Pirate's Daughter

After a long and storied career on the silver screen, Errol Flynn spends much of the last years of his life on a small island off of Jamaica. Based on those years, this novel tells the story a local girl whose affair with Flynn produces a daughter, as it delves into the provocative history of a vanished era.

WINNER OF THE ESSENCE LITERARY AWARD IN FICTION

In 1946, Hollywood's most famous swashbuckler, Errol Flynn, arrived in Jamaica in a storm-ravaged boat. After a long and celebrated career on the silver screen, Flynn spent the last years of his life on a small island off the Jamaican coast, where he fell in love with the people, the paradisiacal setting, and the privacy, and brought a touch of Tinseltown glamour to the West Indian community.
Based on those years, "The Pirate's Daughter" imagines an affair between the aging matinee star and Ida, a beautiful local girl. Flynn's affections are unpredictable but that doesn't stop Ida from dreaming of a life with him, especially after the birth of their daughter, May.
Margaret Cezair-Thompson weaves stories of mothers and daughters, fathers and lovers, country and kin, into this compelling, dual-generational coming-of-age tale of two women struggling to find their way in a nation wrestling with its own independence.
Praise for The Pirate's Daughter:
"A book-club-ready saga with two gorgeous women at its center and] a knockout ending that reveals treasure buried beneath the sand-encrusted secrets."
-"People" (Critic's Choice)
" A] delicious premise . . . sets Margaret Cezair-Thompson's "The Pirate's Daughter "in motion, and from there, the novel never stops for breath once."
-"O: The Oprah Magazine"
"Enthralling . . . ideal for readers looking to be swept away."
-"The Christian Science Monitor"
" A] ripe romantic novel . . . with page-turning panache . . . a melange of family saga, love story, and political-historical fiction served up in a tropical setting."
-"The Boston Globe"
"The Pirate'sDaughter captures perfectly the essence of Jamaica. . . . Your efforts will be rewarded with rich escape."
-"The Dallas Morning News"
"A surprising yarn that is rich, salty and ultimately satisfying . . . "The Pirate's Daughter" sparkles with characters real and imagined."
-"The Washington Post"
"An unabashedly frangipani-scented-and wholly satisfying-armchair holiday of a read."
-"Vogue"