The Red Flag

Fantastic!

Great book! Intriguing characters: a conflicting captain and remarkably strong lead female character. This book is not for those who squirm at violence. Nor is it for those who like to consider pirates as misunderstood villains. The author depicts pirates the way they truly were in history. Join Captain Boswell on his desperate, never-ending evasion of the British army, and you will not be disappointed.

The narrator, Thomas Cardwell does an excellent job as well. He really brings the characters to life and helps keep the reader engaged. This is a pretty short book, a little over 6 hours, but well worth the listen. By the way — Mr. Cardwell has an English accent 😏😏

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

One of the best pirate books I've listened to.

An engrossing story that accurately portrays pirates and the British navy who hunted them. This was a very unique book, that left me conflicted as to how I felt toward Captain Boswell and his crew. The Red Flag somehow manages to humanize the pirates without turning them into heroes. It started off by grabbing my attention and kept me engaged until the end.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Gripping Tale!!!-Pulls You Right Into Story!

This is an amazing book! I could not put it down! The way the book is written just pulls you right into the story. The audible book was even better! The narrator truly captured every character and since Mr. Cardwell has a British accent, it just made me feel like I was actually living in past times. I could picture every detail! Great read!!!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Bodacious and captivating.

Excellent story that keeps you engaged and curious. The descriptive writing style fills your imagination.

Great book!

A great book full of action and adventure, keeps your interest the entire time !

Pirates... good or bad?

I loved the audio version of this book. It was so fun to hear someone read the words so my mind could draw the story. I highly recommend this book!!

Realistic Pirate novel

The author does a great job with this book. She described the pirates in a way that’s realistic, as in they’re remorseless, brutal, murderers and thieves, and somehow, makes you feel attached to them at the same time. The story is broken down into alternating chapters, kind of, where one chapter will be the current time, and the next chapter will be an excerpt from the captain’s diary, explaining how he got to be this way. I enjoyed the way the story was told, and I’m always on the lookout for another pirate story. The narrator did a great job with this book, and he did a bunch of different accents really well, ie French, Scottish, and Irish. Even though this book is a little shorter, at around 6 hours, it’s a fun ride and definitely worth a listen.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Easy to listen, gripping story,

Easy to listen, fast pace gripping story, a lot of details, awesome narrator. Loved the book.

Brutal and Realistic Look at Pirates

Captain Boswell is the most ruthless pirate sailing the seas. His ship and crew sail under a red flag, a signal to all that no quarter will be given and no one will survive to tell the tale. That is, until Boswell crosses paths with Alice, a precocious ten year old girl that holds so much fascination for Boswell that he can't bring himself to kill her.

And so Alice goes on the adventure of her young life as a prisoner aboard a pirate ship, witness to their blood lust and Boswell's ever pervading fear of capture.

Boswell is a monster we can understand, if not condone. As the story progresses, we learn how he came to be a pirate and what sort of hardships he's had to endure on his journey into depravity through his Journal. And even though he at times shows compassion and even tenderness, he can't change the fact that he's a murderer. As the story progresses, Alice comes to understand him and perhaps even forgive him for his crimes. But we can't forget that he's still a criminal, and in the wrong, and even deserves to hang from a yardarm. And so the question becomes will Boswell meet the end he deserves or escape to continue his murderous ways.

My biggest problem with this book was Alice. I just wish she had been a little older. She's a bit too worldly for such a young age and there are times where she's seen as a sexual object (nearly raped) and I just found that too creepy. I think all of that would have worked better for me if she had been in her mid-teens.

I enjoyed the narration from Thomas Cardwell, although I did have a hard time with his choice of voices for Boswell and his first mate. They were far too close to each other and it made it difficult at times to tell who exactly was talking.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review.

The life of a pirate

"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review." This book was not exctly what I had expected. I thought it was a regular novel about pirates, but it turned out to ber a type of journal written by a pirate captain, Steven Boswell, who flew under a red flag. Steven was the son of a pirate, and he hated his father for what he did,never home for him or his mother. Steven swore he would be a better man than his father and he tried to find a regular job, but at such a young age when his mother died lhe found it a hard task. He was betrayed by an employer and was pressed into the navy at the age of eighteen. While serving he was mistreated and came to dispise the navy. Steven planned to desert, but on the night he was to jump ship he was discovered and ended up killing the Commander, leading him to a life as a pirate. The book was very interesting and I ended up enjoying it. Julia Manoila did an excellent job in writing it and Thomas Cardwell did a wonderful job narrating.