The Pirate's Daughter: A Novel

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 mélange of family saga, love story, and political-historical fiction served up in a tropical setting.”
–The Boston Globe

“The Pirate’s Daughter 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