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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Based on a real individual – the first Native American to graduate from Harvard – Brooks has crafted a fine work of historical fiction that explores the dangers and exhilaration of crossing boundaries – geographic, religious, and cultural.
Bethia Mayfield is a curious and intelligent young girl growing up in what we will know as Martha’s Vineyard in the mid- to late-17th century. Her father is a minister who endeavors to bring The Word to the Native Americans with uneven success. Bethia has learned to read, write and cipher alongside her brothers, but that education stops when she reaches age nine; her father does not feel it necessary to give her more education as it isn’t necessary for a Godly wife. But Bethia manages to educate herself, eavesdropping on her brothers’ lessons, and more importantly befriending a young Wampanoag boy she encounters one day. Caleb is about her age and over time the two explore the island, teaching each other their languages and sharing their ideas on religion, morality, nature, family and love.
It took me a few chapters to fall into the rhythm of Brooks’ 17th-century syntax, but once I did I was fully engrossed. Bethia is a good narrator in that she is privy to much information – people will frequently speak about things in front of children (or others who “don’t count”) because they assume they won’t be understood. However, as the book progressed, I grew frustrated that I wasn’t hearing more about Caleb and his inner thoughts and feelings. Of course, I had expected this because of the title - Caleb’s Crossing. It’s still a very good book, but it could have been better if Brooks had found a way to give us more of Caleb’s story.
Bethia Mayfield is a curious and intelligent young girl growing up in what we will know as Martha’s Vineyard in the mid- to late-17th century. Her father is a minister who endeavors to bring The Word to the Native Americans with uneven success. Bethia has learned to read, write and cipher alongside her brothers, but that education stops when she reaches age nine; her father does not feel it necessary to give her more education as it isn’t necessary for a Godly wife. But Bethia manages to educate herself, eavesdropping on her brothers’ lessons, and more importantly befriending a young Wampanoag boy she encounters one day. Caleb is about her age and over time the two explore the island, teaching each other their languages and sharing their ideas on religion, morality, nature, family and love.
It took me a few chapters to fall into the rhythm of Brooks’ 17th-century syntax, but once I did I was fully engrossed. Bethia is a good narrator in that she is privy to much information – people will frequently speak about things in front of children (or others who “don’t count”) because they assume they won’t be understood. However, as the book progressed, I grew frustrated that I wasn’t hearing more about Caleb and his inner thoughts and feelings. Of course, I had expected this because of the title - Caleb’s Crossing. It’s still a very good book, but it could have been better if Brooks had found a way to give us more of Caleb’s story.
This is a wonderful book. I’m not much of a fan of books in olde English, but this one was a great go-between of modern day speech and older English. Wonderful, powerful story.
I fell in love with Geraldine Brooks with Year of Wonders (though probably not the best time to read about a plague during Covid lockdowns). She is a master at digging into a time period and bringing forth all the societal nuances and norms that encompass the characters and plot. Especially so, she writes so eloquently on the time period of the 1600-1700's with aplomb and thorough research.
Caleb's Crossing started out SO STRONG about a young Puritan girl named Bethea who befriends a Native American (Caleb), and they become cautious friends and learn each other's languages and customs with childlike naivety. What was so intensely striking was how the Puritan ministers would try to convert the "heathens" to God-fearing Christians, and this made them look so clumsy and aloof to the Indians' culture and worldview lens. Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing and downright cringeworthy - albeit fascinating - when Brooks juxtaposes the two cultures side by side and the Indians appear to be the civilized ones. Yet the two unlikely friends are able to withstand all the prejudice and stay fast friends, much to the chagrin of both families.
And then, Brooks bafflingly takes a turn from focusing on such an incredibly wonderful story and instead switches to the girl's marital status with everyone trying to marry her off to the correct lineage and husband that would ensure her financial security. Yet, Bethea finagles a way to audit courses at a university while churning butter in the next room so that she can hear the lectures, all the while helping a teenage girl who has miscarried escape the bonds of being branded a whore because she was carrying a bastard child (definitely reminiscent of The Scarlet Letter). Personally, I felt Brooks's switch was so odd and unsatisfactory, and Caleb was subsequently pushed into the background while Bethea pined over her future (quite unrealistically I might add, for women did not really have choices back then). I get that Brooks wanted to bring forth a strong female protagonist, but it detracted from the true story that had originally held me captive. Caleb also ends up the first-ever Native American to attend/graduate from Harvard (crossing from Native American to American culture), but so little attention was paid to such a momentous event where this could have and should have been - an intensely strong story line.
