The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon — a sweeping historical adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River and I Was Anastasia.
Grace O’Malley was born to be a sea captain. As the only daughter of a powerful Irish chieftain, she is expected to secure an alliance and bear children — not take the helm. The sea will not let her go.
Married off against her will, Grace still builds power, gathers loyal followers, and refuses to abandon the water. When she is driven from her husband’s lands, she returns home and claims the O’Malley fleet in earnest. Just as she finds true independence, Elizabeth I’s deputies push deeper into Ireland. Grace must fight for her ships, her land, and the people she loves.
Inspired by the life of Gráinne Ní Mháille — the folk heroine known as the Pirate Queen of Ireland — this novel moves across the stages of her life and onto the high seas of the sixteenth century. Keenly observed and fiercely written, it is a story of motherhood, command, and a woman who would not be contained.
For readers who want historical fiction with weather, steel, and an unforgettable heroine.
