The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye

By Briony Cameron

Book Overview

This "thrilling, swashbuckling story" (People) based on true events illuminates a woman of color's rise to power as one of the few female pirate captains to sail the Caribbean, and a forbidden love story that will shape the course of history.

In the tumultuous town of Y quimo, Santo Domingo, Jacquotte Delahaye is an up-and-coming shipwright, but her ambitions are bound by the confines of her self-seeking French father. When her way of life and the delicate balance of power in the town are threatened, she is forced to flee her home and become a woman on the run along with a motley crew of refugees, including a mysterious young woman named Teresa.

Jacquotte and her band become indentured servants to the infamous Blackhand, a ruthless pirate captain who rules his ship with an iron fist. As they struggle to survive, Jacquotte finds herself unable to resist Teresa despite their differences. When Blackhand hatches a dangerous scheme to steal a Portuguese shipment of jewels, Jacquotte must rely on her wits, resourcefulness, and friends to survive. But she discovers there is a grander, darker scheme of treachery at play, and she ultimately must decide what price she is willing to pay to secure a better future for them all.

Passionate, action-packed, and unputdownable, The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye is "a beautiful and, at times, gut-wrenching tale of found family, self-discovery, and the true meaning of freedom" (M. J. Kuhn, author of Among Thieves).

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1668051028
• ISBN13: 9781668051023
• Release Date: June 2024
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

4 stars

THE BALLAD OF JACQUOTTE DELAHAYE by Briony Cameron What an adventure! A pirate adventure, that is. This has all the swashbuckling elements of the best pirate stories with a little sapphic romance thrown in. While this was inspired by a legendary Haitian female pirate, it leans heavily into mythological/fantasy fiction. Here we follow Jacquotte Delahaye, a shipwright who fakes her own death, temporarily assumes a male alias to escape her enemies, rises to power, commandeers a ship to become a successful sea captain. Yas, queen! Whether Jacquotte was real or not is up for debate, but the cultural and historical implications of her life/story are huge. It’s significant that a 17th century woman was able to achieve such a level of power and independence. To think that her story survived solely through oral storytelling! I really enjoyed this fast paced, action packed story of redemption, revenge, freedom, love and adventure. It would make for a great movie. If you support women’s rights (and wrongs), this may be the book for you. Rating: 4/5 ⭐️ **ARC courtesy of Netgalley & AtriaBooks.