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Wind from the Carolinas
This sprawling, lusty novel spans nearly a century and a half, recreating a fabulous era of romance, violence and high adventure. It is the saga of the Camerons, an impetuous Tory family, who fled South after the American Revolution to rebuild their baronial plantations in the turbulent, wind-swept Bahamas.
567 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
About the author
Robert Wilder
89 books15 followersRobert Ingersoll Wilder was a novelist, playwright and screenwriter. Wilder's childhood was spent at Daytona Beach, Florida. Following a stint in the United States Army during World War I, he was educated at Stetson University and Columbia University. At various times in his life, Mr. Wilder was a soda jerk, a ship fitter, a theater usher, a shipping clerk, a newspaper copy boy, a publicity agent, a radio executive, and a journalist.
Mr. Wilder traveled widely and contributed stories to The New Yorker, among other magazines. He was author of two plays, Sweet Chariot, based on the life and career of activist Marcus Garvey, and Stardust, both of which were produced on Broadway. He also wrote the screenplay for the classic western, The Big Country, in 1958.
Mr. Wilder was married and had a son.
Mr. Wilder traveled widely and contributed stories to The New Yorker, among other magazines. He was author of two plays, Sweet Chariot, based on the life and career of activist Marcus Garvey, and Stardust, both of which were produced on Broadway. He also wrote the screenplay for the classic western, The Big Country, in 1958.
Mr. Wilder was married and had a son.
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March 8, 2010This one has been in my family since its first printing in 1964. I read it when I was 20and just now again in my 50s. It's even better the second time with the years of experience under my belt. I love the Bahamas, have spent much of my life going there but still understand it better by reading this book again. It is without a doubt a one of the great books in my experience. What a miniseries it would make! Absolutely a must read.
August 29, 2008
From the Carolinas to Exuma, Bahamas .. what a wonderful book. I've read this one several times and hold it for my old-age and rocking chair days. And you can smell the jasmine across the sea on a calm day. Love this book.
June 28, 2009
"Don't judge a book by its cover!" I was given this book and ignored it because the cover was so poorly done. Not the case for the book. Excellant historical novel about the Bahamas starting the the late 1700.
November 17, 2008
Oh Juanio! What a dream.
February 22, 2019
Before I talk about the book proper, I've got to talk about this edition of it. Never in my life have I read a professionally published work so completely half-arsed. Formatting errors, mystifying typos on every single page, and regular printing errors too. The parties responsible for the production of this thing didn't give one half of a shit, I doubt if it was subbed at all.
I bought this book in The Bahamas, where the story is primarily set, from a bookstore in a nicer part of New Providence. The kindly older woman behind the counter warned me rather sternly to be very careful, and not go wandering around lest I fall upon misadventure. I laughed this off with little more than a wink, for at the time I thought myself a rather worldly motherfucker - and besides, I'd survived Iran and North Korea without any major mishap, how much trouble could I really encounter in an island paradise like this?
It was 20 minutes into my not-altogether-consensual conversation with the verifiable insane Jamaican homeless man selling bootleg DVDs from the front of an abandoned apartment building in the infamous Over-the-Hill district, that I realised there might have just been something to her warning. Jay was a fervent Christian, recently converted from a life of bastardry and hooliganism. He'd written signs with a marker on old cardboard boxes and hung them facing the roadway from an old chain-link fence, preaching the gospel in his own near-incomprehensible way. In the course of our near hour-long conversation, he told me not so long ago he'd have killed and robbed me without even thinking. But he went on to say that his belief in god had changed him, and that if talked with me and let me go, I might come back and buy a DVD.
I regret to say I never did. Jay was a rather large bloke, and I didn't fancy my chances if he'd had a change of heart by the time I got back. I hope he stopped getting beaten by the police, and went to a doctor about the storm raging in his head.
