Writer / Teena Catt
Eagerly anticipated by fans of The Frozen River, Ariel Lawhorn’s newly released The Pirate Queen does not disappoint. Its richly colored forest-green cover opens to endpapers featuring a map of Ireland and western Connaught in 1550 — a detail I especially enjoy, since I love a good book map.
The Pirate Queen is a sweeping adventure inspired by Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people.
The book carries you across the high seas and through Ireland’s landscapes so vividly that you feel as though you are standing beside Grace, whose Gaelic name is Gráinne Ní Mháille. Even with the author’s pronunciation guide, I’m not sure I ever said her name correctly.
Lawhorn also provides a cast of characters guide that I consulted often. The story shifts among three timelines throughout the book. If I reread it, I might follow each in sequence — Maiden, Mother, then Matriarch — an approach Lawhorn herself suggests in the author’s notes.
Grace O’Malley was destined for a life at sea, inheriting her family’s gift for sensing storms. Yet the expectations of her time and culture left little room for her ambitions. As the only daughter of a powerful chieftain, she was expected to strengthen the family through marriage and bear children.
Forced to marry a brutal warrior, she fulfills her duties while quietly cultivating a loyal following. Readers will admire her fearless, defiant spirit, political acumen and strategic skill. Fiercely protective of her family, she leads her men into battle to avenge her first husband and later petitions Queen Elizabeth for the release of her imprisoned son and half-brother.
This book is an excellent choice for a broad audience. Readers of historical fiction will be captivated by Grace’s life, while those interested in Celtic history, female sovereignty and Irish folklore may find its considerable length passes quickly. Rich in detail and emotion, the story moves from swashbuckling adventures to Grace witnessing the hangings of her own family, drawing readers into her courage, fear and heartbreak.
Once again, Lawhorn delivers a compelling, thoroughly researched work of historical fiction. Lawhorn is an award-winning and critically acclaimed bestselling author of historical fiction. She lives with her family outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and sons. She writes that she splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field.
