Amazon UK £2.31 £9.62
Amazon US $2.98 $11.99
Amazon CA n/a
Coming of Age / American Settlement / Nautical
17th century
North America
North America
Savagely taken from her mother’s womb during a 1665 Apalachee raid in La
Florida, Luisa grows up more like her adopted brothers than a female of the
tribe. At twelve years of age, her tomboyish stunts and aptitude for numbers
convince Fray Tomás that she should learn the ways of the Spaniards, to be a
proper lady. Her latest stunt, revealed by her jealous cousin, goes too far
beyond the proprieties of the Apalachee, and her father sends her away from the
tribe to do the bidding of a vicious Spanish woman. Forbidden to use her Indian
name, Luisa equates her punishment to slavery.
When news arrives of her favorite brother’s impending nuptials, Luisa
secures permission to attend. She arrives too late to travel with her family
and must make her own way to the bride’s village. A third tribe attacks, her
father and many others are killed, and she is among the captives who are traded
to an Englishman for weapons.
Taken to the Carolinas, Luisa is sold into slavery. During the auction a
bidding war pits her new master against another man, who wants to sell her to a
Jamaican brothel. Luisa’s only hope is to escape, but her family is gone. She
has no village to return to. The troubles between the various tribes, inflamed
by both the English and the Spanish, make La Florida a dangerous destination.
And the loser of the slave auction is a determined man, who will do whatever he
must to own her, no matter how long it takes.
The multiple points of view and numerous subplots – some of which are
left unresolved because they will be dealt with in future stories about Luisa –
make this a long book, but the author’s purpose is to show Luisa’s natural
progression from being raised among the Apalachee to becoming a pirate. She
admirably achieves this goal, although a few switches of perspective are a bit
jarring and some storylines could have waited until later books. There are a
few formatting issues, such as extra spaces within words, but Luisa is a
compelling character and the story engages the reader, rarely loosening its grip
until the last page is turned.
Told from a variety of perspectives – principally those of Luisa, Fray
Tomás (a Franciscan missionary), and Henry Woodard (an English surgeon turned
trader) – Catfish Pearl is a story of
greed, ambition, faith, jealousy, treachery, growing up, and adapting to what
life throws at you.
Set during a brutal period when Spain and England use the native
peoples to gain footholds in the New World. While the language is at times
raunchy and character actions shock modern sensitivities, Francisco portrays
them realistically in a vividly recreated period in Florida’s history.
Review Copyrighted ©2017 by Cindy Vallar
Aha, a lady pirate - Helen had better not introduce her to Jesamiah. His ladylove might not approve. ;-)
ReplyDeleteNo Tiola would not - she knows all too well what Jes is like! *laugh* I'm looking forward to this one, it sounds a bit different and interesting
ReplyDelete