This book is fantastically racist. Shockingly, unapologetically so. It was written in the late 1960s, but you'd be forgiven for thinking it was 100 years earlier. Every colour and shade is not only presented as normal, but often what the author appeared to think were the rational reasons behind it were explained throughout. There's even a healthy dose of Confederate sympathising that picks up about midway through and doesn't let up.
The scope of this book follows a line of descent over about 150 years of the Cameron family, who make their way to Exuma, Bahamas, after the completion of the War of Independence. Loyal British subjects that they were, they could no longer stand to live amongst this democratic rabble - so they left.
We then follow successive generations through cycles of boom and bust, wealth and poverty, joy and disaster. The protagonists of the story constantly shifting to the next generation as the prior becomes geriatric or dead. In the first few of these cycles, the time taken to build the characters up and make them familiar is painstaking. And while blockade running and piracy take place throughout, most of the time the narrative focuses in on the domestic life of the characters, and their personal and interpersonal struggles.
The major theme throughout seems to be that those that shy away from the changing times flounder and perish, those that embrace it flourish and prosper. Which considering again the astounding racism throughout a book written by an educated American at the height of the civil rights movement, is more than a little ridiculous.
Finally in the latter part of the book, in the second-to-last generation to be focused on by the narrative, we finally get a bit of privateer action played out in full. One of our protagonists lucks into a deal to supply the first generation of Cuban revolutionaries. He ends up imprisoned in a Spanish fort's dungeon for some time, before finally being smuggled out by a sympathetic guard bought off by one his benefactors, a member of the Cuban aristocracy.
Then we're right back into the cycle of romance and domesticity. He fell in love with the daughter of said rebellion-fomenting aristocrat, they move to the islands, and on we go. The whole second half of this book, as the time jumps and passage of time generally begin to increase evermore rapidly, gets pretty biblical. So-and-so begat so-and-so who begat so-and-so, etc., etc., etc. I barely understood who in the fresh fuck these people were and what their relationship was to the last people I actually had a firm grasp on the lineage of. The author seems to understand this, and has the original pirate stereotype as a very old man think to himself in confusion, recalling in order the current cast of characters and their relationship to one another and the original cast. Then seemingly thinking this what enough, as the family tree was sprawling ever outwards, two of the characters turn out to have barren wives, thereby simplifying the tangled web he had to weave.
This thing's alright, ultimately. A romantic period-piece adventure, set in a far-off tropical world. It'd make a decent BBC mini-series that my mum'd really like.
And a special note to Far Horizons LLC, the publishers. Hire me as a subeditor, it would literally be impossible for me to be worse than whatever semi-illiterate moron you've got on the job at the moment.
I bought this book in The Bahamas, where the story is primarily set, from a bookstore in a nicer part of New Providence. The kindly older woman behind the counter warned me rather sternly to be very careful, and not go wandering around lest I fall upon misadventure. I laughed this off with little more than a wink, for at the time I thought myself a rather worldly motherfucker - and besides, I'd survived Iran and North Korea without any major mishap, how much trouble could I really encounter in an island paradise like this?
It was 20 minutes into my not-altogether-consensual conversation with the verifiable insane Jamaican homeless man selling bootleg DVDs from the front of an abandoned apartment building in the infamous Over-the-Hill district, that I realised there might have just been something to her warning. Jay was a fervent Christian, recently converted from a life of bastardry and hooliganism. He'd written signs with a marker on old cardboard boxes and hung them facing the roadway from an old chain-link fence, preaching the gospel in his own near-incomprehensible way. In the course of our near hour-long conversation, he told me not so long ago he'd have killed and robbed me without even thinking. But he went on to say that his belief in god had changed him, and that if talked with me and let me go, I might come back and buy a DVD.
I regret to say I never did. Jay was a rather large bloke, and I didn't fancy my chances if he'd had a change of heart by the time I got back. I hope he stopped getting beaten by the police, and went to a doctor about the storm raging in his head.
This book is fantastically racist. Shockingly, unapologetically so. It was written in the late 1960s, but you'd be forgiven for thinking it was 100 years earlier. Every colour and shade is not only presented as normal, but often what the author appeared to think were the rational reasons behind it were explained throughout. There's even a healthy dose of Confederate sympathising that picks up about midway through and doesn't let up.
