The Washington Post, Journal of Commonwealth Literature, Graham House Review, and Elle. Born in Jamaica, West Indies, she teaches literature and creative writing at Wellesley College.
Excerpt
The swimming pool dazzled her. She walked over to the edge and gazed down. Ribbons of sunlight wavered across the bottom. She knelt down and put her hand in the water.
"Hullo?"
The voice startled her but she did not pull out her hand.
"You'll fall in if you're not careful."
She saw a man standing wet in the doorway with a towel around his waist and a drink in his hand.
He saw a child who looked white but who wore a loose, faded old dress like the kind the servants’ children wore. He noticed, however, that she had on a good pair of leather sandals. Where on earth had she come from?
"Who are you?" His voice rang out.
"May," she said, standing up, and then she remembered to say, "I’m Eli Joseph’s grand-daughter.”
She heard the crackle of ice as he lifted the glass to his lips. He studied her for a few more seconds.
"Well, come in then," he said and stood aside so she could come in.
Inside, the floor tiles were larger than any she'd ever seen and she believed that if she were to touch them they would feel cool against her palms. Some of them were wet from the man’s feet. Her eyes swept round and she took in everything quickly: the dark, polished railing of the stairway, a bar with high stools, and a huge brown leather couch where she sat down, a little embarrassed at how unsteadily she sank into it. The walls were white and bumpy, and there was an enormous painting of a black horse on the wall.
He studied her as he made himself another drink. His hands were shaking. The child’s resemblance to him was astounding.
"Where did you come from?" he asked.
"Port Antonio." He was not so white, she thought. She had seen whiter people. His tummy was big, almost like a pregnant woman, and she thought his chest looked a bit womanly too. He was almost as dark as her Lebanese grandfather was except for his very white feet. Was this him? The rich, handsome movie star everyone talked about who might be her father? Maybe not. She decided to question him.
"Where you come from?" she asked.
His eyebrows lifted in surprise, and he thought for a moment before answering her.
"Tasmania," he said.
She had never heard of it. She frowned.
"It’s an island far from here."
"Are you my father?"
He took a sip, put his drink down, and then walked over to the couch.
His weight threw her off balance when he sat beside her, and she almost toppled onto him. He was too close for her to look at without straining her neck, so she looked at her own feet.
He touched her hair. "And you just appear, like Peter Pan," he murmured.
She looked at him, not understanding.Comment
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Re: my ongoing conversation with the author
I won't lie but I had some reservation when I read the excerpts...the swashbuckling Hollywood meet island life/girl/woman/child seem like a hackneyed theme. Thanks for the privy evanovitch, through your interview and the reviews, mi ready fi get my copy of "The Pirate's Daughter".Comment
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Re: my ongoing conversation with the author
i will have more...the book is nowhere near that sort..fi real...i have asked her about the mother/daughter interplay she has again in this book...plus odda tings...mi wi sort out some more a mi emails an post dem...i really love the book
the book is not about his sex life as it is his failure to grow in a lot of ways...the facts of his life do play a part, but not in the way u said u thought the book would be
i really dont want to spoil it by telling u the story...stay tuned to what she has to say and truss mi wen mi tell u seh, it is not going to disappoint...it is a fabulous 2nd bookComment
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Re: my ongoing conversation with the author
“The Pirate's Daughter snuck up on me like the tide coming in - set in beautifully-drawn 1940's Jamaica, this is a story of family life interrupted by the incoming celebrity of Errol Flynn and his large presence in a small community.
Margaret Cezair-Thompson's skillful storytelling reveals a chess game that has Flynn slide around from active figure to towering backdrop, casting shadow and influence on her central mother/daughter pair, Ida and May.
The Pirate's Daughter grows subtle layers of complexity and relationship, weaving history, racial divide and political change with the surprising interactions life presents, the struggle and growth through choices and sacrifices made, and most wonderful of all, the casual, internal musings of each of her characters that Cezair-Thompson seems to carelessly toss our way as she floats in and out, from one to another, that become the anchoring force of human interaction in a world of unanswered questions, lost maps and long-searched-for hidden treasures.
A fantastic read with so much to offer, one that I'm impatient to handsell.” --Eileen Lynch, Dutton'sBrentwood books
“After the tumultuous drama of her first novel The True History of Paradise, Margaret Cezair-Thompson’s new novel takes on a lighter air, but one no less atmospheric, about the unique way of life that is Jamaica.
Combining elements both real and imagined—the actor Errol Flynn’s wayward years there, spent in mischief, like Gauguin’s time in Tahiti, as well as the author’s own romance with the high seas and Robinson Crusoe—The Pirate’s Daughter is a fantasy which unfolds in its own time, and on its own level of entertainment. Island characters who grow chapter by chapter are accorded respect as much as a sense of the comic (and, even, the cosmic), as they seek to entangle the secrets behind Flynn’s life and the mysteries of fiction. T
This is not the book that the title leads one to think it will be, or should; it flowers all on its own as a perfectword-of-mouth family fantasy.” –Stephen F. Shapiro, Rainy Day Books
Q how do u decide upon the tone of ur books....the subject matter, the direction u plan to take.
A I begin with some characters, a place & time and a few ideas and during the process of writing some of the things that most concern me (social,political, emotional) come up.Comment
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