Caleb's Crossing started out with an incredible premise that I feel got lost in annoying romance and a headstrong girl - yes, women's empowerment is sometimes great to read, but it simply did not fit here - and I wanted more of Caleb's experience with the White Man, which somehow got lost in the shuffle. He eventually becomes a rather minor character that attends the university, but his story unfortunately becomes very marginalized. HIS story - not Bethea's - I feel would have been a much more intriguing tale, and instead of them becoming distant friends, I would have liked to see a glimmer of hope that they were able to overcome all the prejudice and discrimination thrown their way and remain the fast friends they once were. I felt, too, sorely disappointed that Caleb's embracing of the American culture and his diminished role in his own native tribe was sad to see.
Still, overall a good period piece that will teach you much about women's roles in the late 1600's amidst the settling of the American colonies and the "taming" of the savages. Unfortunately, it just didn't finish as strong as it had begun.
Caleb's Crossing started out SO STRONG about a young Puritan girl named Bethea who befriends a Native American (Caleb), and they become cautious friends and learn each other's languages and customs with childlike naivety. What was so intensely striking was how the Puritan ministers would try to convert the "heathens" to God-fearing Christians, and this made them look so clumsy and aloof to the Indians' culture and worldview lens. Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing and downright cringeworthy - albeit fascinating - when Brooks juxtaposes the two cultures side by side and the Indians appear to be the civilized ones. Yet the two unlikely friends are able to withstand all the prejudice and stay fast friends, much to the chagrin of both families.
And then, Brooks bafflingly takes a turn from focusing on such an incredibly wonderful story and instead switches to the girl's marital status with everyone trying to marry her off to the correct lineage and husband that would ensure her financial security. Yet, Bethea finagles a way to audit courses at a university while churning butter in the next room so that she can hear the lectures, all the while helping a teenage girl who has miscarried escape the bonds of being branded a whore because she was carrying a bastard child (definitely reminiscent of The Scarlet Letter). Personally, I felt Brooks's switch was so odd and unsatisfactory, and Caleb was subsequently pushed into the background while Bethea pined over her future (quite unrealistically I might add, for women did not really have choices back then). I get that Brooks wanted to bring forth a strong female protagonist, but it detracted from the true story that had originally held me captive. Caleb also ends up the first-ever Native American to attend/graduate from Harvard (crossing from Native American to American culture), but so little attention was paid to such a momentous event where this could have and should have been - an intensely strong story line.
Caleb's Crossing started out with an incredible premise that I feel got lost in annoying romance and a headstrong girl - yes, women's empowerment is sometimes great to read, but it simply did not fit here - and I wanted more of Caleb's experience with the White Man, which somehow got lost in the shuffle. He eventually becomes a rather minor character that attends the university, but his story unfortunately becomes very marginalized. HIS story - not Bethea's - I feel would have been a much more intriguing tale, and instead of them becoming distant friends, I would have liked to see a glimmer of hope that they were able to overcome all the prejudice and discrimination thrown their way and remain the fast friends they once were. I felt, too, sorely disappointed that Caleb's embracing of the American culture and his diminished role in his own native tribe was sad to see.
Still, overall a good period piece that will teach you much about women's roles in the late 1600's amidst the settling of the American colonies and the "taming" of the savages. Unfortunately, it just didn't finish as strong as it had begun.
Intriguing premise, based on a true story. I thought the fictional fleshing out of the story was well done. However, I felt that the treatment of many of the culture clash issues (native/European, women/men, academia/religion) was rather simplistic.
I am listening to this in my car and it is turning out to be as depressing as Year of Wonders!!! The narrator reads so slow too!!
There are 10 discs in the sound recording of this book. It took to disc 7 before I felt drawn into this story and not ready to shoot myself to escape the boredom!! At this point it picked up pace a bit and I felt more interested. I was interested in the history that this book represents. Brooks is meticulous in trying to portray the story based on what she could glean from historical record. The truth is this was a harsh time and place and the sad, depressing constancy in this book reflects that. That is also not a lot of fun to read.