The scope of this book follows a line of descent over about 150 years of the Cameron family, who make their way to Exuma, Bahamas, after the completion of the War of Independence. Loyal British subjects that they were, they could no longer stand to live amongst this democratic rabble - so they left.
We then follow successive generations through cycles of boom and bust, wealth and poverty, joy and disaster. The protagonists of the story constantly shifting to the next generation as the prior becomes geriatric or dead. In the first few of these cycles, the time taken to build the characters up and make them familiar is painstaking. And while blockade running and piracy take place throughout, most of the time the narrative focuses in on the domestic life of the characters, and their personal and interpersonal struggles.
The major theme throughout seems to be that those that shy away from the changing times flounder and perish, those that embrace it flourish and prosper. Which considering again the astounding racism throughout a book written by an educated American at the height of the civil rights movement, is more than a little ridiculous.
Finally in the latter part of the book, in the second-to-last generation to be focused on by the narrative, we finally get a bit of privateer action played out in full. One of our protagonists lucks into a deal to supply the first generation of Cuban revolutionaries. He ends up imprisoned in a Spanish fort's dungeon for some time, before finally being smuggled out by a sympathetic guard bought off by one his benefactors, a member of the Cuban aristocracy.
Then we're right back into the cycle of romance and domesticity. He fell in love with the daughter of said rebellion-fomenting aristocrat, they move to the islands, and on we go. The whole second half of this book, as the time jumps and passage of time generally begin to increase evermore rapidly, gets pretty biblical. So-and-so begat so-and-so who begat so-and-so, etc., etc., etc. I barely understood who in the fresh fuck these people were and what their relationship was to the last people I actually had a firm grasp on the lineage of. The author seems to understand this, and has the original pirate stereotype as a very old man think to himself in confusion, recalling in order the current cast of characters and their relationship to one another and the original cast. Then seemingly thinking this what enough, as the family tree was sprawling ever outwards, two of the characters turn out to have barren wives, thereby simplifying the tangled web he had to weave.
This thing's alright, ultimately. A romantic period-piece adventure, set in a far-off tropical world. It'd make a decent BBC mini-series that my mum'd really like.
And a special note to Far Horizons LLC, the publishers. Hire me as a subeditor, it would literally be impossible for me to be worse than whatever semi-illiterate moron you've got on the job at the moment.
September 12, 2012
Since I recently spent a week in Exuma, Bahamas, I was told to read this historical fiction book to help with better understanding the island and it's people.
It spans over 100 years and follows a family from a southern plantation in Charleston who were British loyalists and relocate to Exuma for a better way of life. Their triumphs and endless struggles make this book an unforgettable journey.
Although historical fiction (of which I learned a tremendous amount), it reads like classic fiction I would even go so far as compare it (in theory) to Gone with the Wind. A great read for anyone, whether you have traveled to Exuma or not
It spans over 100 years and follows a family from a southern plantation in Charleston who were British loyalists and relocate to Exuma for a better way of life. Their triumphs and endless struggles make this book an unforgettable journey.
Although historical fiction (of which I learned a tremendous amount), it reads like classic fiction I would even go so far as compare it (in theory) to Gone with the Wind. A great read for anyone, whether you have traveled to Exuma or not
September 16, 2011
I saw this book in the Bahamas. It is written as the story of Loyalists plantation owners, and others, leaving the US south to colonize the Bahamas with their slaves. The land is disappointing but politics creates opportunities and lawless employment, continuing from the privateer history into gun running and rumrunning. Large panoramic histories like this and Michener's get tiring to me because the characters of each generation are developed sparingly.
February 27, 2014
So completely enjoyed it ....again..first read back in the sixties...wish it was a movie!
