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Formats
Ebook Details
  • 01/2023
  • 270 pages
  • $3.00
Joyce Crawford
Author, Illustrator
Jamestown - A New Life

Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)

Richard de Burton is a prisoner of his own mind. His past haunts him. He did not complete knights’ training due to physical limitations. Consequently, each time he walks down the endless corridor of his ancestral home, he feels deep despair. Portraits of his knighted and venerated ancestors seem to peer down at him and hiss their condemnation. He would never earn the title of knight of the realm nor live up to their expectations. Adding heartbreak to his self-loathing, he lost the love of his life, Elizabeth. Feeling he has nothing to live for, Richard leaves his ancestral manor in Staffordshire, England, in November of 1605 and sails to The New World. In leaving England, he hopes he can start a new life where he does not feel the weight of failure and loss on his shoulders. After a harrowing journey across the sea, Jamestown is not quite what Richard expects, but it is a new place to prove himself, find a new home, and hopefully find someone with whom he can share his meager home. But there’s only one woman he wants to spend his life with, Elizabeth, his first love. But that is not to be, for her parents promised Elizabeth to an Earl, a man of great wealth and advanced age, in an arranged marriage. Can anyone take the place of his dear Elizabeth? Richard finds friendships with the most unlikely people in the Virginia colony’s virgin forest. He learns what it means to start fresh and show God’s love to everyone, even those deemed savages by everyone else. What awaits Richard in Jamestown? Will he find a new home with love and hope and prove that he’s more than a title?
Reviews
This uplifting historical Christian drama from Crawford (author of Kentucky to Missouri) centers on the turbulent beginnings of the early 1600s Virginia settlement, particularly the troubled Richard de Burton, a young Englishman seeking to renew his life after heartbreak and failure. Crawford’s story focuses on renewal, religion (thundering hell-and-brimstone Christianity, Richard’s more forgiving approaches, and Powhatan as well), hope, friendship, families, self-esteem and trust, as Richard and the other settlers discover that the road to forging a new world—while occasionally clashing with older ones—is long, complicated and dangerous, but in Crawford’s telling faith can light the way.

Richard’s own life often mirrors that of Jamestown, as both are getting a rocky new start. They face challenges and uncertainty, plus connection and sometimes violence in their dealings with the Powhatan with whom Richard shares pipes, knowledge, meals, and looks of “silent friendship.” Richard befriends Na-ta’a-em, a young Powhatan who often rescues Jamestown, whether from starvation, snake bite or attacks from rebellious Powhatan. The scenes that show the developing but still tense friendship between Jamestown and Na-ta’a-em are uplifting. Hovering like guardian angels throughout are Richard’s reliance on God, the Bible and his father’s comforting words of wisdom.

Na-ta’a-em teaches Jamestown survival skills, and the narrative often is focused on rebuilding the fort, council meetings, and the storm-tossed ships, passages that suggest the textures of life. Accounts of atrocities from both sides, including beheadings and scalping, prove wrenching, and Richard, for all his level headed piety, is relatively human: sometimes selfish, growing obsessed with his lost love and making others’s pain or joy solely about himself. Still, this is a hopeful novel, with an emphasis on community building, the power of faith, and cross-cultural friendship, and all that unites us as humans. Especially involving is the well-drawn parallel between Na-ta’a-em’s closeness with his father and Richard’s closeness with Francis and with God.

Takeaway: Uplifting novel of faith, cross-cultural connection, and the settling of Jamestown.

Comparable Titles: Elizabeth Struthers’s A Prayer for Therese, Angela Hunt’s Roanoke.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

Donna Adams

I was utterly captivated by the entire plot. The characters came to life in such a vivid and realistic manner that their descriptions alone painted a vibrant mental image. Jamestown: A New Life is a mesmerizing masterpiece of drama and revelation. The narrative is adorned with exquisite details and descriptions that truly showcase the author's brilliance.

The protagonist's desperate struggle to survive in the new world, facing unknown adversaries, wild creatures, and native settlers, deeply touched my heart. It was awe-inspiring to witness the remarkable workings of God in Richard's life as he chose to remain faithful in the face of adversity. The book took me on an emotional roller coaster ride, and I am certain that I will be recommending it to my friends for days to come.

News
07/31/2023
The Christian Historical Fiction Series, Faith of Our Fathers is Now Available i

Publisher Books to Life released two new audiobooks on September 1, 2023. Both books are narrated by Andy Robert and are part of the Faith of Our Fathers Series. The first book is titled "The Royal Order of the Last Coin," and the second book is titled "Jamestown - A New Life." If you're interested in checking out these books, you can find them on Audible.

Formats
Ebook Details
  • 01/2023
  • 270 pages
  • $3.00
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