There are 10 discs in the sound recording of this book. It took to disc 7 before I felt drawn into this story and not ready to shoot myself to escape the boredom!! At this point it picked up pace a bit and I felt more interested. I was interested in the history that this book represents. Brooks is meticulous in trying to portray the story based on what she could glean from historical record. The truth is this was a harsh time and place and the sad, depressing constancy in this book reflects that. That is also not a lot of fun to read.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Immersive, without being obvious; enthralling, without being fantastical; emotional, without being histrionic.
The style of writing and the general sense of reality throughout this novel make it feel authentic, as if the main character Bethia was actually writing. While obviously time travel doesn't exist and thus we can't fully know what life would have been like, Brooks' tale feels plausible. Harvard's early days are an interesting backdrop.
The story of Caleb is touching and of course has a bit of a moral feel to it. He is not a historical character I am familiar with, but this has encouraged me to want to find out more. The endpages with the letter he wrote were fascinating.
The style of writing and the general sense of reality throughout this novel make it feel authentic, as if the main character Bethia was actually writing. While obviously time travel doesn't exist and thus we can't fully know what life would have been like, Brooks' tale feels plausible. Harvard's early days are an interesting backdrop.
The story of Caleb is touching and of course has a bit of a moral feel to it. He is not a historical character I am familiar with, but this has encouraged me to want to find out more. The endpages with the letter he wrote were fascinating.
This was very, very good. It kept me wanting to get back to reading it when I wasn't.....but at the end I also felt like I wanted more......I was sad to see it end. My perfect kind of book-one that combines historical fact with characters that become part of your world-people I will always carry around with me. I want to find out more about this little piece of history. I'll be reading Ms. Brooks' other titles as soon as I can get my hands on them!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
MY BOOK REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I started this one as an audio, but quickly discovered that I would need to get a hard copy to accompany the audio as some of the turns of phrases and rhetoric were just too delicious not to return to, wallow in, soak up. What an exquisite historical fiction novel about the early settlers of Massachusetts, a time and a place in which my own ancestors settled! Is it any wonder that Brooks won the Pulitzer? Caleb’s Crossing is told in first person through the journals of the main character, Bethia Mayfield, a daughter of a Puritan minister, friend to the Wampanoag. The story begins with the friendship between twelve-year-old Bethia and Caleb, the son of a Wampanoag chieftain, who enter each other’s alien worlds through the innocence of youth. Driven by an insatiable hunger for knowledge, Bethia and Caleb follow their curiosity as far as cultural norms would allow. The author’s masterful development of these characters, her meticulous research into the lives and culture of these early settlers and the Wampanoag people, and the flora and fauna of the region combine to create an important and engaging story that the reader will never forget!
I started this one as an audio, but quickly discovered that I would need to get a hard copy to accompany the audio as some of the turns of phrases and rhetoric were just too delicious not to return to, wallow in, soak up. What an exquisite historical fiction novel about the early settlers of Massachusetts, a time and a place in which my own ancestors settled! Is it any wonder that Brooks won the Pulitzer? Caleb’s Crossing is told in first person through the journals of the main character, Bethia Mayfield, a daughter of a Puritan minister, friend to the Wampanoag. The story begins with the friendship between twelve-year-old Bethia and Caleb, the son of a Wampanoag chieftain, who enter each other’s alien worlds through the innocence of youth. Driven by an insatiable hunger for knowledge, Bethia and Caleb follow their curiosity as far as cultural norms would allow. The author’s masterful development of these characters, her meticulous research into the lives and culture of these early settlers and the Wampanoag people, and the flora and fauna of the region combine to create an important and engaging story that the reader will never forget!
Caleb is the anglicized name of a Native American who grew up on Martha's Vineyard (mid 17th century) and was the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. The title word, Crossing, stands for any number of crossings; island to mainland, England to the US, and native culture to English settler culture. There is very little known about the real Caleb, other than he was the first NA graduate of Harvard and he was from Martha's Vineyard, but Brooks develops a great story told from the point of view of a young English girl who befriends him. The story centers around the clash of cultures, especially around religion and lifestyle. The effects, both external and internal, on a person attempting to cross cultures are deep and abiding and well-described. I really liked the book in spite of the multitude of tragedies.