Jo sent me the book, Caleb's Crossing for my birthday last year. She even sent me an autographed copy.
Jo has what can only be described as an odd taste in reading materials. Witches, Prostitutes, long dead Queens and so on. She likes anything set over 200 years ago, even better if it's 400 or more years ago.
This was at least my fourth attempt to read Caleb's Crossing. I just couldn't get into it. I've read the first chapter multiple times over because I couldn't remember the characters and I was already lost by the time I turned the page to chapter two.
I have read other books by Geraldine Brooks. People of the Book which I loved, and March, which was good. But Caleb's Crossing? Didn't think I was ever going to finish it. It was in my bag of books to be given away.
Over the Easter weekend I thought I'd give it one last try. I almost gave up on it again. By Saturday I had read no further than page 48. I was totally lost. Couldn't follow the story at all. Sunday I re-read chapters one and two. Today I finished it.
It took about 100 pages and some choice words about Jo. But then suddenly I was invested in the story. I wanted to see how it ended. So I took myself to the coffee shop and read over lunch. Then sat by the riverside for three hours reading in the sun.
I'm glad I finished it. It was worth sticking with. Don't know that I'll read it a second time. I'll probably just pass it on. Or maybe I will keep it. Read it again later in the year.
So what'a Caleb's Crossing about? It's the fictionalized account of the first Native American to graduate from Harvard in 1665.
You can read a full review here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/books/review/book-review-calebs-crossing-by-geraldine-brooks.html?pagewanted=all