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A Roll of the Bones
In 1610, John Guy established a small colony in Cupids, Newfoundland, on the very edge of a world unknown to Europeans. Two years later, he brought a shipment of supplies to his all-male settlement: 70 goats, 10 heifers, 2 bulls, and 16 women. A Roll of the Bones tells the story of some of these nameless women by tracing the journeys of three young people--Ned Perry, Nancy Ellis, and Kathryn Gale--who leave Bristol, England, for a life in the struggling community. Ned dreams of altering his fate with the promise of a New World. Kathryn only wishes to follow her husband--little dreaming she might find romance outside her marriage. And Nancy, the servant girl, has no desire to leave Bristol, but her fealty will ultimately test her ability to survive. A vivid reimagining of settler life in the early seventeenth century, A Roll of the Bones is the first in a trilogy of novels wrestling with the realities of colonization. Here, Trudy J. Morgan-Cole presents an array of unforgettable characters inhabiting the space where two worlds will collide, where the limits of love and loyalty will be tried in a harsh and unforgiving landscape.
248 pages, Paperback
Published October 14, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 21, 2020
This was my first read of a Trudy Morgan-Cole work and I look forward to reading through the other many books she has written. "A Roll of the Bones" is a historical romance, the first of a trilogy set in Cupid's Landing, Newfoundland.
In the English language and spirit of the times, Morgan-Cole deftly creates the lives of the "package of females" that were dispatched in the early 1600's to the rough-shod Cupid's Landing settlement in New Found Land. The niceties of class privilege and protection are leveled to such a degree that the servants share quarters cheek and jowl with the gentry, and converse fairly freely together about all kinds of human concerns and desires. Morgan-Cole builds in and explains the cultural taboos and struggles of the time and place. I was transported.
In the English language and spirit of the times, Morgan-Cole deftly creates the lives of the "package of females" that were dispatched in the early 1600's to the rough-shod Cupid's Landing settlement in New Found Land. The niceties of class privilege and protection are leveled to such a degree that the servants share quarters cheek and jowl with the gentry, and converse fairly freely together about all kinds of human concerns and desires. Morgan-Cole builds in and explains the cultural taboos and struggles of the time and place. I was transported.
February 5, 2020
Fascinating story about John Guy's Bristol plantation (colony) in the New World from a largely female point of view. Lively and entertaining and entirely rooted in social history of the period -- class, gender, the hopes and the fears experienced by would-be colonizers. More detailed review to follow...
See full article/review: https://paulbutlernovelist.wordpress....
See full article/review: https://paulbutlernovelist.wordpress....
December 1, 2021
Trudy Morgan Cole at her very best! Can’t wait for #2 in the trilogy! 4.5 stars!
March 26, 2022
I'm a big fan of Trudy J Morgan-Cole, and I love historical fiction, so I knew I would like A Roll of the Bones. And indeed I loved it. I particularly love Nan, the spunky maid with the sassy mouth. I so wanna be friends with her! I have spent a lot of time thinking about the courage it must've taken, especially for women of childbearing years, to leave the civilized world for the wilderness, knowing they would probably never return. I also love the language. Trudy threaded well the fine line between using language people actually would have used at that time and using language that feels old-fashioned to modern readers but is still clear.
The only reason this isn't a five star review is the cliffhanger ending. It was so unexpected and so dark that it felt like a gut punch. I got the sequel to this book a couple of days ago, and I'm very much looking forward to reading it. But I haven't started it yet because I'm dreading to hear what happens next to characters I have come to love.
The only reason this isn't a five star review is the cliffhanger ending. It was so unexpected and so dark that it felt like a gut punch. I got the sequel to this book a couple of days ago, and I'm very much looking forward to reading it. But I haven't started it yet because I'm dreading to hear what happens next to characters I have come to love.
October 24, 2020
I received a copy of this book for my role as an ambassador for Digitally Lit.
In 1610, John Guy arrived in Cupids Cove, Newfoundland to create a new settlement there. Two years later he returned with supplies, animals, and sixteen women, whose names were never recorded. In "A Roll of the Bones," Trudy J. Morgan-Cole imagines the lives of those women and the other settlers, from their fears to their hopes and dreams.
