Its not often I will read a non-romance, historical fiction novel. Even less likely if its young adult. However something about Cate of the Lost Colony made me want to read it. Badly. Told in three parts, we watch Cate go from an anxious lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth, to a young settler desperately trying to hold onto hope and ultimately a young woman who has found a place for herself.

The novel is told from her first person POV, Manteo's first person POV and through letters, poems and memos of Sir Walter Ralegh's. In this way we get a rather interesting vision of events that occur. In the first part we see how temperamental, jealous, vindictive, vain and uncertain a monarch Elizabeth is. As a ruler she was perfect (or at least better than most), in her persona life Cate views the strain of being the 'Virgin' Queen. She falls in and out of love easily enough (though Klein is careful to keep these 'chaste' romances with no hint of anything untoward happening), but she expects her handmaidens to be pure. They are not allowed to marry--or even love--without her consent in fact.

A matter that Cate does not heed well enough when she is found out to be harboring feelings for Ralegh. And thus we enter the second part! First sent to the Tower and than banished to Virginia, Cate is both afraid of the future and excited. She felt her fortunes could be made in the New World. And she awaited Ralegh. But the New World is not easy and what seems like so much fun on paper turns out to be deadly and dangerous. In the third part, events conspire to shape her into a determined and proud young woman. She realizes what she has wanted all this time, what she has been ignoring for want of her dreams, and embraces it whole-heartedly.

Manteo's chapters reveal a man torn between two worlds himself. Eager to prove his worth to his kinsmen he seeks to help bridge the gap between his people and the settlers. But distrust, unanimity and misunderstandings serve to only make things worse. He struggles to retain his promise to help the settlers survive, but also to show he is not a traitor to his people. He sees the worth in helping the settlers, how they can help and offer so much to his people, but what can he do when just getting two of the tribes' leaders to talk often leads to war?

Interestingly Klein develops a lot of his growth through his people's beliefs. He equates what he is doing as a journey all the 'great heroes' had to undertake to gain power. He continually makes peace and offers different courses of action. However he is a prideful young man himself, certain that the power 'Kwin-lissa-bet' has bestowed upon him is what makes him mighty. What makes him right. Too late he realizes that he made decisions that weren't the right ones at the time. That he tried too hard to straddle the line between worlds and didn't listen hard enough to his heart.

Roanoke Island is considered the first settlement, though its fate is shrouded in mystery and legend. In the end notes Klein describes some of the theories surrounding the Island and its settlers and possibilities that could have occurred. She also describes where she has taken artistic liberty, but I found I didn't care so much that she updated some of Ralegh's (overly flowery and faintly offensive) poetry. The man, if he was anything like the Ralegh in here (who I may add is nothing like the Ralegh from the movie Elizabeth: the Golden Age) was an utter prig. So self-motivated and insincere in his affections (except for fame and fortune) I found myself hoping he'd get scalped (I know he wasn't, but still).

I loved this book. Klein painted a picture that though extremely bleak at times still holds onto hope. These people really wanted to live. They fought and struggled and starved in order to carve a life into the New World. Maybe not the life they expected or thought they'd achieve, but a life they could be proud of. How many can say that nowadays? ( )

Cate was one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite court maidens until she fell for Sir Walter Ralegh and is sent away. She is strong and brave and forced to start a challenging and terrifying life in a new place where she doesn’t know if she, or anyone else, will survive.

Cate of the Lost Colony is an incredible and well written story with love and adventure. I was pulled right in from the start.

If you like historical fiction, there is a good chance you will enjoy this book. I will definitely be reading more by this author in the future. ( )

The opening in England felt flat and the story started out slow. I didn't become invested in the characters until they made it to Virginia. Then the story picked up and the characters acquired more depth. On the whole, an OK story for those who like the colonial period. ( )

Having visited Roanoke Island on a family trip many years ago, I've always been fascinated by the story of the "lost" colony. I was very excited to see that Lisa Klein, a historical fiction author I've read and enjoyed in the past, had decided to put her own spin on the tale.

Klein tells her story from three very differnt points of view. Acting as the main narrator, Lady Catherine Archer is a young handmaiden to Queen Elizabeth. She angers Elizabeth by flirting with Sir Walter Raleigh, one of the queen's favorite courtiers, and is first sent to the Tower and then later to England's new American colony, Roanoke. Another part of the story is told through Sir Walter's personal papers--letters, journal antries, and poems, giving readers a glimpse into the man who was the driving force behind Elizabeth's colonial experiment. Still another perspective is given by Manteo, a young Croatoan man who befriends the English, travels to the British Isles, and acts as an embassary between the English and their neighbors back in America. The three narratives blend skillfully to give readers a more complete picture of England's first attempt at colony building.

Klein did a lot of research for this work, and it shows. I read Lee Miller's nonficton Roanoke: Mystery of the Lost Colony while reading Cate of the Lost Colony, just to compare it to the "real" story. Klein's attention to detail is amazing, and the conjectures she make seem realistic and plausible. If her story doesn't actually solve the mystery, I can safely say I wish it did! I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has wondered just what did happen to America's lost colony. ( )

Having visited Roanoke Island on a family trip many years ago, I've always been fascinated by the story of the "lost" colony. I was very excited to see that Lisa Klein, a historical fiction author I've read and enjoyed in the past, had decided to put her own spin on the tale.

Klein tells her story from three very differnt points of view. Acting as the main narrator, Lady Catherine Archer is a young handmaiden to Queen Elizabeth. She angers Elizabeth by flirting with Sir Walter Raleigh, one of the queen's favorite courtiers, and is first sent to the Tower and then later to England's new American colony, Roanoke. Another part of the story is told through Sir Walter's personal papers--letters, journal antries, and poems, giving readers a glimpse into the man who was the driving force behind Elizabeth's colonial experiment. Still another perspective is given by Manteo, a young Croatoan man who befriends the English, travels to the British Isles, and acts as an embassary between the English and their neighbors back in America. The three narratives blend skillfully to give readers a more complete picture of England's first attempt at colony building.

Klein did a lot of research for this work, and it shows. I read Lee Miller's nonficton Roanoke: Mystery of the Lost Colony while reading Cate of the Lost Colony, just to compare it to the "real" story. Klein's attention to detail is amazing, and the conjectures she make seem realistic and plausible. If her story doesn't actually solve the mystery, I can safely say I wish it did! I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has wondered just what did happen to America's lost colony. ( )