#78 The Wake of the Lorelei Lee by L.A. Meyer
This review has spoilers for previous Jacky Faber books (such as Rapture of the Deep) but no spoilers for The Wake of the Lorelei 
Lee.
Life for Jacky Faber has rarely been better. Suddenly rich, she purchases the ship the Lorelei Lee with hopes of transporting Irish immigrants to Boston. Unfortunately, the gold she used to buy the ship wasn't technically her own, so when she first pulls into an English port she is quickly arrested for theft, as well as several other crimes. Sentenced to live out the rest of life in the penal colony of Australia, Jacky finds herself a prisoner on the very boat she once captained.
The strongest Jacky Faber books have always been the ones with a nautical flare, so I was happy when I saw that The Wake of the Lorelei Lee takes place primarily at sea. The result is a book that's a ton of fun to read, even if Jacky's habit of constantly running into familiar friends (and enemies) around the globe may stretch credulity a bit. Still, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the series is getting to meet the colorful characters that populate Jacky's story. Jacky's journey on the Lorelei Lee features familiar faces, as well as some interesting new ones. Inspired by the real life voyage of the Lady Juliana in 1789, Jacky's fellow prisoners are all female convicts, mostly prostitutes with some petty thieves as well. Some of the characters Jacky encounters actually share names with actual women who traveled on that journey.
During the first eight books in the series, Jacky's adventures have brought all over the world, from the banks of the Mississippi River to Paris, France. In The Wake of the Lorelei Lee, Jacky visits Asia for the first time. It kind of tickled me how Jacky ended up acting like a typical ignorant western tourist from the early 1800s would, thoroughly embarrassing herself with her cultural insensitivities. Another interesting aspect of the book are the duel story lines featuring Jacky and her bethrothed Jaimy, who also finds himself on a prison shipping heading towards Australia. The new Captain of the Lorelei Lee sees the hundreds of female prostitutes that make up much of the prisoners not as cargo, but as potential business partners, knowing that everyone can make plenty of money at nearby ports. He also ends up giving everyone free reign of much of the ship, which surprises Jacky. The ship Jaimy is captured on, on the other hand, is little better than a slaver, and it's interesting to see how their experiences on each ship mirror each other.
The Wake of the Lorelei Lee is a solid installment in the Jacky Faber series. Once again, I experienced this book in audio format. Due to Katherine Kelgreen's fantastic narration, there really is no better way to read these books. I plan on continuing to read the rest of the series.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: the print verison is 554 pages
Source: Readfield Community Library
Other books I've read by this author: Bloody Jack, The Curse of the Blue Tattoo, Under the Jolly Roger, In the Belly of the Bloodhound, Mississippi Jack, My Bonny Light Horseman, Rapture of the Deep
Next I will be reviewing Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George and Red Hood's Revenge by Jim C. Hines.
Xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads
Lee.
Life for Jacky Faber has rarely been better. Suddenly rich, she purchases the ship the Lorelei Lee with hopes of transporting Irish immigrants to Boston. Unfortunately, the gold she used to buy the ship wasn't technically her own, so when she first pulls into an English port she is quickly arrested for theft, as well as several other crimes. Sentenced to live out the rest of life in the penal colony of Australia, Jacky finds herself a prisoner on the very boat she once captained.
The strongest Jacky Faber books have always been the ones with a nautical flare, so I was happy when I saw that The Wake of the Lorelei Lee takes place primarily at sea. The result is a book that's a ton of fun to read, even if Jacky's habit of constantly running into familiar friends (and enemies) around the globe may stretch credulity a bit. Still, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the series is getting to meet the colorful characters that populate Jacky's story. Jacky's journey on the Lorelei Lee features familiar faces, as well as some interesting new ones. Inspired by the real life voyage of the Lady Juliana in 1789, Jacky's fellow prisoners are all female convicts, mostly prostitutes with some petty thieves as well. Some of the characters Jacky encounters actually share names with actual women who traveled on that journey.
During the first eight books in the series, Jacky's adventures have brought all over the world, from the banks of the Mississippi River to Paris, France. In The Wake of the Lorelei Lee, Jacky visits Asia for the first time. It kind of tickled me how Jacky ended up acting like a typical ignorant western tourist from the early 1800s would, thoroughly embarrassing herself with her cultural insensitivities. Another interesting aspect of the book are the duel story lines featuring Jacky and her bethrothed Jaimy, who also finds himself on a prison shipping heading towards Australia. The new Captain of the Lorelei Lee sees the hundreds of female prostitutes that make up much of the prisoners not as cargo, but as potential business partners, knowing that everyone can make plenty of money at nearby ports. He also ends up giving everyone free reign of much of the ship, which surprises Jacky. The ship Jaimy is captured on, on the other hand, is little better than a slaver, and it's interesting to see how their experiences on each ship mirror each other.
The Wake of the Lorelei Lee is a solid installment in the Jacky Faber series. Once again, I experienced this book in audio format. Due to Katherine Kelgreen's fantastic narration, there really is no better way to read these books. I plan on continuing to read the rest of the series.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: the print verison is 554 pages
Source: Readfield Community Library
Other books I've read by this author: Bloody Jack, The Curse of the Blue Tattoo, Under the Jolly Roger, In the Belly of the Bloodhound, Mississippi Jack, My Bonny Light Horseman, Rapture of the Deep
Next I will be reviewing Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George and Red Hood's Revenge by Jim C. Hines.
Xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads