Title: Roanoke: The Lost Colony (Keepers of the Ring, #1)
Author: Angela Elwell Hunt
Published: September 2013 (Originally: January 1996)
Published By: Kindle Edition
Format Read: Kindle, eBook
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian
Date Read: March 15, 2016
Rating: 3.5/5
In 1587, a ship full of people led by John White would
disembark to the new world with the task of creating a permanent English colony
in Virginia. They would land on the island of Roanoke with the intention of
only staying there temporarily until they could move on to their intended
settlement location. White would return to England leaving the planters, his
daughter, granddaughter and son in-law behind, while he approached the queen
for more funding and supplies. Several years later he returned to Roanoke to
find it deserted.
The mystery of what happened to the Roanoke colony has been
speculated for centuries. In the first book in Angela Elwell Hunt’s Keepers of
the Ring series she imagines what could have happened all those years ago.
Readers follow the fictional account of those left on the island after White’s
departure. More specifically it is centred on the central character of Jocelyn
Coleman, niece of the Governor.
A believable
imagining:
Before reading this book I knew very little about Roanoke
and its mystery, so this was an enjoyable learning experience for me. Although
the truth behind what really happened to the settlement isn’t known, I found
this imagining to be very interesting and from my perspective a believable
account of what could have happened.
Creating the story
Author Angela Elwell Hunt used the real list of colonists
written by John White in 1587, and created fictional personalities and a
storyline for her book. Because so little was known about the people, this
really gave her the opportunity to let her creativity shine.
Building
Relationships
Although this book kept my interest it was quite long. I
would like to have gotten a better view of how the planters built their
relationships with that natives. It was quite ironic how much they would have to
rely on the so called “savages” to survive in the wilderness. Meanwhile the
more devout planters believed them to be pagan sinners.
Recommendations:
Roanoke: The Lost Colony was an enjoyable tale of early
colonialization and I look forward to reading more from this series. I would recommend
this book to those who enjoy reading historical fiction.
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