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This past week, I read Erin Lawson’s The Pirate Queen. Although a dense read in several ways, I have a deeply gratifying feeling as if I completed a graduate level class in medieval Irish history.
Lawson's prose is simply beautiful, and she has a way of pulling you into Grace O’Malley’s world without ever making the history feel heavy. The writing is vivid and thoughtful, but what stayed with me most was how deeply Lawson seems to understand Grace as a woman, not just as the legendary figure we may know from history.
The way Lawson moves back and forth through the different periods of Grace’s life is especially well done. Rather than disrupting the story, the shifting timelines help us understand how the young girl becomes the formidable woman she is destined to be. We see how her childhood, her family, her loves, her losses, and the choices she is forced to make shape her over the course of a lifetime.
What I found most moving was the emotional depth Lawson gives Grace. We know the history of the Pirate Queen—the fearless woman, the leader, the survivor—but Lawson takes us behind the legend. She lets us see Grace’s vulnerability as well as her strength, and we feel the weight of what she carries with her through the years. By the time we reach the end of Grace’s life, it feels as though we have truly traveled alongside her.
This is historical fiction at its best: beautifully written, rich in history, but above all, deeply human. I finished The Pirate Queen feeling that I hadn’t simply read about Grace O’Malley—I had come to know her.
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Review of WITCHES OF CAMBRIDBE by Alice Hoffman. Review by Jane Loeb Rubin, author of the Gilded City series:
This is a perfect read for the season. Alice Hoffman has done it again! What I loved most about The Witches of Cambridge was the remarkable depth of Alice Hoffman’s characters. Each has a compelling backstory filled with heartbreak, secrets, and longing, making me feel deeply invested in their lives. Hoffman’s meticulous, lyrical prose is a pleasure to read, and her ability to capture the complexities of human relationships is extraordinary. I found myself drawn into the characters’ struggles, understanding their choices even when they were flawed. Most of all, the novel shows that love can endure sorrow, loss, and seemingly impossible obstacles, leaving a moving, memorable impression.