This is an incredibly well-researched and well-written novel that I could not put down. The book begins in Bristol with the three main characters, Nancy, Kathryn, and Ned, making the decision (or having the decision made for them) to move to Newfoundland. We then follow them over the next few years as they adapt to their new life overseas.
I was rooting for Nancy, Kathryn, and Ned throughout, from Kathryn's growth as a leader, to Nancy's sarcasm and commitment to her happiness, to Ned's search for adventure. I cannot wait to continue their stories in the sequel!
It is, of course, difficult to write a book that looks upon colonial invasions in a glamorous or kind way. I found that this book focused on the very human emotions surrounding a great life change, but would spare a warning to anyone who might be sensitive to anti-Indigenous sentiment: the English characters do refer to the Beothuk as s*v*ges. However, the author addresses this difficult history throughout the book and in the afterword.
In 1610, John Guy arrived in Cupids Cove, Newfoundland to create a new settlement there. Two years later he returned with supplies, animals, and sixteen women, whose names were never recorded. In "A Roll of the Bones," Trudy J. Morgan-Cole imagines the lives of those women and the other settlers, from their fears to their hopes and dreams.
This is an incredibly well-researched and well-written novel that I could not put down. The book begins in Bristol with the three main characters, Nancy, Kathryn, and Ned, making the decision (or having the decision made for them) to move to Newfoundland. We then follow them over the next few years as they adapt to their new life overseas.
I was rooting for Nancy, Kathryn, and Ned throughout, from Kathryn's growth as a leader, to Nancy's sarcasm and commitment to her happiness, to Ned's search for adventure. I cannot wait to continue their stories in the sequel!
It is, of course, difficult to write a book that looks upon colonial invasions in a glamorous or kind way. I found that this book focused on the very human emotions surrounding a great life change, but would spare a warning to anyone who might be sensitive to anti-Indigenous sentiment: the English characters do refer to the Beothuk as s*v*ges. However, the author addresses this difficult history throughout the book and in the afterword.
February 16, 2020
This book is now my favorite Trudy Morgan-Cole novel! I couldn’t put it down...can’t wait for the next one so I can find out what happens to Nan and Kathryn and the rest of the Cupid’s Cove settlers!
February 3, 2020
I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this read, but I got hooked. Well written and researched. Can't wait for the second volume in the series.
January 30, 2020
See complete review at the link below:
https://www.saltwire.com/lifestyles/l...
https://www.saltwire.com/lifestyles/l...
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February 9, 2024Like the colony itself, the story starts slowly but picks up pace relentlessly towards its first version of an ending. As part of a planned trilogy, it leaves the reader on a cliffhanger worthy of Thomas Hardy’s original (literal) narrative hook. It is, in the broad tradition of Canadian historical fiction & drama, an inventive mixture of what is known with what is plausible, what happened with what might well have happened, human nature being what it is. As an exploration of the possible lives of the first women to settle in Newfoundland (recorded, sort of, by history—but unnamed) it serves the vital purpose of reminding us that there is always more than one perspective to every story. I’m eager for the next part.
August 8, 2024
I was first attracted to this book because I heard it was a local author writing about local history. But when I read it, I realized it would be a great story even if I lived on the other side of the world.
The story follows three characters from England who for various reasons join the expedition to cross the ocean and settle the New Found Land in the early 1600s. Though it's an epic tale based on historical events, the author shows us how the expedition looks through the eyes of these three characters. Instead of dry statistics of the date and the number of people, you feel the trepidation and cautious optimism of people who know they will probably never see their homeland again. I thought all three main characters were interesting, complex, well-drawn people.
It has everything. Adventure, romance, personal challenges, alliances, lies, backstabbing and loyalty. Even pirates!
I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed this book. I am very much looking forward to reading the next instalment in the trilogy.
