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Description edit see section history

Patricia Kelley has been raised a proper British lady--but she's become a stowaway. Her father is dead, and her future in peril. To claim the estate that is rightfully hers, she must travel across the seas to Barbados, hidden in the belly of merchant ship. It is a daring escapade, and the... read more

Summary edit see section history

A desperate young woman sneaks onto a ship with dreams of Barbados. She is discovered and forced to earn her keep by being the surgeon's (Dr. MacPherson) assistant. She finds that there is no property for her, as her father has promised and even worse, his death was suicide. She is now forced... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

A desperate young woman sneaks onto a ship with dreams of Barbados. She is discovered and forced to earn her keep by being the surgeon's (Dr. MacPherson) assistant. She finds that there is no property for her, as her father has promised and even worse, his death was suicide. She is now forced into having to marry to keep alive. The kind Doctor MacPherson offers to take her as his wife. She wishes for Dalton, but realizes she must marry the old man. She learns surgeon's work and is almost as good as the doctor. Later, Dr. MacPherson dies of yellow fever on a ship full of patients. Patricia is lost without him and continues doing his work. Then the boat takes on water and catches on fire, she narrowly escapes losing all of her money, but luckily keeping the surgeon's tools. She is rescued by an unmarried outcast (Rachel). Rachel leaves and then Patricia dresses as a man and enlists on a different ship as a surgeon's mate posing as Patrick MacPherson. Not only is this any ship she's picked, it's a warship that employs Dalton as a gunner. Patricia is not sure she's ready for war. The final scenes of the book are in a war in Cuba between the Spanish and English. She loses Dalton and later, he rescues her from a fort under attack. She is disabled by yellow fever and is of no real help to them. They are back on their ship and make a vow to stick together on the ship posed as men and accept each other as lovers the way they are.

Characters/People edit see section history

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

  • Navis: Caribbean Island
  • Island Of Barbados: Where the main character was born and aspires to go.
  • England: Where the main character was raised.
  • Havana, Cuba: Major Battle between English and Spanish takes place here.

First Sentence edit see section history

"God's blood, Henry, can't you row any faster?"

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

  • Cross dressing: Brave women in the book often dress and pass as men.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Linda Collison (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2006
ISBN: 0375833633
Page Count: 416

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