THE BALLAD OF JACQUOTTE DELAHAYE

Narrator Angel Pean delivers a robust and emotionally charged portrayal of a seventeenth-century biracial female pirate in this action- packed audiobook. After her French-born father is brutally killed in Haiti, 20-year-old Jacquot flees with her younger brother; her lover, Theresa; and several male ship-worker friends. They become indentured to the notorious pirate Blackhand. Then Jacquot challenges Blackhand for the captaincy of the vessel--and wins. She alters the crew's composition by hiring women who are fleeing oppressive marriages, as well as escaped slaves and indentured servants. Pean fully inhabits the bold Jacquot, who fearlessly stands up to men, and gives textured intonations and accents to the many multiracial characters. Her poignant depiction of the tenderness between Jacquot and Theresa softens the frequent scenes of fighting. M.J. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2025]