09/05/2022
Historian Geanacopoulos (The Pirate Next Door) delivers a colorful biography of Sarah Kidd née Bradley, the wife and “closest confidante” of privateer William Kidd. The daughter of a widowed sea captain, Sarah emigrated from England to New York with her family in 1684. Her father partnered with a wealthy merchant named William Cox and arranged Cox’s marriage to Sarah. Though Cox helped Sarah open a shop for “imported high-end goods” in Manhattan, she was not entitled to it when he died in 1689. Recognizing that “a woman’s place in colonial society was through her husband,” Sarah quickly remarried but soon met and fell in love with Captain Kidd, a privateer “hired to legally plunder and seize enemy French ships.” After her second husband’s death, Sarah and Kidd married, and he acquired a lucrative commission to hunt French ships and pirates in the Indian Ocean. The mission proved to be his downfall, however, when he was convicted of “turning pirate” and hanged in 1701; Sarah took the location of Kidd’s buried treasure to her death 40 years later. Though Sarah remains a somewhat enigmatic figure, Geanacopoulos packs the narrative with intriguing details about piracy and privateering in colonial America. This seafaring tale fascinates. Agent: Katherine Flynn, Kneerim & Williams Agency. (Nov.)
"A fascinating and intriguing story about the woman behind one of the most iconic pirates of all. Geanacopoulos's compelling portrait of Sarah Kidd's turbulent and often tragic life, and her indomitable spirit, is full of dramatic twists and turns that will leave you wondering if there is any truth to the legend of Captain Kidd's hidden treasure."—Eric Jay Dolin, author of Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates
"After thousands of books written over the centuries it is not easy to say anything new about pirates, but that is precisely what Daphne Geanacopoulos has done in this lively tale of the remarkable Sarah Kidd. Pirate-lovers worldwide will rejoice!"—Marcus Rediker, author of Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age
“Historian and author Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos uses newly discovered primary source documents to bring the fearless and resourceful Sarah Kidd roaring back to life. The author’s impressive research, rich contextual detailing, and empathy for her subject all make for a riveting read. A rollicking yarn replete with romance, buried treasure and revenge, The Pirate’s Wife enthralls!”—Heath Hardage Lee, award-winning author of The League of Wives: The Untold Story of the Women Who Took on the U.S. Government to Bring Their Husbands Home
“The Pirate’s Wife falls under the category of narrative non-fiction but reads like a lively historical novel. Not only does Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos flesh out the story of the wife of the notorious pirate William Kidd, she brings to life the New York of the seventeenth and eighteenth century with meticulous research and rich prose. I sailed right along with this saga. A jolly good ride.”—Sally Cabot Gunning, author of The Widow's War
“Even sea-faring outlaws crave safe harbor now and again, as The Pirate’s Wife demonstrates in its beautifully researched consideration of the marriage between Captain Kidd and his remarkable wife, Sarah. It is always a thrill when a writer shows us a world we think we already know in a new light, and Daphne Geanacopoulos has done just that.”—Madeleine Blais, Pulitzer prize winner and author of In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle
"Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos has achieved something historical scholars dream of: bringing to light a fascinating story that is as entertaining as it is factual. In The Pirate’s Wife, readers are witnesses to both the thrills of upper society in colonial New York, and the harrowing and desperate descent into public scorn and destitution for those accused of piracy. Through all the challenges, Sarah Kidd, wife of the notorious Captain Kidd, fights a corrupt bureaucracy, using her feminine wiles and the occasional bar of gold to beg, cajole, and bribe both influential colonists and the English rulers to save her husband and their way of life. With meticulous research and stunning detail, this fast-paced story will have the reader turning the pages and tuning out the present world, which in some ways hasn‘t changed a bit."—Tracey Enerson Wood, international bestselling author of The Engineer’s Wife and The War Nurse
"A title like The Pirate’s Wife makes promises to the reader: adventure, danger, betrayal, romance, and especially pirate treasure. Daphne Geanacopoulos more than keeps those promises in this deeply researched and richly imagined exploration of the life of Sarah Kidd, the little known wife of one of history’s most infamous pirates. The end result is not only the previously buried story of one woman’s life—in itself a form of hidden treasure—but a detailed and sometimes surprising picture of women’s lives in colonial America."—Pamela Toler, Ph.D., author of Women Warriors: An Unexpected History
"A well-researched and absorbing account, The Pirate's Wife not only illuminates a formidable historical figure, but also sheds light on the history of women in 17th century America and on the politics of early New York."—Judy Batalion, New York Times bestselling author of The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos
"Geanacopoulos packs the narrative with intriguing details about piracy and privateering in colonial America. This seafaring tale fascinates."—Publishers Weekly “Geanacopoulos offers a fascinating look at the golden age of piracy while rendering Sarah's world and her plight in vibrant detail.”—Booklist “Engaging and well-paced. While geared toward a general audience, this work is well-grounded in scholarly research and will likely appeal to many: the armchair historian and those with an interest in the golden age of piracy, colonial New York, and social and women’s histories.”—Library Journal STARRED review "A true historical treasure."—Cape Cod Times "Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos has done an admirable job of rescuing Sarah Kidd from history's crowded attic of forgotten figures."—The East Hampton Star
"[A] striking, thoroughly researched depiction of just how much persistence and inventiveness it took for a woman in Colonial America to retain security and dignity over the course of her life... this work of narrative nonfiction comes to life in startling detail."—Christian Science Monitor
★ 10/01/2022
In her previous book, Geanacopoulos (The Pirate Next Door) looked at the family lives of four American pirates, including Captain William Kidd. She continues that theme in this book with a deep dive into the life of his wife, Sarah Kidd (1670–1744). Born Sarah Bradley, she had already established herself in New York as a socialite and enterprising merchant before she met William. He was her third husband, a well-known war hero, and wealthy. He was later charged with murder and piracy, and she fought to clear his name and obtain a pardon for him. These efforts proved futile, but it is believed that she kept the secret of where he'd buried his greatest treasure, taking it with her to the grave. Geanacopoulos dispels many of the myths surrounding piracy, showing that it was often seen as an essential service to circumvent economically crippling taxes imposed by the English monarchy on their American colonies. VERDICT Engaging and well-paced. While geared toward a general audience, this work is well-grounded in scholarly research and will likely appeal to many: the armchair historian and those with an interest in the golden age of piracy, colonial New York, and social and women's histories.—Crystal Goldman
Courtney Patterson narrates this account of Sarah Kidd, a remarkable woman who was overshadowed by her infamous husband, the pirate Captain Kidd. Listeners are introduced to an intelligent and business-savvy woman who not only kept the household running but also endured the vicious scandals surrounding her husband's exploits. Patterson’s empathetic narration captures Sarah’s life as she stands by her husband despite the hypocrisy of local leadership. Patterson skillfully weaves the blend of first-person and historical storytelling into a gripping performance. V.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Courtney Patterson narrates this account of Sarah Kidd, a remarkable woman who was overshadowed by her infamous husband, the pirate Captain Kidd. Listeners are introduced to an intelligent and business-savvy woman who not only kept the household running but also endured the vicious scandals surrounding her husband's exploits. Patterson’s empathetic narration captures Sarah’s life as she stands by her husband despite the hypocrisy of local leadership. Patterson skillfully weaves the blend of first-person and historical storytelling into a gripping performance. V.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
2022-10-06
The life of a pirate’s wife who died one of the wealthiest women in Britain’s North American Colonies.
Sarah Kidd (circa 1665-circa 1744) is no stranger to history. Neither is William Kidd, the sometime privateer, sometime pirate who roamed the seas relieving others of whatever goodies they were carrying onboard. Geanacopoulos draws on the tropes of bodice-rippers and historical fiction to get inside Sarah’s head. “As she thought back over her life, not all of her memories were fond ones, especially the time when she was a pirate’s wife,” writes the author. “But now the memory of the hardships and heartbreak had softened and Sarah wouldn’t have traded it for anything. She felt proud, very proud, to have been a pirate’s wife and she wore the title as a badge of honor.” During that time, Sarah, who finally became “a mother in her early twenties with her third husband,” watched as her husband committed various acts of mayhem. “Special and mature beyond her years,” she harbored many secrets, and the author throws red meat to buried-treasure fans by suggesting that after Kidd was executed for his crimes in 1701, Sarah took the location of the treasure to her grave. While the matter of that execution involved the complex mechanics of British politics, Geanacopoulos reduces it to yet more guesswork: Of Kidd’s being measured for chains before being strung up on the gibbet, she writes, “This experience must have been terrifying and deeply depressing for him.” Yes, so one would think, though the execution of her husband did clear the decks for Sarah to marry her fourth husband, a merchant who “quickly learned that beneath her hardened core and keen survival instincts she was lovely.” In any event, writes the author, “the idea of becoming a stepfather to the children of a famous pirate was appealing.” Unfortunately, most of the narrative is ham-fisted, and the prose is pedestrian.
It’s better to walk the plank than to try to get through this one.
