Shannon Clarke lives in the Maine port of Gloucester,
originally called Beau Port, and September is a changeable
time of year for her. Small boats are pulled out of the
water and stored. She works repairing them with friends,
thinking about the failure of her marriage and the two kids
who have moved away to make their own lives. Luckily she
has staunch woman friends and plenty to do. Winter won't
be so busy.
BEYOND BEAUPORT brings change after Hurricane Sandy blows
through the harbor; Shannon's uncle Paddy arrives after a
decade of travel and declares that he has uncovered pirate
ancestry and a treasure trail. Shannon isn't keen on family
tales, having had a dysfunctional upbringing. But the short
sword of pirate Anne Bonny from the early 1700s changes her
mind. Sea captains, privateers, patriots, and pirates run in
her blood. What a thrill!
I think that Shannon so badly wants to escape from what her
life has become -- loss, distrust, and loneliness -- that she
grabs the lure of a treasure trail even knowing it can
prove dangerous, futile, and alienating. As she perseveres, we
learn a great deal about sea captains, merchants, and strong
women of the past. The seashore is a frequent location for
action or conversation, so we feel the pounding of waves
and smell the salt, hear the seabirds' cry. Shannon doesn't
need money nor dream of riches; she wants to uncover
heritage and legend. Since the lady lives in a house that
regularly floods, she's extremely practical and used to
dirty physical work. But can she cope with a voyage to the
Caribbean on a small boat, the Second Wind, as crew for
Paddy, a former Naval chief petty officer?
The pirates are not all in the past. That's all I'll say.
Grab this suspenseful tale of adventure on the high seas,
of family, friendship, and a woman finding herself. Shannon
was a family carer and became a mother early, so she never
had her own life. Now, nobody can deny her opportunities. To
start with I did think author James Masciarelli was making
a caricature -- lonely woman eats ice-cream and drinks wine
-- but Shannon swiftly developed into a well-rounded person
with many strengths and weaknesses. Other authors might
have worked in a time slip to show us the past lives of the
pirates, but Shannon relives them for us. James Masciarelli
has achieved a masterly novel in BEYOND BEAUPORT, which
should be enjoyed by anyone who has sailed, or wishes they
could sail. Cast off, me hearties!
Shannon Clarke raised a family and worked waterfront jobs in
America’s oldest seaport.
Her childhood dream to become a sea captain is revived when
her long-lost seafaring uncle Patrick visits with a salty
tale of their maritime family ancestry of pirates and
privateers. He shares recovered family letters and artifacts
from the Golden Age of Piracy. They take to the sea in
Patrick’s brigantine to follow the siren song of their
ancestors in quest of destiny, truth and treasure. The
voyage is fraught with raw forces of nature, past traumas
and present day sea robbers, as their talents and beliefs of
family, identity and purpose are shaken to the core.
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