Review: A Good Book Alert Review: Cartier's Ring
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 7, 2011
Cartier's RingAuthor: Pearson MooreGenre: Historical FictionRating: 4.5 StarsCartier's Ring immerses the reader into an authentic 16th-century Native American girl's experience, while at the same time speaking to many of the important events of the early years of Canadian history.Summary:Young Myeerah has never been fully accepted by her tribe. Born to a different tribe, she has ended up at the center of a tense political negotiation between various Native American nations. The arrival of French explorers will set in motion a series of events that will forever change both Myeerah's life and the very future of North America.Review:I'm drawn to historical fiction because I want to be taken to another place, time, and another culture. To truly be drawn into the setting, however, a strong connection needs to be made with the characters in the setting. History, after all, is the summation of the events and actions of individuals.Cartier's Ring, by centering itself around a particular character, Myeerah, excels in this regard. Though a fictional creation, she is expertly placed to interact with several historical personages and provides an engaging account of early Canadian history. This is not to say that she serves as nothing more than an easy way of relaying of historical events. Her own compelling story and character arc stand at the heart of the novel and were strong enough to make this an engaging read even if she were in a novel that otherwise was stripped of its historical elements.Exquisite, but not overwhelming, historical detail, defines much of the story. With careful deliberation, the reader is shown the Native lifestyle, politics, and philosophy. The Native cultures are neither glamorized or demonized. Instead, the various Native American groups are depicted with depth respective of their complex, multi-faceted nature. By delving deeply into their cultures and helping us see their view point, the story allows the reader to really appreciate how meeting the Europeans was such a radical shock.The same attention to detail also enhances the realistic action scenes. War and conflict are definitely a part of the storyline. While the author doesn't shy away from showing the horrors of conflict, he also doesn't glorify the violence or dwell in gore either.A large number of Native words are used throughout the text from several different Native languages. In an interesting choice, the author choose to even use Native words that have commonly used English translations. Although the author does take pains to make sure everything is clear from context or indirect translation, I could see how some readers might find such aggressive linguistic purity intimidating. Overall though, I think the slight extra effort is worth it, the extra care with language enhances immersion in the setting.Despite Myeerah being the center of the novel and getting the most attention, the author successfully employs a number of minor secondary POVs to enhance reader engagement with the setting and dramatic tension. In an interesting stylistic choice that keeps the reader centered on Myeerah's experience, Myeerah's chapters are all told from first person, but the secondary POV chapters are all told from third person.While overall the use of multiple POVs enhanced the story, they also provided some of the few missteps in the novel. There were a couple of minor POVs that felt a bit tacked-on. In addition, some of these minor POVs also took us away from the emotional center of the story. In addition, one of the more important secondary POV characters engages in a few side-plots that were not as well-integrated into the overall flow of plot as they could have been. These issues were minor issues in an otherwise excellent novel.4.5 Stars