In this illuminating historical narrative, maritime scholar David Cordingly shows that in fact an astonishing number of women went to sea in the great age of sail. Some traveled as the wives or mistresses of captains. A few were smuggled aboard by officers or seaman. A number of cases have come to light of young women dressing in men’s clothes and working alongside the sailors for months, and sometimes years. In the U.S. and British navies, it was not uncommon for the wives of bosuns, carpenters, and cooks to go to sea on warships. Cordingly’s tremendous research shows that there was indeed a thriving female population — from female pirates to the sirens of legend — on and around the high seas. A landmark work of women’s history disguised as a spectacularly entertaining yarn, Women’s Sailors and Sailor’s Women will surprise and delight readers.

I found this book a fairly enjoyable read. I learned a lot and in a fun-loving to learn way. The author documented his sources very well which lends itself to being a very good authority on the subject. Yet, the reader isn't left to slog through stale facts. I felt like I was living the events with history's participants and enjoyed the experience.

There were a few times I felt like the author was going off on a tangent, and a few chapters felt very out of place and dropped me out of the information flow in a bad way. And I felt this book suffered from a severe lack of a conclusion. I wasn't expecting a reiteration of facts, but maybe some final thoughts or conclusions? But the final chapter just ends with no wrapping up at all.

A fairly good book on the subject matter on hand, one that doesn't have a lot of material out there that I can see, anyway. Very readable but does suffer some flaws. Recommended, though, if you're just looking to learn a few things from the era. ( )

Interesting and incredibly readable! Seemed to be some parts that really strayed from having a focus on women, but it was easy not to mind so much since the topic remained engaging. ( )

In short, for a book called "Seafaring Women" it was shockingly patronizing of women. (Or maybe it wasn't shocking, and that was what made me so angry.) ( )

This book, written by pirate expert Cordingly, covers all aspects of women and the sea- girls who sailed disguised as boys, female pirates, the lives of prostitutes in port towns and the wives of sailors and ship captains. There are many women here that I had never heard of, and I've read lots on pirate and sea history.
A standout is the story of nineteen year-old Mary Patten, the wife of a ship captain who became ill in 1856 while sailing from New York to San Francisco. The first mate was unable to navigate, but Mary's husband had taught her how on a previous journey, so rather than pull into a foreign port and cause her husband's employer to face a heavy fine, she took the wheel, navigated the ship for 4 months and completed the voyage.
Also surprising is the number of women who were able to collect a sort of pension from the Royal Navy after being discovered and removed from duty. It seems that in many cases, if a woman could prove that she had served honorably, even though in disguise, she received her pay for services rendered. ( )