The Crown of Columbus [Paperback]

Louise Erdrich (Author), Michael Dorris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1992

A very pregnant anthropologist finds the diary of Columbus in the basement of the Dartmouth library and travels to the Bahamas with her lover and son to find what the diary refers to as ""the greatest treasure of Europe."" Reprint. NYT.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Native American Studies professor and her lover study documents related to a long-lost diary of Christopher Columbus. This lighthearted romantic mystery by a husband-and-wife team spent eight weeks on PW 's hardcover bestseller list.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

After scoring substantial critical success individually (for Erdrich with the novels Love Medicine , LJ 10/1/84; The Beet Queen , LJ 8/86; etc.; and for Dorris, with A Yellow Raft in Blue Water , LJ 5/1/87, and the nonfiction The Broken Cord , LJ 7/89), this husband-and-wife team combine their talents to produce what looks to be a Big Time, commercially successful novel, pre-sold movie rights and all. Told in the very different voices of college professor lovers Vivian Twostar, Native American single mother, and Roger Williams, poet of an old New England family, the collaborative effort flows smoothly. Although estranged during Vivian's pregnancy, both are working on academic projects concerning the 500th anniversary of the discovery of North America by Columbus. The collision of their two lives is funny, vivid, and life-affirming; add an element of mystery and you have a sure-fire winner on all levels. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/91.
-Ann H. Fisher, Radford P.L., Va.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (Mm) (June 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061099570
• ISBN-13: 978-0061099571
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,948,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Captured my attention . . ., September 12, 2000

By 

Margaret Dyal (San Antonio, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crown of Columbus (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Once I got past the misleading synopsis on back of the novel and accepted the novel for what it really was, I became intensely involved. Roger Williams and Vivian Twostar are stereotypes, which is the point. They are cariactures; Dorris and Erdrich having a little fun with the stereotypes people have placed on them. The depth of character found in Erdrich's other novels is clearing missing; however, _The Crown of Columbus_ is a different kind of novel. It is a modern romance, detective, adventure, and historical novel at the same time. I recommend this book to someone looking for an entertaining read; anyone seeking high literature should read Erdrich's _Tracks_

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Crown of Columbus proves thrilling yet educational, November 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Crown of Columbus (Paperback)

In Crown of Columbus, Erdrich created a thrilling novel around historical information regarding Columbus. She further explored many of the cultural perspectives about the meaning of Columbus and particularly looked at Columbus' meaning to many Native Americans. In addition to the educational and historical perspective, she created characters who were real and complex. Erdrich also developed a suspensful end to the story which proved somewhat predictable but none-the-less made the book difficult to put down.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars too wordy, exciting characters, April 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Crown of Columbus (Paperback)

I think that this book was decent, except that the authors tended to drag out the plot too much. If it was really historical, then they should have focused on more historical scenes. The love plot and the historical plot seemed to interrupt each other. I enjoyed the detailed characters, though. I also liked the suspenseful action in the Bahamas with Cobb, Roger, and Vivian. The last one hundred pages of the book were the best.