Elinor
Elinor: A Riveting Story Based on the Lost Colony of Roanoke
By: Shannon McNear
Whatever happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke?
Perhaps you’ve heard of this mysterious event.
Historical Context
The English first tried to establish a permanent settlement in America at Roanoke Island in 1585. When that failed, Governor John White returned with more colonists to try again in 1587.
The colonists thought they would be settling north of Roanoke but were forced to stay on Roanoke Island. John White returned to England to secure more supplies for the colonists, intending to return the following year.
However, the Anglo-Spanish War prevented him from returning until 1590. When he finally arrived back to the English settlement, it was abandoned with only one word— ‘Croatoan’— carved in a wooden post, indicating the nearby Native tribe they had relations with.
A storm and ship issues forced his crew to return to England before they were able to locate the missing hundred plus colonists.
No evidence has surfaced as to the fate of these colonists— did they willingly assimilate with the Native tribes? Were they massacred? Were they taken captive?
Artistic License
‘Elinor’ is Shannon McNear’s creation to explore what could have happened to this Lost Colony.
Elinor, the protagonist, is a historical figure— John White’s daughter— who birthed the first English child in the new land and named her Virginia Dare.
We follow Elinor’s experience as a new mother in a new land with new dangers. She endures and perseveres a variety of hardships— one that almost made me cry! We see her strength, resilience, and reliance on God through it all.
We often wonder— where is God in all of this?— and Elinor shares with us her resolve to trust God even when things seem to be going wrong.
I was impressed with all the research McNear did in order to write this book. We know little but she incorporated well what she could find, even including the language of the native tribes.
I had to keep reminding myself that it was a fictionalized account because it seemed so believable.
This is a Christian Fiction novel so she emphasizes the faith and evangelistic desire of the colonists. It is a driving part of the plot and resolution of the story. She acknowledges that we don’t know if the colony was that of Separatists or Puritans or something else so this was her own take.
Writing Style/Formatting
I was given access to an Advanced Reader’s Copy through NetGalley so my copy was not the final publication. I’m assuming my main problem will not be an issue in the finalized version.
McNear shifts from Elinor’s perspective to other characters quite often. However, in my version, these shifts were not indicated or set apart in any way. They ran together and the new character’s identity wouldn’t be revealed until a few sentences in. This made for some disjointed reading and frustration as I had to regularly reread things to recalibrate where I was at in the story and whose thoughts I was hearing.
She uses a lot of different vernacular— both Native words as well as period language from the English during that time.
I didn’t realize this until the end, but McNear includes a glossary at the back of the book as well as a cast of characters and other helpful resources. This is a little harder to regularly access in an e-book compared to flipping back quickly in a hardcover but it’s nice that she put it in.
I also appreciated the details she shares of which parts of her story were historical and which ones were imagined. It’s a fascinating part of history and I’m always curious about these type of ‘mysteries’!
Recommendation
Overall it was a unique historical fiction book. It was a bit slow going for me at first and some parts were a little boring, but about 60% in the plot really starts to thicken as a Native tribe ambushes their settlement and sets off a sequence of suspenseful events!
I liked McNear’s imagination and I liked the ending. Knowing we don’t know historically what happened to the colony created a little suspense in wondering which direction she was going to take the story.
If you enjoy Christian Fiction books, I think you’ll really like this one.
If Christian Fiction isn’t really your jam, this might not be your favorite book, but the unique setting and reimagining of the Lost Colony of Roanoke still makes it worth reading— just be aware going in that it’s not a pulsing action-packed story.
We spent time in Virginia and North Carolina back in 2016 and I remember driving by the Roanoke area. Now I wish we had stopped and looked around! Guess we will have to go back!
**Received an ARC via NetGalley**
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