The Wake of the Lorelei Lee: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, on Her Way to Botany Bay (Bloody Jack Adventrue Series)

Children's Literature - Elizabeth D. Schafer

Jacky Faber, age sixteen, craves being the center of attention. The eighth story in "A Bloody Jack Adventure" series finds Jacky in summer 1807 preparing her ship, Lorelei Lee, for trans-Atlantic business ventures. She sails to London, planning to be reunited with Jaimy Fletcher, her fiance, but is prosecuted for embezzlement, joining female convicts on her seized ship for transport to the New South Wales penal colony. En route, Jacky interacts with friends and enemies, is intrigued by new characters, especially a blind drummer, and meets factual historical figures including pirate Cheng Shih. Resilient Jacky, who is fearless and impulsive, refuses to despair, impacting people and places she encounters on her voyage. Her actions provoke positive and negative outcomes which advance the plot. She resourcefully dives for coins sailors throw into the sea at exotic ports where the ship docks, earning income to purchase desired amenities. Unsure of Jaimy's fate, Jacky is relieved to see him on another ship transporting male convicts but outraged when she witnesses him being flogged. Vowing vengeance, Jacky develops an alliance with pirates who abducted her. An approaching typhoon suggests winds will blow Jacky into her next adventure. Jacky's outlandish, often risque, characterization sometimes stretches credibility, but her bravery, antics, and generosity will appeal to both female and male readers. The author's naval background enhances realism of depictions of life and traditions on ships. Read with Paul Dowswell's Prison Ship: Adventures of a Young Sailor (2006) and Gerald and Loretta Hausman's Escape from Botany Bay: The True Story of Mary Bryant (2003). Reviewer: Elizabeth D. Schafer

VOYA - Dawn Talbott

Mary Farber, also known as Jacky Farber, has been in several scrapes with the law in the 1800s. In fact, though she is only sixteen, Jacky has earned many enemies. Her past has finally caught up with her, and she is being sent to spend the rest of her years in Australia—on her own boat, which was commandeered by the English government and sold to the East India Company. Luckily, Jacky has earned many friends as well, and these friends will be vital in her attempt to escape a life sentence at the penal colony in New South Wales. Jacky does not intend to accept this fate, and she uses her wit, beauty, charm, and numerous skills to wiggle herself out of yet another fine mess in this newest addition to the Bloody Jack Adventures. L. A. Meyer's writing style is easy to read and entertaining. The story moves along at a brisk pace, with new turns in the plot keeping the reader's attention throughout the considerable 560 pages. Meyer conveys well a sense of adventure, and many excerpts from songs and sea shanties add flavor to the story. Harsh language, sexual situations, and violence pepper the book, as they should in a good pirate story, but the content is too advanced for younger readers. Jacky is, in essence, a pirate, loaded on to a ship full of prostitutes traveling from England to Australia to serve as breeding stock for the new continent, so an older audience is the target for this voyage. Reviewer: Dawn Talbott

From the Publisher

"[Jacky] uses her wit, beauty, charm, and numerous skills to wiggle herself out of yet another fine mess. . . . Easy to read and entertaining."—VOYA

"Meyer knows how to spin an exciting yarn, particularly on the high seas. Fans will enjoy watching this irrepressible and decidedly uninhibited heroine make the best of yet another seemingly hopeless predicament."—Booklist