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Loading... Caleb's Crossing: A Novel (edition 2012)by Geraldine Brooks
Work detailsCaleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
None.  Elpaca | May 1, 2013 |  Dissapointing. Good beginning, then there is a Mills & Boon bit like the ending in Year of Wonders. And then there is a Star Trek ending where Geraldine Brooks has to cram all of the facts about Caleb and Joel into the story, even though the narrator's story ended pages before the end. Don't know how she one the Pulitzer. (  ) SharonStewart | Apr 22, 2013 | It's a rare audio book that grabs me to the point of not wanting to leave my car (when I get home from work!). I loved the descriptions of Martha's Vineyard and Cambridge in the 17th century, as well as the knowledge and sensitivity Brooks brings to her characters and the pull and tug of culture. (  ) espref | Apr 16, 2013 | This was a slow read for me. Since it is set in the 1600's the writing is different and due to all the Native American names and terms we aren't used to, it made it difficult to get into at times. But, if you could get past that, the story was interesting, emotional, and tragic. If I wouldn't have been reading this for book club, I probably never would have finished it, but I am glad I was able to see the story of Caleb and those whose lives were close to him come to an end. (  ) Staciele | Apr 9, 2013 | Not at all plot driven, unless you're reading to find out what Caleb's "crossing" is (though this is mentioned about halfway). Historical fiction about a small New England island's tension between Puritans and the native people, and how men of that day were schooled (early Harvard days). The old-style English narrative is interesting (think [a:Nathaniel Hawthorne|7799|Nathaniel Hawthorne|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1291476587p2/7799.jpg] but written today), but the story is nothing terribly captivating. What is intersting to me, is that this is the second book I've read by Brooks, and both are about religion in some way, yet I don't think Brooks believes in the religions she writes about. ( ) LDVoorberg | Apr 7, 2013 |
...This is a book for grown-ups written by Geraldine Brooks, who not only respects history, she loves it. So while she sets up a story that's easy to fall into, she doesn't shy away from the realities of those times. And Bethia and Caleb's lives take some unexpected turns. The result is a satisfying but sobering look at the early days of this country. This is a great pick for lovers of historical fiction...  “Caleb’s Crossing” could not be more enlightening and involving. Beautifully written from beginning to end, it reconfirms Geraldine Brooks’s reputation as one of our most supple and insightful novelists.  While no masterpiece, this work nevertheless contributes in good measure to the current and very welcome revitalization of the historical novel.
References to this work on external resources.
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Once again, the author takes a remarkable shard of history and brings it to vivid life. In 1665, a young man from Martha's Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Upon this slender factual scaffold, she has created a luminous tale of love and faith, magic and adventure. The narrator of the story is Bethia Mayfield, growing up in the tiny settlement of Great Harbor amid a small band of pioneers and Puritans. Restless and curious, she yearns after an education that is closed to her by her sex. As often as she can, she slips away to explore the island's glistening beaches and observe its native Wampanoag inhabitants. At twelve, she encounters Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a tentative secret friendship that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia's minister father tries to convert the Wampanoag, awakening the wrath of the tribe's shaman, against whose magic he must test his own beliefs. One of his projects becomes the education of Caleb, and a year later, Caleb is in Cambridge, studying Latin and Greek among the colonial elite. There, Bethia finds herself reluctantly indentured as a housekeeper and can closely observe Caleb's crossing of cultures. Like the author's beloved narrator Anna, in Year of Wonders, Bethia proves an emotionally irresistible guide to the wilds of Martha's Vineyard and the intimate spaces of the human heart.… (more)
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Those Puritans were a scary lot. Great book, Brooks prose nicely bridges the gap between then and now, and her descriptive powers translate to the visual. (