Professional Review
Lawhon (The Frozen River) recounts the story of Irish folk hero Grace O’Malley in this exhilarating novel. Told in a three-part looping structure, with alternating chapters titled Maiden, Mother, and Matriarch, the narrative shuffles between Grace’s childhood, unhappy marriage, and battlefield triumphs in the Elizabethan era. As a girl, Grace dreams of a life at sea, but her chieftain father, Eóin, bars her from sailing. Eóin foils her love life, too, forcing her at 16, in 1546, to marry the odious Donal O’Flaherty, despite her intense bond with future chieftain Richard Bourke, who writes her a passionate letter after her union with Donal: “I will wait for you.” She has three children with Donal, who physically abuses her. After Donal is killed in 1565 while battling the rival Joyce clan, Grace unexpectedly defends Hen’s Castle, a key holding of her late husband’s clan, against incursions by the Joyces, and she’s finally able to be with Richard and earn the respect of Eóin, who hands over command of his fleet. The clever storytelling style, inspired, according to an author’s note, by the Celtic Trinity Knot, rewards attentive readers, with recurring imagery and motifs forming an increasingly complex portrait of the heroine. This is transportive. —Publishers Weekly
Professional Review
Called to the sea from a young age, Grace O’Malley is frustrated by her father’s insistence that she marry well and produce heirs rather than follow in his footsteps as a captain and warrior. Her grit and ambition aren’t so easily extinguished, however, and being married off to a boorish man is only a small obstacle to be overcome on the way to becoming the notorious, charismatic pirate queen who ruled Irish seas in the late 16th century and who once dared to plead her case before Queen Elizabeth I herself. Experienced historical novelist Lawhon (Code Name Helene; The Frozen River) divides Grace’s life into three periods—maiden, mother, and matriarch—and then interweaves those timelines to explore how one woman shaped her own destiny through her courageous choices. The novel’s frequent jumps back and forth in time and the large cast of characters (who often have similar names) occasionally make it hard to follow the intricacies of Grace’s maneuverings, but Lawhon succeeds in creating a vivid portrait of a larger-than-life figure whose feats of bravery and cunning have become the stuff of legend. VERDICT A well-researched work of feminist historical fiction that focuses on action and agency. —Library Journal
Review
“A page-turner. . . Bold and daring, it’s a thrill-a-minute adventure with an absolute badass at the helm.” **—*Real Simple***
“Legendary historical figure Grace O’Malley commands the page as she once commanded the Atlantic in this thrilling tale of clan rivalries, daring escapades, bloody betrayals, and female power. . . Lawhon’s swaggering epic transports us to a mythic era complete with brave heroes and heroines, loyal servants and vile villains.” **—*Oprah Daily***
“Epic . . . An action-packed adventure that could be a spectacular movie in the right filmmaker’s hands (we’re looking at you, Mr. Nolan).” **—*AARP***
“An immersive odyssey.” —Booklist, Starred Review
“A thrilling story, and the fun that Lawhon clearly had with scenes of bloody mayhem, storms at sea, treacherous machinations, and low Gaelic dialect is contagious. Her pirate queen is brilliant, beautiful, and fearless; her loyal servants are adoring and capable; her male foes are sleazy scumbags and detestable boobs—all exactly as it should be. A heroic, exciting, and stormy voyage.” **—*Kirkus Reviews***
“A vivid portrait of a larger-than-life figure whose feats of bravery and cunning have become the stuff of legend.” —Library Journal
“Exhilarating . . . rewards attentive readers with recurring imagery and motifs forming an increasingly complex portrait of the heroine. This is transportive.” **—*Publishers Weekly***
“Engrossing” —Women’s World
