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Carolina Chronicles - Chronological Order #1
Roanoke Hundred
Sir Richard Grenville is the hero of this novel about the first attempted settlement of Roanoke Island (1585-1586), while Governor Ralph Lane is portrayed as a weak leader. Much of the action takes place in England before the expedition sails and after the explorers return. The reader gets a good sense of Elizabethan politics and the excitement that exploration held for well-born adventurers. Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, John White, Richard Hakluyt, and Thomas Hariot all have roles in the novel. The lowly-born Colin provides additional human interest, as he becomes a trusted aide to Grenville and a suitor to one of Grenville’s wards.
499 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1948
5 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Inglis Fletcher
42 books29 followersInglis Clark Fletcher was widely traveled, but the home of her maternal ancestors—coastal North Carolina—provided the stuff of her successful fiction and the home of her later years. The eldest of three children, Fletcher grew up in Edwardsville, Illinois, a small town populated by many displaced Southerners. As a child she preferred reading, debating, and writing novels to other pastimes, but it was her drawing talent that sent her to study as a teenager at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts at Washington University. Fletcher displayed some aptitude, but frankly said she was more interested in marriage than sculpture.
Her marriage to a mining engineer sent her directly to some of the roughest of the mining camps in California, Nevada, Colorado, and Alaska. Like many pioneer women isolated on male-dominated frontiers, Fletcher turned to writing as a way of coming to terms with experience. She sold film synopses and wrote poetry, articles, and reviews. When the Fletcher family moved to Oakland (1911) and San Francisco (1925-38), Fletcher found she enjoyed running a lecture bureau. In 1944 the Fletchers moved to historic Bandon Plantation, near Edenton, North Carolina. When Bandon burned in 1963, Fletcher retired to Charleston, South Carolina.
In 1928, Fletcher began her much-publicized tours of Africa, which she had wanted to see, she said, since she had been a child of twelve reading about Livingstone and Burton. From those tours came Fletcher's first novels: The White Leopard (1931) and Red Jasmine (1932). Both offer excellent observation of native craft, culture, and ritual.
The documents she found while researching her Tyrrel County ancestors and the Carolina campaigns of British General Cornwallis sparked her interest in the history of eastern North Carolina. Further research in Carolina libraries and extensive reading in public and private records of the period produced Raleigh's Eden (1940). The novel, the first of Fletcher's meticulously researched Carolina series of historical fiction, uncovered long-forgotten cultural facts of coastal Carolina settlement: Moorish architecture and Arabic residents, Oriental settlers and great estates. Many contemporary readers insisted that much of the novel's setting and events was imaginary, when in fact the novel was faithful to history. Each novel of Fletcher's Carolina series studies a specific era, beginning with the first attempted settlement in the 1580s.
The past provided Fletcher with plots, settings, and characters; it was also the inspiration for her themes. Through individual characters, Fletcher articulates her recurring theme: Land represents freedom and life, especially for Americans. Fletcher was intrigued by the possibility for altering identity that settling the colonies offered Europeans; she also studied the complex interaction of person and environment. The process of settlement provided a metaphor for individual experience: to attain knowledge of land is to attain knowledge of self.
This focus on the individual is circumscribed, however, by Fletcher's greater interest in—and skill in using as narrative—historical detail and fact. Thus, her works are most accurately titled historical romances; and melodramatic as some of her stories are, they attract readers decades after first publication, probably because they imaginatively recreate historical events—a form of fictional verisimilitude that comforts the average reader.
-Source: www.Novelguide.com
Her marriage to a mining engineer sent her directly to some of the roughest of the mining camps in California, Nevada, Colorado, and Alaska. Like many pioneer women isolated on male-dominated frontiers, Fletcher turned to writing as a way of coming to terms with experience. She sold film synopses and wrote poetry, articles, and reviews. When the Fletcher family moved to Oakland (1911) and San Francisco (1925-38), Fletcher found she enjoyed running a lecture bureau. In 1944 the Fletchers moved to historic Bandon Plantation, near Edenton, North Carolina. When Bandon burned in 1963, Fletcher retired to Charleston, South Carolina.
In 1928, Fletcher began her much-publicized tours of Africa, which she had wanted to see, she said, since she had been a child of twelve reading about Livingstone and Burton. From those tours came Fletcher's first novels: The White Leopard (1931) and Red Jasmine (1932). Both offer excellent observation of native craft, culture, and ritual.
