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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ABSOLUTELY SPLENDID, October 13, 2010
This review is from: Cate of the Lost Colony (Hardcover)
I'm stunned! I normally quite enjoy Historical Fiction but this time... I mean, come on! This is probably the single one thing in history that I would die to read about, and Lisa Klein does a marvelous job with it. It will always be one of the greatest historical mystery, but now I have an alternate ending that completely satisfied me. I was truly amazed by the way the story flows naturally and provides the reader such vivid insight with the several POVs and letter format. Plus, the poetry was a bonus! I also enjoyed the fact that the book takes place in both settings: England and the New World. Descriptions were incredibly atmospheric and I felt myself standing in both places. It was absolutely fantastic the way I felt like I traveled to inside the book. I felt I was Catherine, I felt her joy and pain, and the frustration of living in such complicated times and situations. The writing was delightful, and Catherine's voice was unique and compelling. It's hard to believe she's not as real as the rest. I don't think there is any better way to learn history while enjoying an amazing journey than to read Historical Fiction. It's way too fun to call it studying, but in a way it's exactly what it is. At the begging of the book there's a list of characters that specify which existed and which were made for the story and at the end of the book there's an author's note that explains which parts are true and further readings. If you've never tried historical fiction, this is an excellent option to start the right way. It's the kind of story that will very much appeal the reluctant readers. On the other hand, if you enjoy the genre already, go out and get this one NOW!! You'll thank me later.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good historical YA, some problems with the characters, but very enlightening, October 12, 2010
This review is from: Cate of the Lost Colony (Hardcover)
Catherine Archer is the orphaned daughter of a nobleman, called to attend Queen Elizabeth when she's only fourteen. As one of Elizabeth's maids of honor, Cate stays in the maid's dormitory, runs small errands and tends to the queen needs, particularly caring for her wardrobe (ever wonder who prepared all those pleated and starched neck ruffs? The longsuffering ladies in waiting). The queen inspires devotion, and Cate all but worships her. That is, until Cate begins to fall for Sir Walter Raleigh, a handsome courtier who the queen wants to keep to herself. Poor Cate gets caught up in a storm of trouble that leads her to settle in the legendary "lost" colony of Roanoke in Virginia where she finds love with an English-speaking native man, Manteo. For historical fiction, the novel works very nicely. There's a wonderfully handy guide in the front the book which lists which characters are historical and which are fictional, and whether they appear in England, Virginia, or both. Tidbits of court life at Whitehall Palace seem right in keeping with the times, and the portrayal of Queen Elizabeth's grandness and capriciousness is spot-on. Historical fans won't be disappointed in the level of realism in the action and dialogue. I had some trouble connecting with the characters. Walter Raleigh doesn't get a POV, but several chapters consist of his letters, journal, and poems, all of which make him seem to be an absolutely dreadful person. He's fawning over the aging queen at one moment, then complaining about her in the next, because he doesn't like how she shows him favor but fails to give him money. This leads to him getting into debt by living the high life he expects he'll eventually be able to afford. And even while he's buttering the queen up like a bread roll, he's sighing over Cate, though he's really just falling for her lovely appearance and her general demeanor of sweetness--he never mentions love. Also, he's desperate for riches, which is the impetus that leads him to start a colony in the New World where gold is rumored to be abundant. Raleigh's character bothered me so much that it affected my opinion of Cate, who is a gentle soul but always seems to make the worst decisions. She's about sixteen when she starts falling for Raleigh and she hasn't yet been jaded by court life, so her preference for him could be chalked up to inexperience, but when he has no virtues except good looks and a gift for flattery, it kind of cheapens her love, though she's sincere. Then, she doesn't show the caution necessary for survival in her circumstances; she accepts Raleigh's handkerchief (a gift first given to him by the queen) and keeps all his love letters instead of burning them. The discovery of those letters leads to her spending a few weeks locked in the Tower of London, followed by an exile to the New World. But it's all for the best, because she actually wanted to start her life over in Virginia, and she gets to meet Manteo and prove her mettle by being brave, helping the native women, and trying to keep the peace. We get some Manteo POV, but I didn't get a real feel for his personality, except that he's sensible, peace-making, and wants to be a great and powerful man. He's a much better choice for Cate than Raleigh, but I didn't quite feel the love growing between them, though their story is compelling. Cate of the Lost Colony is well researched and well executed, even if the characters themselves didn't entirely appeal to me. Pick it up if you're interested in this period in history, or are looking for a nice example of historical YA.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some flaws but overall enjoyable story, October 20, 2010
This review is from: Cate of the Lost Colony (Hardcover)
I have always been fascinated by the question of what happened to the Roanoke colony since the first time we read about it in History class so this book immediately caught my eye. While not horrible it did not live up to my expectations. The story alternates from being told from Cate's point of view, a Native American named Manteo's point of view and various correspondence from Sir Walter Raleigh. I enjoyed reading Cate's and Manteo's POVs but I just could not get into the format of hearing Walter Raleigh's POV based on letters to his brother and other pieces of writing. It just did not have the nice flow of events and seemed too disjointed. The characters Cate was an interesting mixture of proud, naive and stubbornness. She makes some phenomenally stupid mistakes but you have to keep in mind that she was not raised at court and apparently even after four years living at court still committed some monumental faux pas. Even when she reaches America her naive stubbornness that the natives would not harm her gets her into more trouble but you do have to admire her spunk. Sir Walter Raleigh was harder to get into because as I mentioned I did not care for getting his POV through letters. He definitely does not come off as the hero type and you have to wonder what Cate really sees in him. I wish we had gotten more of Manteo's POV. He had the potential to be the most interesting character as he traveled from America to visit England and then returns home to be the guide and ambassador for the colonists. We get to see some of his thoughts about the differences in the two cultures and how his view changes from awe and seeing the white folks as almost gods to seeing them more as petty children who can't get along or know even the most basic survival skills. The story I found the portion that takes place in England to be just too long and I was wondering when would we actually see anything take place in Roanoke. Once the colonists arrive in Roanoke the story picked up and definitely caught my attention. I enjoyed seeing how the colonists go from the conquering adventurers out to make a fortune to having to face the reality of building a new world in an unfriendly environment. I can only imagine how difficult it must be especially when you figured many of the initial colonists left England because of their own problems and not because they thought they could work well together. The romance I was glad that although Cate falls for Walter Raleigh and this leads to her downfall the book wasn't a pure romance story and focused more on the evolving character of Cate. I did find it hard to see why she would fall in love with Walter Raleigh based on what we see of his actions but I suppose it can be chalked up to her being so naive. Who she ends up with in the end is not a surprise but I would have liked to see more build up instead of the sudden declaration that she loves this man. Overall if you enjoy hearing different theories of what happened to the Roanoke colonists this is an enjoyable read
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