Curse of the Blue Tattoo
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| Curse of the Blue Tattoo | |
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| Author | Louis A. Meyer |
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| Cover artist | Cliff Nielsen |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Young Adult's, Historical novel |
| Publisher | Harcourt Children's Books |
| Publication date | June 1, 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 496 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0-15-205115-0 |
| Preceded by | Bloody Jack |
| Followed by | Under the Jolly Roger |
The Curse of the Blue Tattoo is a historical novel by L.A. Meyer. It continues the story of orphaned London girl, Jacky, in the early 1800s. The story began in Bloody Jack, and continues in Under the Jolly Roger and the recently released In the Belly of the Bloodhound.
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[edit] Plot introduction
Jacky goes to Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston.
[edit] Explanation of the novel's title
Curse of the Blue Tattoo refers to Jacky's tattoo that she received while ship's boy.
[edit] Plot summary
Jacky goes to a boarding school in Boston run by Mistress Pimm. There she meets other girls, including a Southern belle named Clarissa Worthington Howe, to whom she was not well met. She also meets Amy Trevelyne. Both are outcasts in the school. They become friends and form a Dread Sisterhood. Later, after Jacky is arrested for singing and dancing on the streets, and showing her knee in the process of such, Mistress Pimm expels her, but allows her to stay on the property as a serving girl. She makes friends with the other servants there. She must work her way back up to becoming a student again. While being a serving maid she becomes friends with all of the servants and the cook. When she is in the household of Mistress Pimm as a maid, she must try to escape from the preacher, Preacher Mathers, who wants to be her guardian, but really he only wants to kill her because he claims she is a witch, just like he killed a girl named Janey Porter who was pregnant and soon to be married. While in the process she meets many a friend and enemy. Jacky is invited to Amy Trevelyne's house and farm for a dinner only to make a fool of herself with the help of Clarissa and gets drunk. She is kidnapped by the preacher but then saved as the school and church burn down. Jacky is so full of shame she runs away. In a letter to Amy, she says that she has signed on a whaler ship and is going back to England.
[edit] Characters in "Curse of the Blue Tattoo"
- Mary 'Jacky' Faber: The main protagonist of the story. She came from a fairly well-off family, who died of the plague. She was cast out into the street. Later, she joined Rooster Charlie's gang. After Charlie is killed, she enlisted with the crew of the H.M.S. Dolphin, under the ruse of being a boy. When she was revealed to be a girl, she was sent to a boarding school in Boston.
- James 'Jaimy' Emerson Fletcher: A former ships's boy, now a midshipman and Jacky's true love.
- Amy Trevelyne: A plump but pretty, stern Puritan girl who becomes Jacky's best friend; they form the "Dread Sisterhood of the Lawson Peabody."
- Clarissa Worthington Howe: A rich Southern belle who attends the boarding school with Jacky and despises her.
- Randall Trevelyne: Amy's older brother, a handsome young man in the local militia who also attends Cambridge, has a crush on Jacky when he meets her at their family home. He is quite the womanizer and has a devilish but friendly personality.
- Ezra Pickering: The lawyer who helps Jacky get out of prison and pleads for her case in court after she shockingly shows her knee while dancing and playing music on the streets. Ezra later develops quite a liking for Amy.
- Mistress Pimm: The headmistress of the Lawson Peabody, Mistress Pimm is quite a lady and has quite a disdain for Jacky's rough manners. However, she does have a kindly soul and does not throw Jacky out on the streets after she is imprisoned, but instead puts her to work in the school's maidservice. Mistress Pimm is very protective of her schoolgirls and is proud of their embroidery.
- Abby, Betsey, Sylvie, Rachel, Peg, and Annie: The maids and cook (Peg) at the Lawson Peabody; they befriend Jacky when she is put into service. Annie later falls in love with Jacky's former shipmate, Davy.
- Reverend Mather: The Puritan minister who runs the church the Lawson Peabody girls attend. Jacky reminds him of Janey Porter, his house servant, he once had raped and killed for witchery, and he tries to make her into his new victim. Jacky later haunts him dressed as the girl, Janey Porter, to try to get him to confess.
- Mam'selle Claudelle de Bour-bon of the New Orleans Bour-bons: A "lady of the night" who is in jail with Jacky and takes a shine to her, calling her "Precious" and petting her. Mam'selle is frequently all in yellow, from her eyes to her hair to her clothing and her dog.
- "Rummy" Gully MacFarland: He is a drunk but a brilliant musician who meets Jacky in jail. He plays the Lady Lenore, a Stradivarius violin, with a virtuoso touch. However, he steals Jacky's money and calls her "money maker" when they do a musical act together. Jacky later puts him into the service of the Royal Navy when he beats her up. He once claimed to be a naval hero, but this was later found to be false. Gully is Scottish.
[edit] Release details
2004, USA, Harcourt Trade Publishers ISBN 978-0-15-205115-0, Trade Paperback
[edit] External links
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