The documents she found while researching her Tyrrel County ancestors and the Carolina campaigns of British General Cornwallis sparked her interest in the history of eastern North Carolina. Further research in Carolina libraries and extensive reading in public and private records of the period produced Raleigh's Eden (1940). The novel, the first of Fletcher's meticulously researched Carolina series of historical fiction, uncovered long-forgotten cultural facts of coastal Carolina settlement: Moorish architecture and Arabic residents, Oriental settlers and great estates. Many contemporary readers insisted that much of the novel's setting and events was imaginary, when in fact the novel was faithful to history. Each novel of Fletcher's Carolina series studies a specific era, beginning with the first attempted settlement in the 1580s.
The past provided Fletcher with plots, settings, and characters; it was also the inspiration for her themes. Through individual characters, Fletcher articulates her recurring theme: Land represents freedom and life, especially for Americans. Fletcher was intrigued by the possibility for altering identity that settling the colonies offered Europeans; she also studied the complex interaction of person and environment. The process of settlement provided a metaphor for individual experience: to attain knowledge of land is to attain knowledge of self.
This focus on the individual is circumscribed, however, by Fletcher's greater interest in—and skill in using as narrative—historical detail and fact. Thus, her works are most accurately titled historical romances; and melodramatic as some of her stories are, they attract readers decades after first publication, probably because they imaginatively recreate historical events—a form of fictional verisimilitude that comforts the average reader.
-Source: www.Novelguide.com
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 1, 2012
My cover, same ISBN#.
On the Island of Roanoke the green vines of the grape and the wicked brambles twined riotously over the falling dwellings of the First Colony. Bushes grew thick and rank along the broken palisades.
Roanoke Hundred is the first in a fairly lengthy series called the Carolina Chronicles. Story info and series order on these books is rather sparse, and some reader sites have the series order listed by publication date, which isn't necessarily the chronological order. My copy of Roanoke Hundred clearly says "Book 1", with books 2-6 being listed on the inside flap as Bennett's Welcome, Men of Albermarle, Lusty Wind for Carolina, Raleigh's Eden and Toll of the Brave. The nice folks at Goodreads have them listed in chronological order, but that list has twelve books! It looks like book two takes place about 100 years after the end of Roanoke Island, so I'm not sure yet if there's any character follow-up from Roanoke Hundred, or if each book stands alone. Are you confused? I am, but I will be tackling these as I can get my hands on them and try to resolve the mystery once and for all.
Anyhoo, this book is about the second expedition to the new world organized by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585 and led by Sir Richard Grenville. Despite the title, the first third of the book is set in England, as Raleigh gathers support and funds for his expedition, preparing for the voyage, as well as learning more about Sir Richard's home and family in Cornwall. Several men from Sir Richard's household will be going, including Colin, a young herd-boy who bears a rather strong resemblance to the Grenville men (wrong side of the blanket, perhaps?). The middle third of the book details the voyage to Roanoke (including run ins with the Spanish), and events when they arrived. Sir Richard eventually takes his fleet home with the promise to return with more supplies the next year, and leaves his hundred men behind, including Colin. Colin is then the focus of the book as we see the difficulties he and his companions face in a new and dangerous land, especially hindered as they were by the man left in charge - Ralph Lane. As Fletcher portrays him, Lane is less interested in storing supplies for the winter and building shelter, and more interested in grabbing what wealth he can get his hands on. He was also pretty darned good at antagonizing the Indians, which didn't help matters any.
While there is a romantic storyline with young Colin and Grenville's ward Thomasine, you should know that the book blurb and covers are very misleading - there were no women on that expedition.
I don't want my squires thinking of women. They must have their minds free to think of nothing but the land of Virginia. Let Virginia be their mistress.
All in all I did enjoy this book, although it is a bit dry and heavy on the details at times, plus I'm not overly fond of battles at sea. I would read a small chunk of it and then put it down for a few days to read other books and then come back to it. Despite those quibbles, I would definitely recommend it to those interested in early American history.
On the Island of Roanoke the green vines of the grape and the wicked brambles twined riotously over the falling dwellings of the First Colony. Bushes grew thick and rank along the broken palisades.
Roanoke Hundred is the first in a fairly lengthy series called the Carolina Chronicles. Story info and series order on these books is rather sparse, and some reader sites have the series order listed by publication date, which isn't necessarily the chronological order. My copy of Roanoke Hundred clearly says "Book 1", with books 2-6 being listed on the inside flap as Bennett's Welcome, Men of Albermarle, Lusty Wind for Carolina, Raleigh's Eden and Toll of the Brave. The nice folks at Goodreads have them listed in chronological order, but that list has twelve books! It looks like book two takes place about 100 years after the end of Roanoke Island, so I'm not sure yet if there's any character follow-up from Roanoke Hundred, or if each book stands alone. Are you confused? I am, but I will be tackling these as I can get my hands on them and try to resolve the mystery once and for all.
