Searching for Virginia Dare

by Marjorie Hudson

In 1587 America's first English child was born in a remote island wilderness. They named her Virginia Dare. Soon after her birth, Virginia and more than a hundred men, women, and children disappeared, leaving a cryptic message carved on a tree. What became of that infant girl and her people, now known as the Lost Colony? In search of an answer, Marjorie Hudson wanders the back roads of North Carolina and Virginia in an aging Dodge Caravan with a satchel of research notes and a head full of memory and imagining. Amazed by abandoned farmhouses wrapped in kudzu, the Great Dismal Swamp "dripping with spotted snakes," the bones of the Jamestown colony, and the living nation of the Lumbee, Hudson discovers an epic story more complex and more deeply moving than she ever imagined. Weaving research and interview, memory and imagination, Hudson's tale is a spellbinding journey, an invitation to deep mysteries that lurk in the history of America and in ourselves.

Genres: Memoir

169 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

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A Native American child burial is found in a cliff by the river, revealing dire Southern history and raising vengeful spirits. Three families' lives are turned upside down - they will not survive the coming storm without joining forces.

"Superb"
—FOREWORD REVIEWS

"Mesmerizing"
—SUE MONK KIDD

“An impressive, sprawling novel about love and hate, life and death, sin and redemption, one worth any reader’s time.”
—SOUTHERN LITERARY REVIEW

“Sparkles with a powerful sense of place ... compelling ... hard to put down.”
—MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

“The best damned book I have ever read.”
—RANA SOUTHERN, BRANCH MANAGER, MT. AIRY PUBLIC LIBRARY

“Spectacular! Everybody read this book!”
—HELEN LITTLE, THE PUBLIC LIBRARY PODCAST, iHEARTRADIO

SIR WALTER RALEIGH AWARD
CROOKS CORNER PRIZE FINALIST
NATIONAL WOMEN'S BOOK ASSOCIATION GREAT GROUP READ

Marjorie Hudson was born in a small town in Illinois, grew up in Washington, D.C., and now writes and lives in Chatham County, North Carolina. She is author of story collection ACCIDENTAL BIRDS OF THE CAROLINAS, a PEN/Hemingway Honorable Mention, and the first book of Ambler County stories, and SEARCHING FOR VIRGINIA DARE, a North Carolina Arts Council Notable Book, both from Press 53.

Hudson's work explores the links between history, the human spirit, and the natural world, and reviewers have compared her work to that of Thomas Hardy and Isabel Allende.

ANDRE DUBUS III says, "This woman writes like a dream!"

Follow her online for updates on events and media and to make a book club visit request.

WEBSITE: www.marjoriehudson.com
FACEBOOK: marjorie.hudson1
INSTAGRAM: marjoriehudsonwriter
TWITTER: @marjoriehudson1

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poetic style of this author lends poignance to the history of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Since childhood, Hudson has been fascinated by the history and geography of the islands of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Virginia Dare, the first English child to be born in the New World, became especially important to her as she learned more of the ill-fated colony sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh and planted briefly on Roanoke Island before disappearing under baffling conditions. A supply ship returns to England. The attack of the Spanish Armada on England interrupts the planned re-supply and, when John White and the provisions finally reach Roanoke, the colonists are nowhere to be found. Instead, they find a stone with CROATOAN carved into it. These are the facts as we know them from diaries and the writings of Richard Hakluyt. Hudson sets the stage for us: the mood in England as the Spanish loom n the horizon; why to colonists signed on with Raleigh to populate Virginia; who Virginia Dare's parents were. The most interesting part, however, was the review of contemporary archaeological efforts to find traces of the colony and where it might have gone. In the face of Hurricane Florence, aimed right at the Outer Banks this week, this episode from history may see most of what evidence is left washed away. So this was a particularly moving time to read about Virginia and her fellow colonists. Did Virginia's friends go native? Those grey eyed Native Americans were particularly intriguing.

[J. Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Marjorie Hudson, traces her quest across North Carolina to discover for herself what may have become of the nearly mythical first born of America. But Virginia Dare was not a myth, she was a real person. One who likely had a very short life... or did she? Many theories abound about what became of the "Lost Colony." Were they slaughtered by the local Indians? Did they move inland to healthier areas that were less disease prone and better suited to raising food crops? If so, did they survive this move and if so, what became of them? These are all questions that Hudson explores in this book.

If you are looking for a dry, "hard hitting" history to help you fall asleep at night this is not it. You see, this is as much a story of a modern woman's journey of self discovery as it is of her scholarly and journalistic findings. This is a very well written and enjoyable book and from the first chapter, I knew I was in for something good. I wasn't disappointed.

Keith Jones
Reviewer
Author of In Due Time

[Suade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, being as I wrote a paper in a college about "The Lost Colony" I knew a great deal of the information already. But the things Marjorie Hudson wrote of which I did not know, plus her personal lining, gave a good deal more and it was an enjoyable read.
I do suggest this book to anyone interested in this topic.

[Suzanne Mundy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be informative; however, the author strayed from time to time telling about her own life instead of Virginia Dare. I wanted her to find Virginia Dare, not simply search from her! I was hoping to learn something new. I was disappointed.

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess I shouldn't rate all our books 5 stars. I may appear insincere, like I'm only peddling our wares. Okay, fine. You read it. I'll leave it to you. 5 stars, I'm telling you.