April 9, 2025
Wind from the Carolinas by Robert Wilder came to me via a resounding recommendation from my sister-in-law, who lent me her copy. This brick of a novel, at 636 pages, was a can’t-put-down read. I knew I was in for a good story by listening to my sister-in-law’s enthusiasm about it. For the past two and a half weeks I have spent hours each morning, long after my breakfast and coffee were finished, reading page after page. Retirement gives me the option to sit with a good book as long as I like, so I was happy to know I could continue reading after my last gulp of coffee and I didn’t have to pack up for work.
Because the artwork continued past the front cover to adorn the spine and back, I scanned all three parts of the cover and knit them together. In so doing, the summary of the story can be seen on the back, reproduced here in a larger font:
“A story of the old Bahamas.
“A big, bold, best-selling novel that traces the remarkable saga of one family through war and peace, love and disaster. Here is the fabulous story of the Camerons, the aristocratic Tory clan who fled the South in the wake of the American Revolution to rebuild their baronial plantations and recuperate their lost fortune in the turbulent, windswept Bahama Islands.
“Wind from the Carolinas is a gripping and powerful story of the old Bahamas that fuses adventure, passion and romance with unforgettable characters–a novel that will touch you and teach you if you live in the Bahamas, if you visit these islands, or if you ever hope to visit them.”
Six hundred pages tell the story of seven generations, starting in the late eighteen century with Ronald Cameron, a Loyalist who can’t abide living in postrevolutionary America. He left Charleston, South Carolina–known then as Charlestown–for Exuma in the Bahamas. As the summary states, the succeeding generations live through times of war such as the Cuban War of Independence and World War I, and they suffer through wartime deprivations as well as benefit from their own exploitations, such as rum-running during Prohibition. The novel reminded me of the generations of women in “…And Ladies of the Club” and how we followed them through their lives, and eventual deaths.
The cover depicts Juan Cadiz, instantly identifiable by his red sail. Juan has a reputation for being a playboy pirate, falling in love with women on every Bahamian island. The woman on the back cover appears lost in a daydream. She is Caroline Cameron, Juan’s future wife. The book promises love, passion and romance and Wilder does not skimp on that. This novel was originally written in 1964 and there is plenty of sex and strong feminist characters who are proud of their sexuality. Social mores on isolated islands did not limit women and men to abide by any particular code of conduct, and I had to remember that the author wrote this three years before the Summer of Love.
Wilder kept the action and the dialogue flowing and pages that were full blocks of text did not read at a slow pace. I noticed often that dramatic changes in action and location, and even jumps ahead in time by many years were not separated by any special formatting or symbol, or even extra spacing between paragraphs. In other words, I would be reading about the failure of another cotton crop and the following paragraph would discuss the successful sisal industry–thirty years later. This seemed like time travel to me. The author could have written a few introductory sentences of explanation at the beginning of these new paragraphs, or at least included a graphic or a symbol or a gigantic capital letter to start off the next paragraph. In every case where this occurred I had to go back and read the new paragraph over again to establish the passage of time.
Slavery was a part of the Cameron household and the slaves, as free people after emancipation, remained with the family right up until the end of the story at the time of Prohibition. The language’s worst racial epithet is used throughout the novel, as evidently over one hundred fifty years no one in the family learned that the word should never be uttered.
Some passages were priceless, and I reproduce the loathsome opinion the Bahamian Governor’s wife has of her husband:
“Lying motionless now, she listened to her husband’s wheezing snores and a feeling of helpless nausea engulfed her. His Excellency, Sir Gerald Heath, in the opinion of his young wife was a pig. He grunted and snorted in his sleep like some winded animal. Half turning, she stared at the heaving mound of his belly with disgust and wondered for the thousandth time why she had married him, this gross man who was twenty years her senior and an unbelievable bore.”
With so many generations the reader experiences the cycle of life and death of the characters, and I particularly liked the way the author wrote about the death of Robert Bruce, the son of Cameron patriarch Ronald:
“Old Robert Bruce saved them all further trouble. He died quietly in his sleep, his mind gone, unaware of where he was or the passing of the years. Because he had been, in his youth and manhood, a person of quiet consideration for others he would have been happy to know how much annoyance he had spared everyone by passing away in this unobtrusive manner.”
The book I read was a reprint by Bluewater Books & Charts from 1995. I must say, I loved the story so much yet I cannot ignore that the text was full of errors. Not as many spelling errors, thankfully, but incorrect words which always necessitated a reread. If I had read a misspelled word I would still be able to follow along, but in one case:
“Old peers and sormer squires had allied themselves with Dunmore.”
I embarked on a search in vain to find out what kind of squires sormer squires were, only to come back to the passage for the fifth time before I realized that it was a misspelling of former.
An incorrect choice of word, though spelled correctly, elicited a different reaction. In one paragraph I encountered the following:
“For a while they had said nothing. Thinking of it now she was aware it had been a strangely disturbing silence; as tough they, who has been lovers and had conceived a child between them, were uneasy in each others company.”
I counted three errors in the second sentence: tough for though; who has been instead of who had been; and each others for each other’s. The majority of the mistakes were of the tough/though variety, where another word was substituted, similar in spelling. How does this occur in publishing? Why would the text need to be reset? Another formatting gaffe was the use of hyphens without spaces instead of em dashes. I am not talking about en dashes here, no. The text employed hyphens, which in turn made all such occurrences appear as if the two words separated by them were somehow related, instead of being deliberately set apart, which is what em dashes are for. I always had to reread these passages.
In spite of all this–and the errors were plentiful, unfortunately–I cannot hold it against a five-out-of-five-star rating. Take a look at the em dashes and hyphens in the preceding sentence. Now imagine substituting the latter for the former. However, the multigenerational story was so appealing that this editorial snob can overlook these errors. I am certain that a different edition, preferably an earlier one, would be free of them.
January 14, 2016
This is a great big old fashioned epic, telling a family history that stretches from the Revolutionary War to WWl and from Charleston South Carolina to the Bahamas and back. I loved it.
The language was enchanting, slow paced and with lots of words that you don't see much any more. I had to look up tatteredermalion, threnody, jalousie, taboret, chary, and barracoon in the first 100 pages!
This book has a fatal flaw though, racism. There is no outward hate or violence, but black people are portrayed with a tired old negative stereotype. Given the time it's set in, this didn't ruin the whole book for me, but I sure do wish that part had been written differently.
The language was enchanting, slow paced and with lots of words that you don't see much any more. I had to look up tatteredermalion, threnody, jalousie, taboret, chary, and barracoon in the first 100 pages!
This book has a fatal flaw though, racism. There is no outward hate or violence, but black people are portrayed with a tired old negative stereotype. Given the time it's set in, this didn't ruin the whole book for me, but I sure do wish that part had been written differently.
April 3, 2016
A historical novel that follows several generations of a British Loyalist family from Charleston, SC, immediately following the American Revolution. England offered land in the Bahamas so they packed up the plantation and shipped it to the islands where it failed spectacularly. I enjoyed and used the new knowledge as I sailed to many islands including 5 weeks at Great Exuma where the story takes place. Unfortunately, it’s out of print and not available in ebooks. I luckily got a copy from a fellow sailor, thank you, Annick.
August 31, 2021
I’ve been trying to finish this book for three months. It’s draggy and not entertaining. None of the characters are very likable. I’ll give it one star for being informative about some of The Bahama's history. Would not recommend.
November 20, 2011
I read this book several years ago and then a second time. I really love the Outer banks and this really took you to this magical place
Want to Read
December 27, 2011Read this when I was 14 and have tried to find it since, unsuccesfully. Look forward to reading it again.
July 13, 2013
One of my favorite books of all time. I lived in the Bahamas for eight years and this book greatly contributed to my knowledge of the local history and culture.
February 16, 2015
An intriguing blend of history and fiction.
April 6, 2019
Rather lengthy, since it traces a family through several generations. The Camerons leave South Carolina to emigrate to the Bahamas after the Civil War. The patriarch attempts to recreate plantation life there & loses his money in the process since the soil isn't appropriate for cotton or tobacco. His son decides to emigrate back to Charleston & work in trade. The daughter, Caroline, marries a "pirate" who doesn't believe in work but they have a real love that lasts &, Juan, ends up becoming the patriarch after Cameron dies (in a hurricane). The subsequent generations learn more about the sea & there is some shipping of arms during the Civil War to aid the south , munitions secreting to Cuba (ending with a descendent in jail for 3 weeks before being rescued) and again rum-running during Prohibition. There is a bastard son as well as a daughter who runs off with poor white trash & is raped. I didn't realize that many families from the South left to the Bahamas to reestablish their way of life, probably because they were unsuccessful and many moved elsewhere. It did leave the legacy of a large black population with little means to make a living - more subsistence.
May 29, 2023
For as long as this book is, it moves quicker through each generation as it goes on. The main character has to be the actual setting. The history of the world was mentioned, but not in a gratuitous manner with "remember this?" landmark moments, but only brief summaries as the generations went on. The only thing I didn't like was how the most interesting characters in the book didn't get enough airtime. Also, if a character was in serious trouble, it was resolved sometimes within a few pages. Still, you grow to love the Cameron family and its members and learn that "life happens" even when you plan it otherwise. I'll reflect on this book for a long time. I would warn that its mention of slavery and black people coincides with the times, so you're not going to get some sort of white guilt redemption story. Instead, it might present a sadly, more realistic account of the emancipation process.
If you've got a month or so, and can actually get ahold of a copy of this book, I recommend it.
If you've got a month or so, and can actually get ahold of a copy of this book, I recommend it.
February 12, 2020
Fictional story based on historical events. In the years after the end of the War for Independence, planters who had sided with England found life unendurable. Hated and reviled by those they considered disorganized rabble, some of the wealthy plantation owners sought to leave and recreate their magnificent lifestyles in the Bahamas. The book follows the fictional Cameron family, as they pack up all they own and attempt to start anew on Great Exuma, Bahamas.
Cotton failed to grow, weather was unpredictable. Cycles of poverty and wealth were brought about by influences far from their shores. Survival depended on strengths none of them knew they had. Many families did not survive. This is a very well written and interesting book as it follows the generations across the years, from the late 1700s into the early 1900s.
Cotton failed to grow, weather was unpredictable. Cycles of poverty and wealth were brought about by influences far from their shores. Survival depended on strengths none of them knew they had. Many families did not survive. This is a very well written and interesting book as it follows the generations across the years, from the late 1700s into the early 1900s.
January 25, 2021
I have read this book twice, once many years ago and more recently, I suggested it for a book club I was in. While I admit to having a special affinity for The Bahama Out Islands (my family had several homes in Treasure Cay on Abaco and I frequently traveled there over the past 40+ years) and its history, I was delighted that the ladies in my old book club really enjoyed this one. I mean, they REALLY loved this book!
Wind from the Carolinas captures the hardships of Bahamas Out Islanders who fled the Carolinas to start a new life during a crucial time in history that truly made this 700-island nation what it is today.
While long, the book is captivating and hard to put down. I hope other readers will enjoy it as much as I did.
Wind from the Carolinas captures the hardships of Bahamas Out Islanders who fled the Carolinas to start a new life during a crucial time in history that truly made this 700-island nation what it is today.
While long, the book is captivating and hard to put down. I hope other readers will enjoy it as much as I did.
April 12, 2020
This is an older book that you will have to go out of your way to find. However, if you are going to spend a couple of weeks on the endless beaches of one of the lesser-known Bahaman islands, it makes perfect company. It is a multi-generational novel about Americans settling on these islands, first as Loyalist refugees during the Revolutionary war. It accurately relates the vulnerability of this much-ignored British colony (until relatively recently) to world economic conditions, and how it took advantage of some upheavals (slave-running, rum-running, gun-running). A great way to learn the history of the Bahamas.
