Caleb's Crossing

I listened to the audio book, and enjoyed it. I liked the language style. Sometimes the jumping of time periods was a little confusing, but it didn't really detract from the storyline that much. I will read another of hers to see if I continue to like her writing. ( )

Great book! Well written and researched. It would be interesting to see the book written from Caleb's point of view. You never really find out how he feels. Maybe that book should be written by a Wampanoag.
The book is more about Bethia than Caleb. I thought that Bethia was a little too idealized, she was too clearly a tool in the author's hand to make the connection to the Wampanoag. ( )

3.5 stars
I liked this book and found it very informative but not as enjoyable as I would have liked. I found it so interesting that this was based on true events and I felt like I learned something from reading this book. That being said, the title of this book and the description made it seem like this book would be entirely about the first Native American person to go to Harvard, Caleb. However, it was narrated by a woman named Bethia and her family and her relationship with Caleb. This wasn't entirely a negative thing for me because this booked talked about how Bethia really wanted to be educated and go to school for things like Latin but was unable to because she was a girl. There were also other things discussing prejudice towards both women and Native American at this time, which I found interesting to read as a woman. I also enjoyed reading about Bethia's view on the marriage she was going to have to enter. I do wish that Caleb had been included more in later parts of the book. Once he got to Harvard, which I thought would have included Caleb the most, didn't. In fact, I felt like he almost disappeared in some parts of this section. But I did like reading about Caleb's relationship with another Native American boy named Joel. In fact, all the relationships in this book were written very well. There were a lot of people dying in this book and it never really felt like those deaths were written very well. I never felt very impacted and it felt like all the characters moved on incredibly quickly. The book also moved around in time a lot which left me confused at the beginning but I got used to it. I did enjoy this book and felt it was interesting and informative but there were some things that made me not like it. I would recommend it though if you are interested in the topic. ( )

It is the authenticity of the voice of the protagonist, Bethia Mayfield, which makes this an intriguing read and such an outstanding literary achievement. I have read only a very limited amount about the Puritan Pilgrims of this era – enough to have recognized some of the major events and names of persons of the time, such as Squanto, Josiah Winslow, and King Philip’s War. And from this perspective, it is not reasonable to attack Ms. Brooks over her manipulation of historical facts or her composite historical characters in this work. This is a novel. It is the historical novelist’s obligation and goal to give the reader a deeper understanding of past times and events through a blend of storytelling and diligent research. In this regard the author has succeeded in full measure. Bethia’s voice rings true, and her use of 17th century vocabulary and phrasing is both charming and captivating. This is done as she relates her story as a bystander to the historical occurrence of Caleb’s crossing from his Wampanaug upbringing to the English culture and becoming the first Native American graduate of Harvard.
As remarkable an achievement and pleasure it is to read that “Caleb’s Crossing “ is, it is not without its flaws. The reader cannot help but hear the scorn in Ms. Brooks’ voice as Bethia struggles with the unfair and unequal treatment of women in her time and society. And not only Bethia’s society, but the Native American culture’s misogyny does not escape. This tone becomes tiresome and preachy by the end of the story. Additionally, she does not quite create that tension in the story that compels the reader to continue. Granted the character study of the young Calvinist girl is intriguing. But Ms Brooks misses her previous level of accomplishment in this work. That being said, “Caleb’s Crossing” is very good and well worth the reader’s time.
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I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I have enjoyed some of her others. I found myself just perusing a few parts. Having said that, I give it a strong 4 stars and applaud Geraldine Brooks for not turning an important piece of history into a romance novel. (What made me think she would?) I loved Bethia, who was portrayed as strong, but whose power to change her circumstances was realistically (and tragically) limited by time and place. And although I felt compassion and admiration for Caleb, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to know him better. Granted, I think that ultimately added to his authenticity and very well could have been the author's intention. ( )