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Great, eye opening work covering the early English settlement of New England. The author does an excellent job of bringing the Pilgrim settlement to life. I was listening to the CD audio version during my commute, and found the reader to be very entertaining. The book does start to drag a bit towards the end, particularly when the author starts to address the terrible war with the Native Americans, some 60 years after the Pilgrims first settled. To me, it seemed like another book...more about Puritan New England, than Pilgrim New England. Still, the book is a great history lesson that should not be missed by anyone with an interest in the era.
This book is a carefully researched book about our countries earliest days! I especially appreciated the insights provided of the beginnings of a deep cultural clash, between the second generation of pilgrim colonists, and the native tribal peoples. The war which broke out, some 50 years after Plymouth Rock landing was heartbreaking to read about and had a deep impact on me. I decided to purchase my own copy of the book after reading the book from the library. I wanted my own copy as a reaseach tool in family history and my own study of history. I believe this author's research of the subject was diligent and honest, and he fairly treated the issues which led to this tragic page in American history.
Philbrick explodes many of the myths that Americans have accepted as truth. One of the big ones...Plymouth Rock, just didn't happen. As a descendant of one of the non-Puritan families aboard the Mayflower, I discovered facts that I had never been able to find through my own research. The author delves deeply into the Pilgrims' relations with the Native Americans, revealing truths about both sides, and brings to light the politics of the Pilgrims. I enjoyed reading the maps, with a magnifying glass, and seeing the slow, and sometimes not so slow, development of the New England areas. The story of King Philip's War, a bloody conflict that took the lives of so many colonists and Indians is told, in detail. We are made aware of the changes it caused in the colonies, and the changes it brought about in the growth of the nation.Read full review
Every American should read this book. There aren't that many good, factual, detailed books about the early years in Massachusetts. This is an exceptional account of what really happened. The book covers the number of Indian tribes, the Pilgrims, Puritans, etc. and at times this can be difficult to sort through. Philbrick has genuine regard for both the English and the Indians, and disdain for the brutal and blundering acts on both sides that caused the 14 month war that bloodied its way throughout New England. The story is rich in suggestion and details and if you think you knew what happened, then read this book for a myth busting experience.
A friend loaned me a copy. Less than 1/3 through it, I ordered my own. I did not realize that we have nearly day by day accounts of Indians by name as well as pilgrims. That Philbrick uses this mass of data to build an entertaining as well as enlightening story makes this worthy of digesting. Since reading it, I happened to meet a Dutch man from Leyden. He knew much more than I about the Pilgrim's 12 years in Holland, but before this book, I knew about what I learned in 3rd grade. You won't regret it.
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