Anyhoo, this book is about the second expedition to the new world organized by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585 and led by Sir Richard Grenville. Despite the title, the first third of the book is set in England, as Raleigh gathers support and funds for his expedition, preparing for the voyage, as well as learning more about Sir Richard's home and family in Cornwall. Several men from Sir Richard's household will be going, including Colin, a young herd-boy who bears a rather strong resemblance to the Grenville men (wrong side of the blanket, perhaps?). The middle third of the book details the voyage to Roanoke (including run ins with the Spanish), and events when they arrived. Sir Richard eventually takes his fleet home with the promise to return with more supplies the next year, and leaves his hundred men behind, including Colin. Colin is then the focus of the book as we see the difficulties he and his companions face in a new and dangerous land, especially hindered as they were by the man left in charge - Ralph Lane. As Fletcher portrays him, Lane is less interested in storing supplies for the winter and building shelter, and more interested in grabbing what wealth he can get his hands on. He was also pretty darned good at antagonizing the Indians, which didn't help matters any.
While there is a romantic storyline with young Colin and Grenville's ward Thomasine, you should know that the book blurb and covers are very misleading - there were no women on that expedition.
I don't want my squires thinking of women. They must have their minds free to think of nothing but the land of Virginia. Let Virginia be their mistress.
All in all I did enjoy this book, although it is a bit dry and heavy on the details at times, plus I'm not overly fond of battles at sea. I would read a small chunk of it and then put it down for a few days to read other books and then come back to it. Despite those quibbles, I would definitely recommend it to those interested in early American history.
July 16, 2014
My maternal grandmother was a huge fan of Inglis Fletcher, and after she died I received a number of her books. When a hankering to re-read the series reared it's head, recently, I decided to go through the whole series in chronological order. I don't believe I've ever read this one, though, so it'll be a fun, fresh start.
***
And a good thing, too, because I know nothing about the Elizabethan side of the story of the founding of Virginia. Entertaining so far. I wonder did anyone call him Wally Raleigh?
***
Wow. You know, I haven't read much in this sweeping historical vein. Fletcher tells her story through two men: Lord Richard Grenville, sailor, adviser to the Queen, military leader, holder of vast estates in Cornwall; and Colin, a clever shepherd boy, taught alongside Grenville's sons in math, writing, reading, and swordplay. It was Grenville's dream to circumnavigate the globe, but due to the hostilities with Spain, Queen Elizabeth didn't want to spare him. Sir Walter Raleigh figures heavily as the instigator of the plan to settle Virginia. Ralph Lane appears as the first Governor, a job he grossly mishandles, leading to the failure of this first effort (and explaining why I've never heard of him before). Grenville is presented as a paragon of manliness, harsh sometimes, but just, doting on his wife and children, faithful to his Queen and his god, a virtuous farmer and fighter. Lane, however, is a city man, a courtier unused to hard work, greedy, short-sighted, venial, an almost cartoonish villain. Colin, endeavoring to grow into the virtues of his master, is our window into these two different leaders.
Flaws abound. It wouldn't pass the Bechdel Test. The only female characters are clearly either hot-blooded and needing to be tamed or angels in the household. Too many deaths are foretold. The only "savage" treated as a good person is the one who is baptized into the faith. The Spaniards are tired cliches.
But. There are strengths. Chief among them is the most thrilling naval engagement I've ever read. Seriously, the Battle of Flores is utterly gripping. Fletcher creates some real people to colonize Roanoke, and she makes the motivations of the time feel natural and believable. She does a marvelous job of showing where the preparations for winter in the colony went wrong, and she takes pains to make the primary native characters reasonable and logical. Most importantly, she tells a good story. I really hated ever having to put the book down, because I couldn't wait to find out what happened to these people dead more than four hundred years. It was some of the most engrossing history I've ever read. Now I'm keen to get on to the rest of the series.
Library copy.
***
And a good thing, too, because I know nothing about the Elizabethan side of the story of the founding of Virginia. Entertaining so far. I wonder did anyone call him Wally Raleigh?
