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Roanoke
Recently orphaned, Audry Tappan is put under the protection of her sister and brother-in-law and taken to the New World in 1587, to live in a new English colony led by Governor John White. Wanting nothing of the life that has been chosen for her, Audry struggles to survive in the grueling conditions demanded of her on the mysterious island of Roanoke. The colony is left to fend for itself when Governor White returns to England to fetch supplies, and it is not until the threads begin to unravel that Audry learns she must adapt or perish. Facing the unforgiving elements, the Natives, and an outbreak of typhoid fever, the settlers quickly find that they are not in England any longer, and help may not ever be coming back. In a world where both nature and the settlers themselves are bearing down, Audry must try to rise above the fraying colony in order to live and keep close the love she has found.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
212 pages, Paperback
First published December 5, 2008
9 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 9, 2017
Apologies for the cliché, but this book pulled me in right from the first sentence. Vivid images and an engaging depiction of life among the first American colonists.
December 17, 2017
Reviewed For Readers' Favorite by Grant Leishman
When sixteen-year-old Audry's father dies, he leaves her in a difficult situation, as she comes under the protection of her elder sister Alis and her husband, John. In Roanoke, by Kathryn Sommerlot, John and Alis have determined to make a new beginning and in 1587 they and around a hundred other colonists set sail for Chesapeake, in the Americas, taking young Audry with them. Audry's dreams of appearing in Queen Elizabeth !'s court along with her Father are forever dashed and she must adapt herself to a brave, new harsh environment that she'd never wanted in the first place. Instead of being taken to Chesapeake, where the colonists were promised their own land, they are instead left alone on the island of Roanoke, just off the South Carolina coast. Audry and her fellow colonists must cope with the wild environs, the ever present dangers and the not so friendly native Americans. So began the first real English colony in the Americas - a colony later to become known as the "Lost Colony".
I love reading Historical Fiction and Roanoke is very special in that regard, as it chronicles a pivotal point in the colonisation of the New World. It was in Roanoke that the first English child to be born in the Americas, was delivered. The story of Audry Tappan may be fictionalised, but Kathryn Sommerlot has stuck very much to the historical basis that was the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke. One of the greatest tributes I can give an historical fiction author is that his or work prompted me to research the topic and Roanoke certainly did that. I wanted to know what happened to this first real colony. The author's descriptions of the hardships prompted on these early colonists allowed the reader to truly feel they were there with Audry, suffering along with her. The romantic interactions between Audry and Marke, as well as the evil machinations of the Pastor, gave some warmth and humanity to what could have been a dry, historical tale. A very good read and full of interesting insights.
When sixteen-year-old Audry's father dies, he leaves her in a difficult situation, as she comes under the protection of her elder sister Alis and her husband, John. In Roanoke, by Kathryn Sommerlot, John and Alis have determined to make a new beginning and in 1587 they and around a hundred other colonists set sail for Chesapeake, in the Americas, taking young Audry with them. Audry's dreams of appearing in Queen Elizabeth !'s court along with her Father are forever dashed and she must adapt herself to a brave, new harsh environment that she'd never wanted in the first place. Instead of being taken to Chesapeake, where the colonists were promised their own land, they are instead left alone on the island of Roanoke, just off the South Carolina coast. Audry and her fellow colonists must cope with the wild environs, the ever present dangers and the not so friendly native Americans. So began the first real English colony in the Americas - a colony later to become known as the "Lost Colony".
I love reading Historical Fiction and Roanoke is very special in that regard, as it chronicles a pivotal point in the colonisation of the New World. It was in Roanoke that the first English child to be born in the Americas, was delivered. The story of Audry Tappan may be fictionalised, but Kathryn Sommerlot has stuck very much to the historical basis that was the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke. One of the greatest tributes I can give an historical fiction author is that his or work prompted me to research the topic and Roanoke certainly did that. I wanted to know what happened to this first real colony. The author's descriptions of the hardships prompted on these early colonists allowed the reader to truly feel they were there with Audry, suffering along with her. The romantic interactions between Audry and Marke, as well as the evil machinations of the Pastor, gave some warmth and humanity to what could have been a dry, historical tale. A very good read and full of interesting insights.
January 14, 2015
Very well done Historical novel. An historically accurate portrayal of what could have happened.. but no one knows for sure. Also, a sort of timely reflection on the desperation of people in hard times and the lows a government can sink to when it has lots of power.
November 27, 2016
It definitely ends on a dark note but - as it should. Nothing was good about the arrival of those first settlers. The author did great at pulling you in and fully envisioning what life was like for them.
June 12, 2012
Good, but rather dark.
July 24, 2019
The office was a buzz when we realized that one of our colleagues is an author. I know her as a great mind, awesome teacher, and a fun companion, but I was not expecting this masterfully written, historically accurate, young adults tale. I know the author so I heard her passionate voice throughout the whole book which kept me from feeling so bleak about the main character's misfortunes, and there are misfortunes galore as would be for a settlement with the fate of Roanoke. Definitely glad I was nosey enough about my former colleague's moonlighting to read this book. Definitely in the list of best books read in my life.
July 16, 2018
This book is a slow burn. For me, it took awhile to get going, the fuse drawn out, but it ends with a unexpectedly dark twist that is worth the wait. The realism and history is bleak, but fairly accurate. I prefer a book with more of an up tempo pace, but Kathryn does a good job of keeping the reader engaged and keeping the language within the time period. A good read if you are interested in early settlers from England to America.
May 20, 2017
If she had buried her face in his doublet one more time...
This book kept my interest but 3/4 of the way through I got tired of the main character running into the woods crying and collapsing into the arms of her man. It seriously got old. Otherwise not a bad book.
This book kept my interest but 3/4 of the way through I got tired of the main character running into the woods crying and collapsing into the arms of her man. It seriously got old. Otherwise not a bad book.
October 26, 2017
4 stars because this was an incredibly well written piece of historical fiction, but I still lost interest and ended up skimming over the last third of the book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews