Book review: A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself

Katherine Howe is well-versed in mariner lingo and the real life of pirates—not the swashbucklers of literature but the gritty, dangerous kind that prowled the seas in the early 18th century. As the title explains, much of this novel is the autobiography of a serving girl fleeing from trouble who disguises herself as a cabin boy and works alongside misfits and desperados of the sea. 

Although Hannah’s story is fiction, her captain is based on the real, cold-blooded pirate Edward Low. As she learns the ropes and what governs the crew, Hannah’s story is paralleled by a professor, Marian Beresford, who strives to get out of her famous father’s shadow and find Hannah’s buried treasure in 1930.

A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself is a fascinating read. It draws you into these two women’s lives but doesn’t complete the whole picture. You have to paint that in yourself, given the clues provided.

rating: ★★★★

A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself
by Katherine Howe
Henry Holt & Company

Howe also edited The Penguin Book of Pirates.