Customer Reviews
A story with many depths. - By: Joanne D'Arcy, 02 Nov 2008 
The Pirate's Daughter is a novel which draws you rightin as you read the story of May & her life but also at the same time learn about Ida, her mother, Errol her father & the disturbances of Jamaicain the run up to independence & after.
The book is interestingly divided into parts & chapters, as if suggesting a reference book of some kind with a list of contentsin the beginning. In some ways it is a reference book that transforms itself into a story about growing upin Jamaica with the knowledge that the father of your child is the movie star Errol Flynn,in the case of Ida Joseph.
The book starts with the life of Ida Joseph as the main character & as we see her fascination of meeting movie idol Errol Flynn consume her completely, her dreams come true when an introduction is made by her father & we the reader see her enter Errol's world where she becomes an observer as well as a lover of Errol's. It is important to note that the relevance of Errol Flynn's character is not specific to him, it could have been a movie starin general, but I feel that the author used this movie star as he had a connection & history to the island of Jamaica. The author does note that some of the story has to be exaggerated for narrative effect. This is not a secret of Errol Flynn that has been discovered, he is a toolin the characters lives of Ida & her daughter with Flynn, May Joseph.
Ida is a strong character who cares for her fatherin his dotage, & battles with the family secrets that she only becomes aware of her towards the end of her mother's life. The birth of May, Ida believes will secure her some stability but there is nothing forthcoming from the father Flynn so she resorts to many means to survive. Her trip to New York brings her new challenges as she fallsin love with Karl, a confidant of Flynn's & someone who was completely aware of her infatuation with him.
As Ida is awayin the US trying to make some sort of life for herself so that she can return to Jamaica to take care of her daughter & father, May takes over as the main character & grows to be a rather unruly disruptive girl who can be seen somewhat running wild like street children. She has no one to protect her & guide through lifein the informative years as she grows. May only ever meets her father once, she is aware of his existence by the films that Ida takes her to see. This seems to be a catalystin the story as when Ida returns with her new husband Karl, things do not go the way they should for May or how Ida envisaged.
Flynn is forgotten about somewhatin the last two thirds of the book (rightly so as he has died), his presence is felt though on Navy Island & through the ghosts that seem to roam the island. May, Ida & Karl live there somewhat unsettled & their lives continue to evolve whilst around them Jamaica seems to be struggling with the state of emergency, it takes a long time before inevitably the unrest reaches the island & life is changed forever for all of them.
The story picks up pace & never loses it from the beginning & keeps the reader enthralled with the life of May & her family. The author brings the Jamaica of the sixties & seventies to life & deals with all the cultural difference so subtly that you do not realise it is all happening as you read.
As previous reviewers have commented, the local dialect did somewhat spoil it for me as I had to stop & reread many times so I could understand what was being said. This a great book & well worth a read , as it deals with so much; the relationship between mother & daughter, broken families, love both young & old, national pride & disaster as well as the glamour of another world, that of the movie star.
I expected more - By: Ms. J. O'neill, 13 Oct 2008 
I had seen many reviews about this book. The story sounded intriguing with Errol Flynn as the hook for this story. I wasn't too sure about the real life character & fictional story working. I didn't find this worked well. For me, it divided the book into a glamourous surreal life on Navy Island, where Hollywood came & did what it liked,in a sense taking advantage of Jamaica & the people. Although there were many good charactersin the story, I felt, there could have been more depth to their stories. A lot of unfinished detail. I found the letter writing of Ida & May quite immature, those paragraphs being the least caputring. I sympathised with the people during the unrestin the country, following the troublesin Cuba. The Jamaicans divided & fighting about who best to contiue to govern their island. Worth reading, but don't expect too much.
Sheer froth - By: , 04 Oct 2008 The Pirate's Daughter felt much like a roller coaster - impossible to get off once you're on but leaving you feeling dizzy, slightly sick & rather regretting spending so much time on it....
The plot starts off well enough - Errol Flyn's yacht washes upin Jamaica, he decides to stay, a beautiful young girl fallsin love with him, has his baby, gets abandoned - so far, so summer blockbuster. Sadly, after a cracking start, the novel loses its way slightly. The action never lets up & it's got it all - poverty & politics, death & drugs, mistaken identity & heartbreaking love affairsin spades - but ultimately, one feels that the author is trying to do too much. There's so much going on that even the characters seem to be confused, with their actions rarely tallying with what you might have expected.
In short, it's worth a read, & it's great funin parts. But if you want a coherent plot with strong characters who convince you of their motivation, then I'm afraid you're lookingin the wrong place....
Frangipani-scented delight! - By: K. A. Norris, 22 Sep 2008 
I bought 'The Pirate's Daughter'in the vain hope that I could find a book that would hold me rapt with attention through to the end. Though living with such a demanding imagination, I didn't have much faith. Yet, I began to read & it did not take very long to realise that this book was nothing short of enchanting.
As the plot unfolds it becomes clear that Margaret Cezair-Thompson has a real talent for keeping the reader hooked. She has a true flair for making one feel intrinsic to the very environment of which she has written; you feel part of Jamaica & the incredible Navy Island. How she does this I'm not quite sure, but there is no doubtin my mind that she does it effectively & somewhat effortlessly, at that.
The mellifluous tone used, allowing her to move seamlessly from one event to the next, lets the reader trip from one breathtaking moment to another, with ease. Every page seems to burst with such delightful description of an exquisite place, much like the very frangipani-scent described upon them.
As a reader you feel you are experiencing the life-times of the main protagonists, along-side them. Thus, the reader is ensured to undergo an immense feeling upon finishing the book, eager for more of the lives of both Ida & May, at the least.
Having never read about Jamaica until now, I feel deprived of years of a passion for such a magical place, of which I previously had no true knowledge. This book is not only about the renowned movie-star Errol Flynn, nor is it focused upon the people who he involves himself with along the story; this book is decidedly meant to show the way of island-life, more deeply so: an emotive account of the history which Jamaica has suffered, its' beauty throughout the time & the inner core of it's people.
I, for one, cannot wait to see what else Margaret Cezair-Thompson has to come!
Apart from the smell of the bouganvillea not much to recommend - By: J. Ing, 02 Sep 2008 
This book is readable, but only just. There is a story, as the other reviewers have explained, but I found myself uncaring of the ending. The writing lacks depth & the narrative style is commonplace. There is no more to the story than what happens, unless perhaps, the tropical setting, which, for one basedin rain-soaked England, is alluring. I wonder what makes the book successful for others? Perhaps the link to Hollywood? Perhaps the lack of profundity? I don't know, but I hope that this review will enable readers to consider a range of views about this rather 'so what?' book.
