Settle's Williams also seeks sympathy. At times he reaches for the heights of self-pity, reminding us that joy in his mission did not always bring joy of life. In fact, the real Williams would often remind others of his sufferings at the hands of his persecutors, and assert that if anyone deserved sympathy, it was he. I, Roger Williams is a rich read. But for all its richness, Settle's work is at times a difficult read.
Historical novels are always a formidable task, more so when told in the first person.
Settle's prose is sometimes hard to get through. Nevertheless, this is a study of character more than the telling of events, and Settle does capture Williams's character and breadth of experience. Here Williams is an intelligent, articulate man, sensitive to the plight of those around him, always with a keen awareness of the dreadful consequences of sin. He is hard in his judgments, especially toward the behavior of his fellow colonists and their treatment of the Indians. Yet his judgments come from an especially tender conscience, one that is filled with what is truly right and just.