Product Description

Based on the true story of two women fated to become pirates and the man who accepted them as equals.

Fed up with an outlaw existence, Calico Jack Rackam swears off the pirate life, but he hasn’t reckoned with Anne Bonny, a woman who would as soon stab a man as give him a good tumble—that is, unless he’s a pirate. Soon Jack finds himself out on the high seas again, with Anne by his side and his men spoiling for action. And when they capture a Dutch merchant ship, they pick up an unlikely crew mate as well, an expert sword fighter and topmast seaman who has a secret: he just happens to be a woman named Mary. Together, Jack, Anne, and Mary cut a bold swath through the West Indies, stealing naval sloops, plundering rich merchant ships and choosing to live a life of freedom—the only life that mattered.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #235344 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
"Nelson vividly re-creates the eighteenth-century outlaw world of Nassau and the high seas . . ." -- Booklist

"[Nelson is] a master of both his period and the English language." -- Patrick O’Brian

"[Nelson’s] descriptions have the ring of truth and are conveyed with a sharpness and clarity . . ." -- Chicago Tribune

About the Author
James L. Nelson is a former professional square-rig sailor who has served as a seaman, rigger, boatswain, and officer on various sailing ships. He is the author of the five-book Revolution at Sea Saga, The Brethren of the Coast Trilogy, and the Confederate Navy novel Glory in the Name, winner of the 2004 William Boyd Award for Excellence in Military Fiction. He lives in Harpswell, Maine.

Customer Reviews

A Great Read - Guaranteed!!
There is magic in James Nelson's imagination. In this instance, he has taken the outline of a true story concerning the last days of piracy and brought it to life in a most entertaining and emminently readable novel. I used to think that C.S. Forrester was the best at making the days of sail come alive. Having been a professional square-rig sailor, Nelson and his talent for story telling are at least on a par with Forrester and that is rarified company. The story of Anne Bonny, Mary Read and Calico Jack starts very near the end. They have been captured and are about to be put on trial as pirates. The story then goes back to trace the ladies lives to the point where they end up on the deck of the Pretty Anne captained by Calico Jack Rackam and then moves forward through time to reach their imprisonment and trial. It is a lusty tale, full of life, bawdy, bloody and lived to the full. If you have read no other Nelson tales, this is a great one to start with. I am sure it will whet your appetite for his other books. The man is a master story teller and we are the beneficiaries.

Anne, Mary, and Jack - pirates together
This is an awesome story! James Nelson has made minor historical characters come alive in masterful style!

The main characters are Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Captain John "Calico Jack" Rackam. Anne and Mary had very different backgrounds but circumstances in their early lives drove them to participation in the male-dominated "sweet trade" - piracy. Calico Jack was a pirate early on in his life, choosing to present a dandified appearance due to the colorful clothes he wore, yet commanding respect and fear because he was a very effective captain, keeping his crew happy and drunk with a succession of profitable captures of various ships.

Anne was looking for a change in her life when Calico Jack strode into the Nassau tavern where she was sitting. The two connected at once and within a few weeks were together at sea on the pirate ship, Anne as an able crew member to disguise her gender and attachment to Jack.

One of their prizes was a Dutch ship, on which Mary Read was now an accomplished sailor. As usual, Captain Jack offered the captured crew members the chance to join his pirate crew. Mary considered this proposal and decided to adopt the "short and merry life" of a pirate.

Thus began a three-way friendship that provides the essence of this novel. Nelson's knowledge of his characters, sailing and the sea, and the pirate era is very impressive. The description, dialogue, and detail are so vivid I felt like I was beside Mary, Anne, and Jack all the way - on sea, on land; on top of the world, and in trouble.

I highly recommend this book - it's a unique story, full of adventure, romance, and history.

An enthralling high-seas adventure of the outlaw life
The Only Life That Mattered is a riveting novel that tells the fictionalized story behind real-life pirate legends Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack Rackam. Written by a former professional square-rig sailor, The Only Life That Matters is an enthralling high-seas adventure of the outlaw life, pirate society, and two woman who achieved the impossible - they succeeded in making fellow pirates accept them as equals. Based heavily upon primary sources, this account blends both history and exciting storytelling to paint an unforgettable picture of ruthless yet free life upon the high seas.