The Changeling

The Changeling by Alison MacLeod is the tale of the pirate Anne Bonny.

Anne was foretold to be a son - all of the signs pointed to a boy - so when she was born a girl instead she was treated with some suspicion by Annie Fulworth who was her midwife. Anne's mother died in childbirth and so Anne was raised by Annie.

She was born in Ireland but moved to the Carolina territory when she was young. She ran away from home with a pirate, Jim Bonny, and they were married at sea. She took Annie with her when she went and to get around the suspicion of having women on board - Anne went as Anson and Annie went as the ghost of his mother who had unfinished business.

Later she met up with Captain Jack Rackham, aka Calico Jack, and Mark Mead (later to be revealed as Mary Read). Together they terrorized the Carri bean.

Told in a style that reminds me of old-world fairy tales with characters steeped in superstition, the Changeling reads like a novel written long ago. But don't let that lead you to believe that it isn't worth a read. While some of the romanticism of pirates replaced with a more realistic view of the war between ships, it is a fascinating tale of a woman who was not hindered by the gender roles of her time.

MacLeod, Alison. (1996). The Changeling. New York: St. Martin's Press.