Tidewater

A Novel

By: Libbie Hawker

Narrated by: Scott Merriman, Angela Dawe, Luke Daniels

Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1607, three ships arrive on the coast of Virginia to establish Jamestown Colony. One girl's life - and the lives of her people - are changed forever.

To Pocahontas and her people, the Tidewater is the rightful home of the Powhatan tribe. To England it is Virginia Territory, fertile with promise, rich with silver and gold. As Jamestown struggles to take root, John Smith knows that the only hope for survival lies with the Powhatan people. He knows, too, that they would rather see the English starve than yield their homeland to invaders. In the midst of this conflict, Pocahontas, the daughter of the great chief, forges an unlikely friendship with Smith. Their bond preserves a wary peace - but control can rest only in one nation's hands. When that peace is broken, Pocahontas must choose between power and servitude - between self and sacrifice - for the sake of her people and her land.

Revised edition: This edition of Tidewater includes editorial revisions.

©2015 Libbie Hawker (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Intriguing and insightful.

I was impressed with the history and the detail in this book. I could see the life and the world Pocahontas faced.

An amazing story teller!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! This is a really well-written and well-researched story. I love how every character has a mix of good and bad in them. Makes it more real.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Tidewater?

The baptism and wedding of Pocahontas to John both had me sobbing. The language used really made the reader feel the gut-wrenching transformation she was going through.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. First time listening to these narrators.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! Of course, I couldn't. It's way too long.

A more realistic Pocahontas.

I enjoyed listening to this book. When I downloaded it I was thinking it would turn out to be a sappy historical romance ala Disney. Thankfully I was wrong. This book was much closer to what actual history supports. I think this makes a much more interesting book.

Exploring the myth

Hawker made sense of the Pocahontas and John Smith legend. Listen was the easiest way to get through the Native American names. The various narrators did an excellent job!

The story was well researched and flowed well. I truly enjoyed it and learned a lot.

Simply Incredibly Written. Wonderfully Performed.

This book was written by a true master of the form...giving hope to us "commoners" everywhere.

Enjoyable

Interesting approach to the story of John Smith and Pocahontas. More believable then the romantic quibble of Disney. Interesting history of the native life and more realistic view of the English explorers who felt themselves better than the “savages”. Makes me want to read more of this truer look at this time in American history

The un-Disney-fied version

I am perhaps fortunate in that I have not seen the Disney movie Pocahontas, but of course, I had heard the stories of her and studied her in elementary school. As I grew older, I learned the truth behind these fairy tale versions of historic America.

This book at least accurately follows the timeline of true events in the early days of Jamestown, and the conflicts with the indigenous people of the area. While it is a work of fiction, the historical references led me into a side research journey of whether certain events took place.

The authors use of tribe names, places, and individuals is prolific, but not confusing. I did not particularly care for the voice of two of the narrators, but they nailed pronouncing multi-syllabic words perfectly.

An excellent book, a brilliant authors note at the end.

Great historical novel and well performed.

Great story...historical research. The performance was spectacular.
I look forward to more work/books by this author.

Nice to see how accurate the book was

Great book and very well read. The best Pocahontas story I have ever experienced.

A life of native Americans

This book takes you into the struggle of peoples having their land being stolen from them by invaders from across the sea. This is the story of the girl who tries to understand what is life about and how is her world going to change with the invasion of these strangers. Excellent narration and very enlightening about James Town and John Smith.