Review: Dark Enough to See the Stars by Connie Lapallo

Dark Enough to See the Stars Under a Jamestown Sky
by Connie Lapallo

Reviewed by Janice Campbell- www.EverydayEducation.com

Occasionally, I read a book that makes me want to e-mail all my friends and say, "You've got to read this book!" It's not quite as often that I encounter a book that makes me want to buttonhole complete strangers, saying "You have to read this book!"

Connie Lapallo's debut novel is the second kind of book. I was riveted from the first chapter by the fascinating story of Joan Peirce, Lapallo's 13th great grandmother, one of the few women in early Jamestown who survived the Starving Time. Most of the characters, events, and places in the novel are historically accurate, and Lapallo, a writer and home educator, includes extensive information in the end notes to help the reader sort the fiction from the fact.

Lapallo's meticulous research reveals a time in history when the lives of ordinary women were routinely turned upside down by hurricane, plague, starvation, and other circumstances beyond their control. The character of Joan is warmly and realistically portrayed, and her joys and sorrows captured my heart. As I put down the book, I felt as if I'd walked beside her in the wilderness of primitive Jamestown.

The 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown will be celebrated in 2007. Dark Enough to See the Stars would be a wonderful, family-appropriate book to share in honor of the event. If you plan a trip to Jamestown, I highly recommend that you read the book first and look through the photos and resources at Lapallo's website. When you arrive at Jamestown, and walk through the palisade, explore the ship, and sit in the little church, you just might feel a sense of deja vu as you look over the land that became Joan's home.

Read this book!
It's available from the author at www.connielapallo.com (signed, if you request it), or from Amazon.com.

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