The Pirate's Wife: The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd

3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars | 144 ratings

Price: 17.32

Last update: 10-19-2024


About this item

The dramatic and deliciously swashbuckling story of Sarah Kidd, the wife of the famous pirate Captain Kidd, charting her transformation from New York socialite to international outlaw during the Golden Age of Piracy

Captain Kidd was one of the most notorious pirates to ever prowl the seas. But few know that Kidd had an accomplice, a behind-the-scenes player who enabled his plundering and helped him outpace his enemies.

That accomplice was his wife, Sarah Kidd, a well-to-do woman whose extraordinary life is a lesson in reinvention and resourcefulness. Twice widowed by twenty-one and operating within the strictures of polite society in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century New York, Sarah secretly aided and abetted her husband, fighting alongside him against his accusers. More remarkable still was that Sarah not only survived the tragedy wrought by her infamous husband’s deeds, but went on to live a successful and productive life as one of New York’s most prominent citizens.

Marshaling in newly discovered primary-source documents from archives in London, New York and Boston, historian and journalist Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos reconstructs the extraordinary life of Sarah Kidd, uncovering a rare example of the kind of life that pirate wives lived during the Golden Age of Piracy. A compelling tale of love, treasure, motherhood and survival, this landmark work of narrative nonfiction weaves together the personal and the epic in a sweeping historical story of romance and adventure.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.


Top reviews from the United States

mrsjdw
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's an easy read and even though some people have mentioned in reviews that the author assumed a lot of details, I appreciated the input on how things would have been handled in those days and the historic details of the daily lives in that time period. Sarah was a remarkable woman for that era and should be remembered for more than being a pirate's wife. I also enjoyed reading about the history of pirating. It was not what I had expected.
Maryellen Cameron
4.0 out of 5 stars captain Kidd’s story told through his wife’s voice
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2024
This is the story of a woman who earned a place in her own right in history. She was smart and astute in running businesses. But it was her marriage to a pirate that led to this biography. Captain Kidd doesn’t seem like the viscous pirate history has labeled him so it’s interesting to read about him. He was betrayed for political reasons though he was no saint either. There was a little more speculation in the book than I like in a biography but it’s a good read.
Too Busy
3.0 out of 5 stars Needed a good editor
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2024
I was truly looking forward to this book. I am disappointed. Writing is not good, the story telling uneven and a better editor was needed. The author speculated too often as to what people felt, knew or didn't know - to the point of ridiculous. The research was impressive but she should have collaborated with a good fiction author and told the story as an historical novel. As published, it's lacking.
Mallery
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoying the Story
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2024
I have not finished the book but so far I am enjoying the story
abigale1Sharon Krumm
4.0 out of 5 stars Book review
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024
Very interesting. Author did tons of research to get facts where available. Not quite finished but am really enjoying.
A.Teach
5.0 out of 5 stars A very informative read
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2024
I can’t put this one down. It is such a good read.
Kindle Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars Conjecture with some gems - no Erik Larson.
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2023
This title caught my eye because I love dramatized nonfiction and was surprised that enough primary source documents survived from the 17th century to support a biography of a woman, much less a pirate’s wife.

Spoiler: There aren’t, really.

The fact that Sarah Kidd exists at all in the historical record is fascinating. I did not know that woman at that time were entrepreneurs, and her marriages, properties, and personal effects are well recorded.
However, Sarah could read but not write until, perhaps, very late in her life. If any ever existed, there is no correspondence between Sarah and any family members, and nothing from Kidd to Sarah that would provide insight into their relationship.

The author happily fills in the blanks with romantic maybes, perhaps, and possibilities. A particularly dramatic bit of genealogical research is completely suspect: Her cited sources are behind a paywall, but through my paid ancestry account, the alleged love-child of her reunification with Kidd appears in a jumbled family tree that does not align with the other names and relationships in this book. Many of the (limited) endnotes refer to secondary sources.

Lastly, the writing, itself, was a disappointment. The sentences were simple and unvaried; it read like a YA edition. There are no pictures (the author describes the portrait of Kidd that was painted during his trial) and no maps, which would have helped the reader follow the treasure shell game.

For all the attention to Kidd’s treasure and ships, there was no mention of the 2007 discovery of the Quedagh Merchant ship off the Domincan Republic. The “Treasures of the Earth” exhibit at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum features the archaeological expedition and a recovered cannon.
A. F. Klenk
1.0 out of 5 stars Boring
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2024
It was like reading a chapter in a school book. Dry, with no flair. Should have been a big dnf.

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