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themodvictorian's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jurema's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
inkdrinkerjfr's review
5.0
I read this book years ago in a college class taught by my favorite professor and loved it but am not sure that I would now that I have a baby. Very sad but touching story.
pattydsf's review
4.0
I sometimes wish I could make a tree (like a family tree) that links my books from one to another. Much of the time my reading one book has no connection to the book before or the book after. I find a book I like, read it and move on. But every now and then there are books that send me looking for a particular next read.
I found Catherwood because I read The Quality of a Hazelnut by Fae Malania. After finishing that book, I wanted to know more about Malania. It turns out she died in 2007. I found a lovely obituary on Marly Youmans' blog. She was good friends with Fae Malania. Youmans herself is a published author and so I looked to see what books by her were owned by my library. It turned out there was only one title, this one. I doubt I would have ever found this book on my own.
Catherwood is set in 1676 through 1678 - two short years. It is the tale of a young woman, Catherwood, who leaves all in England to be a settler in Virginia. Circumstances put her in New York and the reader learns a great deal about conditions in 17th century British colonies. The story moves quickly and I couldn't put it down until I knew exactly what happens to Catherwood in the wilderness. This is an amazing story.
I found Youmans' language beautiful and quirky. She uses words and phrases that helped me see what Catherwood was seeing and feel her feelings. Youmans has also published poetry and that was evident in this novel. I may have to find another book by this author.
I recommend this book to those who are interested in colonial history, those who like short books and to any reader who enjoys seeing words used well.
The delights of serendipity showed up one more time while I was writing this review. I looked on Youmans' blog to see if she said anything about how she came up with this story. Although nothing was on the page about that, it turns out that one of the reviews that Youmans' quotes is from Fred Chappell whose book I just finished. The links in my reading continue...
I found Catherwood because I read The Quality of a Hazelnut by Fae Malania. After finishing that book, I wanted to know more about Malania. It turns out she died in 2007. I found a lovely obituary on Marly Youmans' blog. She was good friends with Fae Malania. Youmans herself is a published author and so I looked to see what books by her were owned by my library. It turned out there was only one title, this one. I doubt I would have ever found this book on my own.
Catherwood is set in 1676 through 1678 - two short years. It is the tale of a young woman, Catherwood, who leaves all in England to be a settler in Virginia. Circumstances put her in New York and the reader learns a great deal about conditions in 17th century British colonies. The story moves quickly and I couldn't put it down until I knew exactly what happens to Catherwood in the wilderness. This is an amazing story.
I found Youmans' language beautiful and quirky. She uses words and phrases that helped me see what Catherwood was seeing and feel her feelings. Youmans has also published poetry and that was evident in this novel. I may have to find another book by this author.
I recommend this book to those who are interested in colonial history, those who like short books and to any reader who enjoys seeing words used well.
The delights of serendipity showed up one more time while I was writing this review. I looked on Youmans' blog to see if she said anything about how she came up with this story. Although nothing was on the page about that, it turns out that one of the reviews that Youmans' quotes is from Fred Chappell whose book I just finished. The links in my reading continue...
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