April 11, 2026
It’s difficult to stay engaged in a sprawling multi-generational novel, especially one that offers so much offense to modern sensibilities. I enjoyed the story line of the first nuclear family - a pioneering British Loyalist, children exploring a new land, and a governor struggling to keep a neglected colony going. But as the decades passed, the story hinged too much on family drama and not Bahamian history. Let alone the shallow and empty depictions of woman and any one of color. This was clearly written in a bygone era for an audience only interested in reading about the adventures of white men.
July 11, 2018
Found this book by accident and loved it. A beautifully written and sprawling tale about a Loyalist plantation owner who moves his entire family (and house and animals) to the Bahamas for re-settlement after the Revolutionary War. Although it’s not a true story, it is true that British subjects did move to the Bahamas in the failed hope that they could recreate the plantation lifestyle. Google has plenty of photos of the ruins of these plantations. This is a great family saga reminiscent of The Thorn Birds...just the thing for a lazy afternoon read on the porch!
May 19, 2019
A really lovely work of historical fiction. This story follows the vantage point of the Cameron family from the Revolutionary War era to the 1920’s. Originally from Britain, this family integrates pirates, Cubans, Southerners, and Northerners. I learned so much about the settling of the Bahamas which is something I have yet to meet in a history book. The only downside to this novel is that it was so poorly edited. Misspellings and spacing issues make it a bit more of a challenge to read, but the gem of the story is still there for readers to uncover.
November 6, 2023
A very detailed read on about 100 years of the Cameron Family history, a South Carolinan loyalist family that decamped to the Bahamas and tried to recreate plantation life on the Islands. The struggle of the family against the land that refuses to grow cotton, the indolent nature of the island people, and the benign neglect of the British Empire was a source of constant drama with the family facing constant crises and overcoming many obstacles, to achieve what they need to survive on their island Paradise.
June 7, 2019
Another great selection from Pineapple Hill's collection of books for the beach and boat, Wind from the Carolinas is one of Jimmy Buffet's favorites due to its setting and story line.
Set against the exotic background of the Bahama Islands, it's the saga of wealthy, aristocratic families from the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia who fled to the Bahamas after coming out on the wrong side of the Revolutionary War (they remained loyal to England).
It'll remind you a little of Michener. But with more satisfying story telling. And, of course, a very gratifying island flavor.
Set against the exotic background of the Bahama Islands, it's the saga of wealthy, aristocratic families from the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia who fled to the Bahamas after coming out on the wrong side of the Revolutionary War (they remained loyal to England).
It'll remind you a little of Michener. But with more satisfying story telling. And, of course, a very gratifying island flavor.
October 1, 2023
I really enjoyed the historical aspects of this book, as well as seeing the struggles of building a profitable plantation/farm out of nothing. It was interesting reading through 7 generations of the Cameron/Raleigh family, their toils and adventures. I especially loved Brian and Marta’s story.
I would have rated higher, but there were several instances of infidelity in marriage and “wenching”, and some language.
I would have rated higher, but there were several instances of infidelity in marriage and “wenching”, and some language.
June 8, 2025
I first read this about 50 years ago. It was a great read for a vacation in the Bahamas. The Kindle version is poorly edited so if one is bothered by typos, incomplete sentences, words that don’t say what they are supposed to, you might not like this. The story spans Rev War to Prohibition in South Carolina and Exuma. The best part of the book is at the beginning when Juan Cadiz, a bit of a pirate, and his red sailed sloop are parts of the story.
June 19, 2019
Wowza, this was a long one. But, I was consumed with the history of it! The editor should be fired, as the mistakes were almost laughable. I started it while in the Bahamas and finished it the day after I got home. So glad I read it. Learned so much.
February 19, 2022
A very good historical novel about a Loyalist family that chose to move to the Bahamas instead of living in revolutionary America. Well-written and gave me a much better understanding of how it must have been to live in those turbulent times.
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