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The Curse of the Blue Tattoo


Summary: 
The second book of the Jacky Faber series is a historical fiction novel set in the early 1800s. After being discovered as a girl, Jacky is removed from her Navy ship and sent to the Peabody School for Girls in Boston, where she is expected to learn how to behave like a lady. Jacky has a hard time adjusting to the school and the strict headmistress, Miss Primm. After being arrested for dancing on the street, Jacky is expelled from the school and is kept on as a servant. Jacky believes that the Reverend Mather has murdered a servant girl. Mather believes that Jacky is the reincarnation of that girl, come to haunt him. He kidnaps her and ties her to the dead girls bed, but Jacky is rescued. A fire engulfs the church and school and Jacky rescues Miss Primm despite her protestations. She then escapes to a ship bound for London.

Strengths: 
Jacky's confident and cocky narrative voice make her story a memorable one. Meyer does a good job of accurately portraying the social climate in regards to women in the early 19th century and the juxtaposition of these expectations and Jacky's behavior leads to a great deal of humor. As with all of the Jacky Faber novels, being true to oneself and the importance of having a strong sense of morality, even if her outward appearances don't always align with propriety, are the main themes in the book. The Curse of the Blue Tattoo is also a coming of age story as Jacky continues to try to figure out what it really means to grow from a child to a woman.

More Books from the Jacky Faber series: 

Bloody Jack
Under the Jolly Roger

 Meyer, L. (2004). Curse of the blue tattoo: Being an account of the misadventures of Jacky Faber, midshipman and fine lady. Orlando, FL: Harcourt. 

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