Tidewater: A novel of Pocahontas and the Jamestown Colony by Libbie Hawker
Tidewater: A novel of
Pocahontas and the Jamestown Colony by Libbie Hawker
The
story of Pocahontas is of course one that I am familiar with. I mean,
seriously, who hasn’t seen the Disney movie, absolutely loved it as a child and
then been entirely disgusted when learning the truth behind the movie. Tidewater: A novel of Pocahontas and the
Jamestown Colony is a beautifully told, moving and realistic account of
Pocahontas and her life. I am not a historian but from the moment I started
reading this novel I felt fully consumed in the history of the characters. They
were brought to life in amazing fashion with well-developed and thought out
characters and a fully developed world.
Amonute, also known as Pocahontas
or “mischief,” lived in her father Powhatan’s, village in the Tsenacomoco. She
was a girl that had only seen ten winters, the last few of which she spent with
her father, having left her mother’s village of Pamunkey. The tassantassas,
white men, had come to the shores of Tsenacomoco and had been looking to trade
with the villagers. Among them was John Smith who was brought to the New World
in chains for suspected mutiny, only to be given a position of some power by the
Virginia Company. He is one of the few English men who understand the importance
of establishing relationships with the Naturals of the New World. With
aggressions coming from both sides and a lack of trust prevalent, the history
of both sides would be changed forever.
You know what I really loved about
this story? I loved that it was told in three different perspectives: Smith,
Pocahontas and Opechancanough, the brother of Powhatan. By allowing the story
to be told with the differing points of view, you can better understand the
frustration of all the characters involved. Language barriers and differing
cultures obviously would hinder relationships. The English were under the
impression that the Naturals would want religion and want to be civilized. What
they really wanted were for the English to leave their land and never to return.
The Powhatans were ready to defend their lifestyle and the English were willing
to defend what they thought was their claim to the New World. It was all
extremely complicated. Hawker though did a great job expressing the
predicaments. The novel was also told in four different parts. With each part,
new challenges and circumstances emerged in the lives of all the characters. It
was well done and executed with just enough action to keep the pace of story
moving and interesting.
I was extremely emotional while
reading this story of Pocahontas. I was frustrated, angry, sad, amused at times,
heartbroken and unnecessarily hopeful. This book was over 500 pages and I
enjoyed every single one. I know in the historical note Hawker mentioned she
may be doing a sequel and I would be more than happy to continue this journey
with her again. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone slightly
interested in the history of Pocahontas. It slows down slightly towards the end
but it was absolutely amazing. I give this 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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