Roanoke: The Abandoned Colony

Very interesting, well-written book chronicling the founding and disappearance of the legendary Lost Colony. Kupperman fills the book with facts and dives deep into the lifestyles and personal lives of many of the major historical figures like John White and Sir Walter Raleigh. Her argument that the colony was not lost, but that it failed from neglect and abandonment, is superb. I highly recommend!

This is an excellent review of all topics related to the preparations, settlement, and ultimate failure of America's first English colony. The egotistical players (Ralegh, Greenville, Lane) are studied along with the realistic forward thinkers (both Richard Hakluyts, White, Harriot) and the Indians who were encroached upon to result in a fair and balanced account of the political, social, religious and cultural reasons for the failure of the "Lost Colony". The subtitle, "The Abandoned Colony" is remarkably insightful and appropriate and the book explains in clear and specific terms why this attempt at colonization was destined for failure from the outset. The author is clear in her logic and in her explanations of what took place. Each chapter leads the reader from the back-story toward the ultimate reasons for the deserted colony. This capitalist effort was a corporate subsidized suicide mission and the facts supporting such a thesis are, regrettably for those who history will now vilify, all to clear. The book reads surprisingly like a work of fiction; the story of the people, their interactions, motivations and personalities, all laid out like a strange tale resulting in a Steven King like disaster (King did reference the "Lost Colony" in his screenplay "The Storm of the Century"). The fact that this colony resulted in failure is no shock looking back. But Karen Ordahl Kupperman gives great detail to the climate of the times which resulted in such a seemingly obvious disaster waiting to happen. Obviously, the colonists and the leaders did not forsee disaster, but the book reads like a thriller in which we know the outcome but not how the final chapter is reached. What is most interesting about this book is the depth of study devoted to the Carolina Algonquians, the Indians that were most commonly in contact with the failed colony. As stated by the author, there is probably no greater study of 16th century Indian life than that which was provided by the colonists of Roanoke Island. We are given in a concise and easy read, what was drawn from a large pool of non-fiction and personal interviews, a view of Indian life both before and after English contact. The fact that the Roanoke Colony remains a question today is astounding considering that historians and archaeologists are able to piece together so much with modern scientific tools. This only further adds to the incredible mystery of the colony. There are now, in the area of the colony (no one knows precisely where the colonists settled) studies involving DNA that may point to a possible solution to the riddle of the "Lost Colony". Until we have that solution, this book is an excellent source of all information available and it is presented by one of America's best authorities on early Indian interaction with European settlers. A must read for anyone that is interested in the history of America. This is the first attempt by the English to settle the "New World" and this was a major step

this little book is full of details of Elizabethan life and personality as well as the story of the Roanoke colony. It's not possible to learn everything there is to know from one book, but Karen Kupperman has packed a lot of information and food for thought into a logical and easy to read volume. You might also like to read "Roanoke, Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony". The two books compliment each other.

Well written, researched and documented. A fascinating mystery told in a great way.

I bought this book because I needed to write a book review for my American History review course. I was expecting to trudge through a hundred and some odd boring pages, but was pleasantly surprised.It was very well written, and read more like a short novel than a history book. While providing information on the many people involved in the Roanoke adventures, it also reviewed the general socio-economic factors influencing American colonization in general. It really contained a ton of information on American colonization and the European factors behind it, and it presented it in such a way that it told a story, rather than simply jumping from time-period and event to time-period and event! (like many of those so called "textbooks")The author is a noted authority on the early contacts between Europeans and Native Americans.Read it, you'll like it.