Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Audiobook Edition

I've read three other novels written by Geraldine Brooks ~ March, People of the Book, and Year of Wonders, and have enjoyed reading each of these novels. Although, People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks is my favorite of all the novels I've read by her.

I love the way in which Geraldine Brooks writes and her exquisite way with words. She is a rich and thorough storyteller for sure. 

It has been a number of years since I've read another book written by Geraldine Brooks, so I decided to read her historical novel, Caleb's Crossing. 

I decided to listen to the unabridged audio edition of Caleb's Crossing Geraldine Brooks, which is narrated by Jennifer Ehle. Listening time for Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks is 12 hours, 10 minutes.

I am once again floored by how beautiful Geraldine Brooks writes her novels! Additionally, Jennifer Ehle does a magnificent job narrating Caleb's Crossing and I look forward to listening to other books she narrates.

My favorite character in Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks is Bethia, the leading character of this novel. Bethia makes for a fabulous protagonist. She's smart, learned, and wise beyond her years. I also like the characters of Caleb, Joel, and Samuel as well.

I am saddened by Caleb's transformation and his untimely demise. It's unfortunate what the Europeans did to the Native Americans upon coming arriving in the USA for many centuries that followed.

Below is the plot summary for Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks from Audible:

A richly imagined new novel from the author of the New York Times best seller People of the Book. Once again, Geraldine Brooks takes a remarkable shard of history and brings it to vivid life.

In 1665, a young man from Martha's Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Upon this slender factual scaffold, Brooks has created a luminous tale of love and faith, magic and adventure. The narrator of Caleb's Crossing is Bethia Mayfield, growing up in the tiny settlement of Great Harbor amid a small band of pioneers and Puritans. Restless and curious, she yearns after an education that is closed to her by her sex. As often as she can, she slips away to explore the island's glistening beaches and observe its native Wampanoag inhabitants. At 12, she encounters Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a tentative secret friendship that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia's minister father tries to convert the Wampanoag, awakening the wrath of the tribe's shaman, against whose magic he must test his own beliefs. One of his projects becomes the education of Caleb, and a year later, Caleb is in Cambridge, studying Latin and Greek among the colonial elite. There, Bethia finds herself reluctantly indentured as a housekeeper and can closely observe Caleb's crossing of cultures.

Like Brooks' beloved narrator Anna in Year of Wonders, Bethia proves an emotionally irresistible guide to the wilds of Martha's Vineyard and the intimate spaces of the human heart. Evocative and utterly absorbing, Caleb's Crossing further establishes Brooks's place as one of our most acclaimed novelists.

I also discovered the following book trailer about Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks on YouTube as follows:

I am giving Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!