Virginia , Daughters of the Lost Colony by Shannon McNear ~ a book review.

 

What if the lost colony of Roanoke was not really lost?

This book is a fictional rendering of what might have happened to the lost colony of Roanoke and Virginia Dare.  Historical fact tells us that Elinor Dare gave birth to Virginia, the first white child born in the new world. That’s as much as we know, according to history. There is no further account of the colony beyond that point. They simply disappeared.   Shannon McNear gives us a possible theory in the form of a fictional story.  The hypothetical story begins when Virginia would have been a young teenager. 

She and two of her friends are taken captive by a band of Tuscarora Indians.  The author goes back and forth between their experiences as captives and the reaction of the colony and her family.

In this story, Elinor has remarried a native man who “adopts” Virginia and lives with the colonists. Apparently, in this story, Elinor was also at one time a captive but fell in love with her captor and married him. I don’t know if this is factual or fiction.  McNear tells us her story in her book, Elinor.

It is obvious that the author has done extensive research in the customs and actual history of the time period.  Her descriptions of the landscape, food, flora and fauna and clothing makes the reader feel part of the story.

The cast of characters is long and somewhat confusing to keep track of. Fortunately, there is a list in the back of the book.  There is also a glossary which is very helpful because the author uses a lot of native words.  I found it distracting to have to keep referring to the glossary but that is my personal preference. 

McNear is careful to not dwell on the brutalities that undoubtedly occurred to the captives but there is one instance that was very uncomfortable to read. 

The story gets easier to read and less confusing when Virginia finds her way home with the help of her captor, Phillipe, as her mother did. The blossoming romance between the two is portrayed in a sweet respectful manner.  The rest of the story focuses on her relationship with Phillipe, who himself was taken captive as a child and adopted into the tribe. Christian faith plays an important part of this story.

This is from the publisher’s website:

“The White Doe of the Outer Banks Grows into Womanhood

Return to the “what if” questions surrounding the Lost Colony and explore the possible fate of Virginia Dare--the first English child born in the New World. What happened to her after her grandfather John White returned to England and the colony he established disappeared into the mists of time? Legends abound, but she was indeed a real girl who, if she survived to adulthood, must have also become part of the legacy that is the people of the Outer Banks. In the spring of 1602 by English reckoning, "Ginny," as she is called by family and friends, is fourteen and firmly considered a grown woman by the standards of the People. For her entire life she has watched the beautiful give-and-take of the Kurawoten and other native peoples with the English who came from across the ocean. She's enjoyed being the darling of both English and Kurawoten alike--but a stirring deep inside her will not be put to rest.

One careless decision lands her and fellow “first baby” Henry Harvie, along with their Croatoan friend Redbud, in enemy hands. Carried away into Mangoac territory, out of the reach of Manteo and the others, she must learn who she truly is—not only the daughter of Elinor and Ananias Dare but also a child of the One True God, who gives her courage to go wherever the path of her life might lead.
Author Shannon McNear portrays history with vivid authenticity gained from extensive research. “

This is not a quick read. Depending on your level of concentration it may take several days to read, as it did me.

Go HERE to read an excerpt.

This is an interesting theory of what might have happened. I hope someday we will find proof that it happened as McNear has written it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Barbour Publishing through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed  are my own.

 

The Seamstress of Acadie by Laura Frantz ~ a book review

 

Once again, Laura Frantz gives us a story that transports us to another time and place. The time is the middle of the 1700’s and the place is the Canadian shores of Acadie.  Sylvie Galant’s family have lived in Acadie for decades.  It is a peace loving community that strives to remain neutral in the struggle between the French and the British who both want control of the area.  Sylvie is content to use her sewing skills for her community and tend her beloved apple orchard.

William Blackburn, is a notorious soldier, feared by many, who is tasked with the job of securing Acadie for the British.  When he realizes that his government has mislead him about their plans for the area and it’s residents, he resigns his position and ends up in Virginia.

While some of Sylvie’s family and friends form a resistance, she and most of her family end up being forced from their home and imprisoned. She is separated from her parents and suffers a horrendous voyage on a rickety prison ship.  Facing the realization that most of her family is dead, she ends up as an indentured woman in the same settlement in Virginia. 

This is from the publisher’s website:

“In a land torn apart by conflict, can love mend the tattered pieces?

As 1754 is drawing to a close, tensions between the French and the British on Canada's Acadian shore are reaching a fever pitch. Seamstress Sylvie Galant and her family--French-speaking Acadians wishing to remain neutral--are caught in the middle, their land positioned between two forts flying rival flags. Amid preparations for the celebration of Noël, the talk is of unrest, coming war, and William Blackburn, the British Army Ranger raising havoc across North America's borderlands.

As summer takes hold in 1755 and British ships appear on the horizon, Sylvie encounters Blackburn, who warns her of the coming invasion. Rather than participate in the forced removal of the Acadians from their land, he resigns his commission. But that cannot save Sylvie or her kin. Relocated on a ramshackle ship to Virginia, Sylvie struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. When her path crosses once more with William's, they must work through the complex tangle of their shared, shattered past to navigate the present and forge an enduring future.”

While the first half of the book seems sad, the second half of the book speaks to overcoming hardships while still maintaining hope through faith.  Sylvie and William begin to recognize their growing feelings for each other and the author does a wonderful job of taking us along on their courtship journey.

A really fun thing is that characters from another of the author’s books pop up in this book.

It is very evident that the author researches the history, customs, events and locations that help draw the reader into the story.

Her books never fail to deliver a wonderful experience.

 Go HERE to read an excerpt 

Go HERE to learn more about Laura Frantz 

 

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed  are my own.

A Heart Adrift by Laura Frantz ~ a book review

 

Another great story from this author.  However, it is not a quick read so be prepared to spend a lot of time on the historic Virginian coast.  She doesn’t waste a syllable, word, phrase, or description.  You are transported to a world of privateers, lighthouses, wharfs, schooners and chocolate.  Yes, chocolate.  Esmee Shaw is a chocolatier in colonial York Virginia.  The prologue takes us back to the foundation of the relationship between her and Captain Henri Lennox.  After a ten year separation, they meet again.   Esmee has accepted that she is, what in those times, was known as a spinster.  She has resigned herself to a life of being single. Henri has returned to complete the construction of the lighthouse that was their dream. 

This is from the publisher’s website:

“It is 1755, and the threat of war with France looms over colonial York, Virginia. Chocolatier Esmée Shaw is fighting her own battle of the heart. Having reached her twenty-eighth birthday, she is reconciled to life alone after a decade-old failed love affair from which she's never quite recovered. But she longs to find something worthwhile to do with her life.

Captain Henri Lennox has returned to port after a lengthy absence, intent on completing the lighthouse in the dangerous Chesapeake Bay, a dream he once shared with Esmée. But when the colonial government asks him to lead a secret naval expedition against the French, his future is plunged into uncertainty.

Can Esmée and Henri's shared vision and dedication to the colonial cause heal the wounds of the past and reunite them? “

The author does a great job of incorporating the character’s faith without being preachy.  Their individual faith carries them through many trying and dangerous situations.

There are many characters included in this story. All are relevant and important to the story. One of my favorites was Eliza, Esmee’s sister.  While Esmee is kind, gentle and doesn’t care about climbing the social ladder, Eliza is the opposite. The love between these very different sisters is heartwarming.

Go HERE to read an excerpt 

 

 Go HERE to learn more about Laura Frantz and her books

 

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell and Baker
Publishing Group through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”