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This is an excellent review of all topics related to the preparations, settlement, & 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) & the Indians who were encroached upon to result in a fair and balanced account of the political, social, religious & cultural reasons for the failure of the "Lost Colony". The subtitle, "The Abandoned Colony" is remarkably insightful & appropriate & the book explains in clear & specific terms why this attempt at colonization was destined for failure from the outset. The author is clear in her logic & 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 & 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 & personalities, all laid out like a strange tale resulting in a Steven King like disaster (King referenced the "Lost Colony" in his "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 & 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 & easy read, what was drawn from a large pool of non-fiction and personal interviews, a view of Indian life both before & after English contact. The fact that the Roanoke Colony remains a question today is astounding considering that historians & 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 (noone knows precisely where the colonists settled) studies involving DNA that may point to a possible solution to the riddle. Until we have that solution, this book is an excellent source of all information available & 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" & this was a major stepping stone which led to the settlement of Jamestown, North America's first permanent colony. There are some flaws in the text that are justified by the fact that this work was published in 1984; somwehat confusing is the fact that this work is a 2nd edition and, therefore, update should have included omission of outdated information, but the majority of this is not on the topic of the colony, rather the origins of Indian population in North America and thus easily overlooked. A highly recommended resource.Read full review
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