Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky… (Ausgabe 2004)

I didn't think I'd like the 2nd book because it's not set on a British War ship during the Napoleonic Wars. But I like Jacky, she's tough and defies convention and is okay working hard as long as she's free. ( )

Jackie is just too darn perfect! Her only flaw is that she needs to communicate with her friends. The audiobook is phenomenal - her singing voice is great! I just got annoyed with the plot. ( )

Listened to Listen and Live audio edition narrated by Katherine Kellgren. I actually like this one better than the first; Jacky and Jamie being seperated gave Jacky's character some room to grow. Almost every character is well-rounded right down to the minor players and I hope some of them return for future volumes. Historical Boston comes alive through Meyer's word and Kellgren's typically excellent narration. This is exceptional historical fiction and adventure and I can't wait to listen to the next one. ( )

I wasn't sure about this going in--after all, a book about an uncultured girl being thrown into finishing school? How many of these awkward fish-out-of-water stories do we need?

I should have trusted. This isn't any girl, this is Jacky Faber, who gets herself into any number of delightful scraps and mishaps. In spite of Jacky's constant mooning over her boyfriend (from whom she hasn't heard in several months), this is still at its heart a fast-paced adventure story, and I think it still has boy appeal, if sold the right way.

Because I can't go without complaining about something, I will say that maybe too much happens in this volume--it seems there's not a situation Jacky can't get herself into, and the end sequence happens in a blur. It sets up the next book nicely, though, and I'll be reading that one as an actual, honest-to-goodness book, since it hasn't been released to audio yet.

(This volume has an awful lot of singing in it, and the reader has a wonderful voice for this aspect. Worth a listen!) ( )

- audiobook - Jacky Faber, formerly of the Royal Navy, is dumped at a girls' boarding school in Boston when it is discovered that she is a girl. She doesn't quite fit in.

This book is the lowest rated in the 8 books of the series (but it's still rated 4.13!), but I thought it was great fun. True, there are no pirates, but boarding school stories are great, and the depiction of Northern US/Southern US/British relations in the very early 1800s is spot on, and Jacky is an awesome character. It's like A Great and Terrible Beauty, plus Downton Abbey, plus a Napoleonic Naval adventure, plus Anne of Green Gables, but badass.

Jacky is great because she does whatever the heck she thinks is right. She sees all these stupid rules around her like women have to ride side-saddle, and ladies can't be friends with the serving girls, and women can't show their limbs in public, and she says "screw you, rules!". But she's still fiercely loyal, and kind, and brave. And, most importantly, she knows that she deserves punishment when she breaks the rules. She doesn't hesitate to get in a fight with another "lady in training" who slapped a serving girl, but she fully expects to be whipped for it. Her chivalry and sense of responsibility even extend to her friendships: she fully expects that if she misbehaves, her friends will be mad at her. She always realizes that the pickles she gets into are the result of her own actions, and never blames it on any outside force. I find it extremely refreshing; she's a true hero.

I'm definitely continuing with this series. I'm LOVING them. ( )