The Pirate’s Daughter, Margaret Cezair-Thompson
Words To Mouth
Carrie Runnals
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Episode 49 - The Pirate’s Daughter, Margaret Cezair-Thompson

I had the privilege of meeting and cruising with the Manic Mommies back in November. One of the lovely mommies, Kim Erskine, organized an on-ship book club and we all met up in the library one afternoon to chat about The Pirate's Daughter. It was the perfect backdrop to talk about a book set in the tropics. The conversation was thought-provoking and as with most book clubs, impressions were introduced that weren't previously considered. Some of the questions our group had about the book went unanswered, so it was wonderful to pose them directly to the woman who penned the story.

Listen in as Margaret speaks so eloquently and intensely about her book and the Caribbean island nation she adores so much. Margaret is without a doubt a gifted storyteller and simply a delightful person.

Join the conversation & be entered to win a FREE copy of The Pirate's Daughter by:

  • Leaving a comment below and/or
  • Calling 206-309-7318 and sharing your impressions of the book or this interview--something I can play on-air
  • Deadline February 15th, 2009, EST
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Unbridled Books Description:
In 1946, a storm-wrecked boat carrying Hollywood’s most famous swashbuckler shored up on the coast of Jamaica, and the glamorous world of 1940’s Hollywood converged with that of a small West Indian society. After a long and storied career on the silver screen, Errol Flynn spent much of the last years of his life on a small island off of Jamaica, throwing parties and sleeping with increasingly younger teenaged girls. Based on those years, The Pirate’s Daughter is the story of Ida, a local girl who has an affair with Flynn that produces a daughter, May, who meets her father but once.

Spanning two generations of women whose destinies become inextricably linked with the matinee idol’s, this lively novel tells the provocative history of a vanished era, of uncommon kinships, compelling attachments, betrayal and atonement in a paradisal, tropical setting. As adept with Jamaican vernacular as she is at revealing the internal machinations of a fading and bloated matinee idol, Margaret Cezair-Thompson weaves a saga of a mother and daughter finding their way in a nation struggling to rise to the challenge of independence. 

A wonderful book review excerpt from BookingMama:
THE PIRATE'S DAUGHTER by Margaret Cezair-Thompson has been on my radar for over a year now so I was very excited when one of my book club members selected it for our December meeting. News about this book just kept popping up everywhere, and all of the buzz was so good. I think it was only a matter of time before I picked it up.

I first heard about this novel when Unbridled Books released it last fall. The book's description sounded very interesting to me. Then, it started receiving some big-time praise including including the #1 October 2007 Book Sense Pick as well as 2008 Essence Magazine Literary Award for Fiction. In August, the trade paperback version of THE PIRATE'S DAUGHTER was released by Random House with a bright, gorgeous cover. And just a few months ago, Celestial Seasonings' Adventure at Every Turn selected it as one of their book club picks. I am just so glad that someone finally selected it for us to discuss.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I began reading THE PIRATE'S DAUGHTER, but I have to say that the book was a little different than I thought it would be. While I knew that the story was about a young Jamaican girl, Ida, who falls in love with Errol Flynn, I didn't know that the book also included a lot of historical information about Jamaica. Having known absolutely nothing about Jamaica and their struggle for independence in the 1970s, I thought it was very interesting. The author did a tremendous job of incorporating the history with the characters in this novel.

I had always known that Errol Flynn was a unique figure to say the least, but I had no idea how much trouble this man could cause. I found him to be extremely distasteful -- he seemed to prefer under-age girls and lots of alcohol; however, I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of him and his actions -- these scenes were excellent. He must have been such a charismatic figure because men and women alike wanted to be in his presence (although to me he just seemed disgusting.) I found it so sad that Ida fell in love with him (or the idea of him) and ended up sacrificing her entire life because of her feelings. For More . . . 

Margaret's Suggested Reading:

  • Mister Pipp, by Lloyd Jones "I love and highly recommend," says Margaret

Margaret's favorite author (when forced to pick ONLY one!):

  • Edith Wharton

**Visit the Words To Mouth website for links to Booking Mama, The Pirate's Daughter MySpace, Margaret Cezair's Facebook page, and Errol Flynn Wikipedia