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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This wasn't the book I was expecting when I picked it up. I mostly tried it because it is set in the area where I have lived for the last decade, because I have visited Jamestown, and recognize the name of Pocohantas.
The author has done her best to provide a setting that strips away the exaggerations and myths and treats all involved as fully human, actual people and not just caricatures. She has given me an interest in a time that has never felt real to me before.
I don't know how this book would be for a reader who was more familiar with the story of Pocohantas than me, who really only recognized her name and maybe a fact or two about her story, but for me…it will stay with me for a while, in a way that I would not have expected.
The author has done her best to provide a setting that strips away the exaggerations and myths and treats all involved as fully human, actual people and not just caricatures. She has given me an interest in a time that has never felt real to me before.
I don't know how this book would be for a reader who was more familiar with the story of Pocohantas than me, who really only recognized her name and maybe a fact or two about her story, but for me…it will stay with me for a while, in a way that I would not have expected.
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
I was really wanting to enjoy this story more than I did. I realize that there is a lot unknown about Pocahontas and I appreciate how much the author had to fill in but for all that she filled in she seemed to pay very littler attention to Pocahontas’s marriage to Kocoum. Since so much is not well known and parts had to be implemented it would have been nice to have more interaction between them. I am also torn with how Pocahontas and Jon Smith’s relationship was written. A lot from the account of Pocahontas coma from him but we also have a clear picture that he was not the best and I think the novel tried to mention that mostly glosses over his wrong doings/doesn’t show just how ruthless he would get with the different tribes. I do think that there should have been some more distaste for him shown in the story, maybe even on Pocahontas part. But overall I enjoyed it.
I absolutely love this book. I fell in love with it from page one, no lie. Libbie Hawker is a very talented writer, and I am going to keep a look out for any other writings of her's from here on out.
The story is so beautifully told. I feel as though I haven't read a modern writing style this eloquent and gripping in quite some time. I'm sure I will be reading Tidewater many more times throughout my life. It is a true gem.
The story is so beautifully told. I feel as though I haven't read a modern writing style this eloquent and gripping in quite some time. I'm sure I will be reading Tidewater many more times throughout my life. It is a true gem.
I loved this book. The writing was beautiful and immersed me so easily into the story. It seems very well researched as well. The landscape and the setting were wonderfully created and the characters well-developed. I feel like this story has been longing to be told, the more real life version, not the Disney version that we all seem to know. While moments were enjoyable, clearly much was distressing as well but that is history and it's important to know about it. I understand we can't truly know what happened then but I have a feeling that [a:Libbie Hawker|6543431|Libbie Hawker|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1350329133p2/6543431.jpg] gives us a pretty close account. I have a new respect for Pocahontas and she was wonderful. This is the version I'd like my daughter to read.
The author mentions that she might consider writing a sequel about Opechancanough and I hope she does! I feel like we still have so much to learn and read about from this story.
The author mentions that she might consider writing a sequel about Opechancanough and I hope she does! I feel like we still have so much to learn and read about from this story.
Interesting and disturbing history.
A different look at the mythical Disney Native American princess. Funnily, I enjoyed the historical note at the end very much and wish I had read it First! Mixed feelings, but good book.
A different look at the mythical Disney Native American princess. Funnily, I enjoyed the historical note at the end very much and wish I had read it First! Mixed feelings, but good book.
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.
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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.
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
NOTE: Received as an ARC for review from Netgalley.
Unlike the Disney version, the real Pocahontas was a little girl, not a teenager, when she took on the task of translator between the English in Jamestown and the Real People. Although she and John Smith had more in common than might be expected (he was not an English gentleman, and she was not a princess), they formed a tenuous but lasting friendship--nothing more. The idea that it was ambition, not romance, that initially drove her to be the liaison between the English and the Real People was completely new to me and is what hooked me. No one's motives are completely pure in this fascinating novel, not even Pocahontas's, which makes the characters and story all the more believable and interesting.
Unlike the Disney version, the real Pocahontas was a little girl, not a teenager, when she took on the task of translator between the English in Jamestown and the Real People. Although she and John Smith had more in common than might be expected (he was not an English gentleman, and she was not a princess), they formed a tenuous but lasting friendship--nothing more. The idea that it was ambition, not romance, that initially drove her to be the liaison between the English and the Real People was completely new to me and is what hooked me. No one's motives are completely pure in this fascinating novel, not even Pocahontas's, which makes the characters and story all the more believable and interesting.
Hawker writes about Pocahontas' life, from adolescence to death. It's immediate that she's done a lot of research on the topic as she introduces very influential people that affected the outcome of Tidewater. That, and she brings the reader fully into the Algonquian tribe beneath the Powahtan, Pocahontas' father; we see their rituals and rites, their religion, and their basic lifestyle (although I should note that even Hawker expresses some rites are fiction as there is not much information on the women's lifestyle; while this is a good introduction to the ways and life of the Algonquian in no way should you take it as all true).
The beginning is slow. Hawker doesn't trust her audience, uses the same rising / falling action, and her writing style in general is weak. I stand firm in saying that this book should have been shorter: not because of the beautiful descriptions we get in describing Pocahontas' lifestyle, but the unnecessary seasonal descriptions that go on for too long.
If you make it past the first half of the book, it's worth it. The second half is better written, Hawker seems to trust her readers, and her descriptions are more relevant. She doesn't shy away from the atrocities of the conflict but she also doesn't expound on them as much. This read is more of an emotional one in terms of seeing the way indigenous lives must change and adapt just in order to survive. It's knowing that you can never return back to what once was; it's knowing that your home will never be what home became to you. We see the loss and grief through Pocahontas' eyes and through the eyes of many other tribal members and leaders.
Give it a go if you want to know a generalized more about the tribal way of life, the important people, and the general outcome of the ordeal. Don't take it all at face value and read Hawker's notes at the end to get a grasp of what's made up and what's better based on facts. She also includes some historical books to help you pursue more knowledge on Pocahontas if that's of interest to you.
If authors want to grab you into a subject and make you want to know more about it, then Hawker has done that for me.
For a more in depth review, check out my blog.
The beginning is slow. Hawker doesn't trust her audience, uses the same rising / falling action, and her writing style in general is weak. I stand firm in saying that this book should have been shorter: not because of the beautiful descriptions we get in describing Pocahontas' lifestyle, but the unnecessary seasonal descriptions that go on for too long.
If you make it past the first half of the book, it's worth it. The second half is better written, Hawker seems to trust her readers, and her descriptions are more relevant. She doesn't shy away from the atrocities of the conflict but she also doesn't expound on them as much. This read is more of an emotional one in terms of seeing the way indigenous lives must change and adapt just in order to survive. It's knowing that you can never return back to what once was; it's knowing that your home will never be what home became to you. We see the loss and grief through Pocahontas' eyes and through the eyes of many other tribal members and leaders.
Give it a go if you want to know a generalized more about the tribal way of life, the important people, and the general outcome of the ordeal. Don't take it all at face value and read Hawker's notes at the end to get a grasp of what's made up and what's better based on facts. She also includes some historical books to help you pursue more knowledge on Pocahontas if that's of interest to you.
If authors want to grab you into a subject and make you want to know more about it, then Hawker has done that for me.
For a more in depth review, check out my blog.