The story follows three characters from England who for various reasons join the expedition to cross the ocean and settle the New Found Land in the early 1600s. Though it's an epic tale based on historical events, the author shows us how the expedition looks through the eyes of these three characters. Instead of dry statistics of the date and the number of people, you feel the trepidation and cautious optimism of people who know they will probably never see their homeland again. I thought all three main characters were interesting, complex, well-drawn people.
It has everything. Adventure, romance, personal challenges, alliances, lies, backstabbing and loyalty. Even pirates!
I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed this book. I am very much looking forward to reading the next instalment in the trilogy.
May 11, 2020
just a quick note that I really enjoyed this book. I enjoy historical fiction, and frequently look for women's stories. Having lived in NL and visited fairly often, including a visit to Cupids (ostensibly the first English settlement - or one of - in New Found Lande, and the locale of this novel), I happliy took it up and read it fairly quickly, given my schedule.
Morgan-Cole's fictionalized account of the early settlement reveals what I would expect of life and mores of the times (162-1613). I found none of it to be a stretch.
I was a little worried by the first page or two, but so happy that I pushed on, for it really is a good yarn, complete with a rewarding resolution to conflict, and a cliff-hanging ending that will definitely bring me to the sequel when it comes.
Recommended reading for sure.
Morgan-Cole's fictionalized account of the early settlement reveals what I would expect of life and mores of the times (162-1613). I found none of it to be a stretch.
I was a little worried by the first page or two, but so happy that I pushed on, for it really is a good yarn, complete with a rewarding resolution to conflict, and a cliff-hanging ending that will definitely bring me to the sequel when it comes.
Recommended reading for sure.
March 1, 2022
I enjoy historical fiction, but I preferred other of her novels to this one. There isn't much plot, (although there are plenty of events), although the limited details available about the time and place certainly would have allowed scope for invention. And although some of the physical details of the time are described, the characters don't really seem to have 17th c. minds.
It's set in one of the first English settlements in North America, and the main characters are the women and servants who followed the adventurers to a largely unknown land. Yet the land is hardly mentioned. The settlers talk about the weather (can't blame them!) but don't even seem to notice the unfamiliar vegetation or lack of familiar animals. It's true their lives were difficult, but you'd think they'd look around occasionally.
It's set in one of the first English settlements in North America, and the main characters are the women and servants who followed the adventurers to a largely unknown land. Yet the land is hardly mentioned. The settlers talk about the weather (can't blame them!) but don't even seem to notice the unfamiliar vegetation or lack of familiar animals. It's true their lives were difficult, but you'd think they'd look around occasionally.
April 27, 2020
I enjoyed learning about this early Newfoundland settlement as well as the imagined lives of its colonists. But after the women arrived, the plot didn't flow so well and some turns felt forced instead of exciting. Still, the deal breaker for me was the entirely unexpected, wholly unsatisfying cliffhanger ending. I'm not a big fan of those types of loose ends even if it is the beginning of a trilogy. I give it higher marks for the historical aspect, but the rest was rather a letdown, and I most likely won't continue the series. 3 stars.
May 24, 2023
Loved it! Just finished this book again(I'm not so patiently waiting for the 3rd book A Company of Rogues launching in October) . It's a slow burn and ends with a great cliffhanger. Painted on the rugged landscape of Newfoundland. It tells the story of settlers to the New Founde Lande in the 1600s . Written from a women's perspective, you see the hardships that were faced, the harsh winters, giving birth with no midwife, illness, death, oh and pirates? Did I mention pirates?
October 14, 2020
I can’t wait til the next book! It ended in a cliffhanger.
This was a part of history I had known very little about. The author did a great job painting a picture and brining characters and historical figures to life. It was easy to read and very human and relatable. I was worried that it would be all doom and gloom, but the story itself is mixed with struggle, joy and everyday things.
This was a part of history I had known very little about. The author did a great job painting a picture and brining characters and historical figures to life. It was easy to read and very human and relatable. I was worried that it would be all doom and gloom, but the story itself is mixed with struggle, joy and everyday things.
June 25, 2022
I really enjoyed this book... historical fiction is not my usual genre, but this one kept me turning the pages... really well-paced, exciting, and the main character is relatable, realistic, and someone you can root for.
March 17, 2020
I just loved this book. