Jeanne de Clisson, Lioness of Brittany, is a fascinating historical character, a notorious woman pirate in 14th century France, and Gigi Griffis creates a compelling revenge story and character sketch out of Jeanne's life.

In 1343, Jeanne de Clisson's [third] husband Olivier de Clisson was executed by King Philip VI for treason, as a part of the conflict of the Breton War of Succession. Griffis picks up her story as Jeanne is out for full revenge on everyone who has wronged her husband and also her. A fierce warrior in her own right, Jeanne sold her land and raised an army to seek revenge. Griffis gives us the years that Jeanne spent at sea pirating and harassing the French crown, and a portrait of a strong and fierce woman who leverages her friends and allies to carry out her missions.

This is an era of history in France that I know little about. This story pre-dates the Black Death by a few years, and is a time of great political turmoil. As Griffis says in her author’s note, just because we don’t hear as much about the women who raised armies doesn’t mean they didn’t have fascinating stories, and it’s interesting to see that a woman who raised 400 soldiers could be considered a footnote in history. But the men who recorded history often didn’t know what to do with women who didn’t fit their mold. All of the women Griffis writes about in The Lioness, with the exception of the young Black astrologer who joined Jeanne’s crew, are real women from history (with some names changed because half of them are named Jeanne). Griffis is meticulous about historical details where she has them, and then choosing additional elements for good storytelling. Jeanne’s character shifts a little too abruptly at the end of the book, making it a little less satisfying of an arc overall, but still a genuinely interesting read about a compelling historical character.

If you need a book about a fierce 43-year-old woman who is out for revenge and gives no quarter, this is the book for you. It’s a sometimes harsh, and certainly bloody, story that pulls no punches when it comes to Jeanne de Clisson’s force of personality.

I picked this up initially because the concept looked interesting and because the audiobook is narrated by Imani Jade Powers, and have no regrets about learning more about this era in France.

Author here! Leaving this review so that I don't tank my NetGalley ranking, then will yeet myself from the reviewer space.

Here's what I shared in my Goodreads review:

This book is a sweeping story of a woman wronged, a pirate fleet, and a quest for revenge. And it's also an effort to right a great wrong.

You see, I grew up thinking a lot of history was very boring. It was memorizing a thousand old white dudes' names and the order in which they ruled a country. It was battles where you couldn't tell Old Dude A from Old Dude B, let alone figure out who to root for. It was dates and dates and dates until your head exploded.

And it was so very rarely about women.

So imagine my surprise when, as an adult, I found Jeanne de Clisson. Piratess. Vengeance-seeker. Villainess. A woman so irritating to the powers that be that the Pope wrote a letter to England telling them to rein her in.

And then, as I was thinking she was so unique, so completely standalone, I found another woman like her.

And another.

And another.

The queen who led a coup on her husband to put her son on the throne. The woman who told others to tear their skirts and go to battle. Another defending a kingdom. Another leading forces to quash a rebellion.

They were powerful, and they were messy, and they were *many*.

I'm angry that I didn't learn about these women in history class. I'm angry that in my research they were so often in the footnotes instead of splashed across the pages. I'm angry that the history we're taught is such a narrow one.

So this is my attempt to right part of the wrong. To introduce you to not only Jeanne and her quest for revenge, but her hero Isabella (real), her contemporary Joanna (real), and so many other women like them.

I'm so grateful to share Jeanne's story with you. I hope you fall in love with these complicated, powerful, pissed off women as much as I have.

This was ok, but not as wonderful as I had hoped.

What I didn't like:

One thing that REALLY bothered me was the extreme over-use of the word "Damned." I don't mind cursing - in fact I do quite a lot of it myself - it was the repetitive nature of it that bothered me. Jeanne didn't seem to know any other curse, and she used it over and over and over. It became so redundant and annoying. It seemed like the author was trying to convey that Jeanne was a tough pirate lady by having her curse a lot, while not wanting to use any curses other than "damned." I should have turned it into a drinking game.

Jeanne is painted in very broad strokes here. This book paints her as a warrior with a hot temper that can't see logic. That is basically pasted on her character like a name tag. There's not a lot of nuance behind her decisions, and I feel like to have been as successful at terrorizing the French as she was for as long as she was, she must have been a woman who understood nuance and logic. Her character annoyed me in her "speak loudly and carry a giant axe" approach to life.

What I did like:

This was an interesting historical fiction set in a time period of which the stories usually revolve around the men rather than the women. Jeanne was a really fascinating character, and this told her story pretty accurately. I am always a sucker for a feminist retelling of a historical or mythical character. The side characters were wonderful and complex, and I enjoyed them a lot. So much so that I found myself far more curious about their lives than Jeanne's.