***
Wow. You know, I haven't read much in this sweeping historical vein. Fletcher tells her story through two men: Lord Richard Grenville, sailor, adviser to the Queen, military leader, holder of vast estates in Cornwall; and Colin, a clever shepherd boy, taught alongside Grenville's sons in math, writing, reading, and swordplay. It was Grenville's dream to circumnavigate the globe, but due to the hostilities with Spain, Queen Elizabeth didn't want to spare him. Sir Walter Raleigh figures heavily as the instigator of the plan to settle Virginia. Ralph Lane appears as the first Governor, a job he grossly mishandles, leading to the failure of this first effort (and explaining why I've never heard of him before). Grenville is presented as a paragon of manliness, harsh sometimes, but just, doting on his wife and children, faithful to his Queen and his god, a virtuous farmer and fighter. Lane, however, is a city man, a courtier unused to hard work, greedy, short-sighted, venial, an almost cartoonish villain. Colin, endeavoring to grow into the virtues of his master, is our window into these two different leaders.
Flaws abound. It wouldn't pass the Bechdel Test. The only female characters are clearly either hot-blooded and needing to be tamed or angels in the household. Too many deaths are foretold. The only "savage" treated as a good person is the one who is baptized into the faith. The Spaniards are tired cliches.
But. There are strengths. Chief among them is the most thrilling naval engagement I've ever read. Seriously, the Battle of Flores is utterly gripping. Fletcher creates some real people to colonize Roanoke, and she makes the motivations of the time feel natural and believable. She does a marvelous job of showing where the preparations for winter in the colony went wrong, and she takes pains to make the primary native characters reasonable and logical. Most importantly, she tells a good story. I really hated ever having to put the book down, because I couldn't wait to find out what happened to these people dead more than four hundred years. It was some of the most engrossing history I've ever read. Now I'm keen to get on to the rest of the series.
Library copy.
January 16, 2020
I was recently in North Carolina and visited a women's exhibit at a museum and learned about Inglis Fletcher. She sounded like an interesting woman and given my interest in the Roanoke Colony this seemed like the perfect book to try. I tried not to read this with modern eyes, but it is so close in time that I could not help but put some expectations on this work. So I have mixed thoughts.
First of all, her writing style is pretty straight-forward and made for easy reading punctuated by great historical detail. Only at the end did it become a little too dramatic and sentimental, but this could simply be a matter of taste. However, given that it was not so for most of the book, I cringed a bit.
Secondly, the way she portrayed women was interesting. There is an attempt to show the intelligence of women, those who spoke of politics fluently, and those who were unashamedly "frank". However, in the end, the frank ones turned out to morally reprehensible, and the "others" were too pure to be true. There was no real complexity to these characters and they ended up being tropes.
There is a bit of romance. She tries to play with a healthy sense of cynicism, but ultimately, all couples had their way in some sense or another, which kind of ruined things for me.
In all, it was pleasant way to pass time in the historical fiction realm, but there was nothing earth-shattering here.
First of all, her writing style is pretty straight-forward and made for easy reading punctuated by great historical detail. Only at the end did it become a little too dramatic and sentimental, but this could simply be a matter of taste. However, given that it was not so for most of the book, I cringed a bit.
Secondly, the way she portrayed women was interesting. There is an attempt to show the intelligence of women, those who spoke of politics fluently, and those who were unashamedly "frank". However, in the end, the frank ones turned out to morally reprehensible, and the "others" were too pure to be true. There was no real complexity to these characters and they ended up being tropes.
There is a bit of romance. She tries to play with a healthy sense of cynicism, but ultimately, all couples had their way in some sense or another, which kind of ruined things for me.
In all, it was pleasant way to pass time in the historical fiction realm, but there was nothing earth-shattering here.
August 25, 2017
Mostly set in England, about sir Richard Greenville. Briefly in North Carolina, Roanoke. Not overly romance novel
July 4, 2019
this was an interesting historical fiction novel that was based on fact and I felt like the author truly researched this subject (Roanake settlers in 1580's).
August 10, 2019
It is actually a decent book. The time period is one I usually don’t get into, but overall a decent book. I inherited my copy from my Grandpa.
January 1, 2021
I don't regret reading it but probably will not read it again
February 1, 2026
This is a well researched novel. I didn’t expect so much of it to be set in England but as it pertains to the planning of colonization, that makes sense. The book was largely conversational. I wish there was more action.
Read
September 2, 2013"Pasadena library has this and others - at least one of the books is on dispute of state line between VA & NC"
March 6, 2014
Brings to life the history of one of America's earliest English attempts at colonization. Fletcher's historical novels are rich in historical detail and always have some romance in them.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews