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Saltblood

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Saltblood

By: Francesca de Tores
Narrated by: Dakota Blue Richards
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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents Saltblood by Francesca De Tores, read by Dakota Blue Richards.

**WINNER OF THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE **

'A gripping tale of one woman's extraordinary adventures ... Saltblood is a triumph of the imagination'
ELODIE HARPER, author of 'The Wolf Den' trilogy

'A ravishing picaresque told with fireworks, finesse and gusto'
PAUL LYNCH, author of Prophet Song

'A well crafted, salty, old-fashioned adventure about identity and freedom' The Times

In a rented room outside Plymouth in 1685, a daughter is born as her half-brother is dying. Her mother makes a decision: Mary will become Mark, and Ma will continue to collect his inheritance money.

Mary’s dual existence as Mark will lead to a role as a footman in a grand house, serving a French mistress; to the navy, learning who to trust and how to navigate by the stars; and to the army and the battlegrounds of Flanders, finding love among the bloodshed and the mud. But none of this will stop Mary yearning for the sea.

Drawn back to the water, Mary must reinvent herself yet again, for a woman aboard a ship is a dangerous thing. This time Mary will become something more dangerous than a woman.

She will become a pirate.

Breathing life into the Golden Age of Piracy, Saltblood is a wild adventure, a treasure trove, weaving an intoxicating tale of gender and survival, passion and loss, journeys and transformation, through the story of Mary Read, one of history’s most remarkable figures.

'Saltblood is exquisite. The writing is sumptuous and lyrical, the story fascinating'
LOUISE O'NEILL, author of Asking for It and Idol

'Startling, fresh and brilliant'
ANNA MAZZOLA, author of The Clockwork Girl

'A wonderful tale and so exquisitely told ... Master and Commander meets Thelma & Louise'
JAMES OSWALD, author of the ‘Inspector McLean’ series

'A thrilling, gender-shaking roar of a tale every reader will enjoy'
NEIL BLACKMORE, author of Radical Love

'Saltblood is a complete triumph. A glittering jewel of a novel; a treasure chest of delight. I cannot bring myself to put it down' E.S. THOMSON, author of Beloved Poison©2024 Francesca De Tores (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Inspiring Pirate
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This is one of the best books I've listened to this year. Beautifully narrated and the writing is like poetry. Really fascinating story as well. Would definitely recommend

Outstanding

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Absolutely loved this tale based on the life a female pirate. It follows her journey and doesn’t just lead on the piracy, which is only one part of her life, and so we have a full picture of her rather than a sensationalist one. The writing is beautiful, so descriptive and well woven. The narrators voice was perfect and reminded me of the sea ebbing and flowing. Feel bereft that it’s over, always the sign of a good book!

So brilliantly written and captivating.

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A fantastic, beautiful and evocative book. I was gripped from the very start. Transported straight into the past.

Brilliant writing

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I really wanted to like this book, but after reaching halfway and still having no word of the pirate's life, I, unfortunately, had to return it - the story is great as a lengthy biography detailing Mary Read's life, but for me, it was just too much of nothing happening.

Long

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The narration was excellent and paced well. The story was sad but quite interesting although the various conflicts and storyline were a little repetitive.

Interesting but Repetitive

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A great story told with great imagination and flair. Tails of high adventure on the high seas. Enjoyed from start to finish.

The golden age of pirates

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Loved the story and was kept engaged by how beautifully it was read by Dakota

Read beautifully!!!

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I loved the story of Mary Read and her journey through life and with the sea. I had hear of her story a long time ago and was really happy to hear it came out on audible so I gave it a go and I was really happy with it. I loved the way it was written in the book as well as the audible version so I bounced between the two. I love a good historical fiction from time to time and this one was just what I needed. I’d highly recommend it if you like historical fiction books/audios, this one in particular is up there with some of the better ones from this genre in my opinion.

Mary Read

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Not the swashbuckling pirate adventure I was expecting but a somewhat autobiographical and thoroughly sombre tale of Mary Read… a good story but just not what I was expecting after reading the synopsis. Less emphasis on the pirate aspect would have been helpful as it’s misleading.

A sombre tale

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An interesting story that has somehow been drained of all drama. The narrators voice is colourless which doesn’t help. Also the endless internal dialogue about gender and what it means to be a woman is irritating and puts such a focus on the issue that the actual drama is almost secondary.

A fascinating story somehow made bland

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