Gerhard O. (nccorthu) reviewed Roanoke : Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony on + 569 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Great book on the early history of English colonization of the south eastern US. It begins with loss of three colonies in Virginia Roanoke the biggest mystery yje whole colony disappeared. But also the book covers the early times of Jamestown. Fascinating history
Helpful Score: 1
fascinating historical mystery...some new "evidence" and thought...
Lisa C. (bookitnow) -
I thought this book was very interesting and good - reads like a murder mystery for historical buffs. I usually read historical fiction or non-fiction and easily give it four stars.
Leslie L. (genealogygeek) reviewed Roanoke : Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony on + 47 more book reviews
I did not enjoy the author's widespread and continuous use of incomplete sentences. The history was very interesting, however. I just didn't like the writing style.
Very interesting. I had recently seen the specials on TV about the Lost Colony and this was much more thorough and detailed. Lee Miller's background and education made this much more informative. I had always wondered if maybe they had been assimilated into the native population.
I got this book about a year ago through paperbackswap.com and finally started reading it about two months ago. I was initially intrigued to learn about this group of people who mysteriously disappeared. The book, including the epilogue and appendices, is 272 pages so I figured I could get through it in a week or two. As of this date, I'm now at 162 pages and have finally decided to throw in the towel.
It didn't take long for me to realize this book was not going to be an easy read. The author frequently quotes from writings in the late 1500s. A phrase here and there would be fine but she sometimes quotes an entire paragraph. People in the 1500s wrote quite differently than we do today so I found it frustrating to read the longer passages. I finally started skipping them.
As others (on Amazon) have noted, the author has an annoying habit of using incomplete sentences. As with the quotes, an incomplete sentence here and there could be an effective way of conveying something; however, her constant use of incomplete sentences became annoying.
The author starts the book with the disappearance of the colony and then goes back in time to explain various theories of hers based on writings of the time. I've read other books that have started at a certain date and then may go back in time to explain what led up to where the story started. A deft author can make that work; this author couldn't.
I seldom give up on a book but I simply cannot bear reading this one anymore. There are too many other books out there so I am not going to waste any more time on this one.
It didn't take long for me to realize this book was not going to be an easy read. The author frequently quotes from writings in the late 1500s. A phrase here and there would be fine but she sometimes quotes an entire paragraph. People in the 1500s wrote quite differently than we do today so I found it frustrating to read the longer passages. I finally started skipping them.
As others (on Amazon) have noted, the author has an annoying habit of using incomplete sentences. As with the quotes, an incomplete sentence here and there could be an effective way of conveying something; however, her constant use of incomplete sentences became annoying.
The author starts the book with the disappearance of the colony and then goes back in time to explain various theories of hers based on writings of the time. I've read other books that have started at a certain date and then may go back in time to explain what led up to where the story started. A deft author can make that work; this author couldn't.
I seldom give up on a book but I simply cannot bear reading this one anymore. There are too many other books out there so I am not going to waste any more time on this one.
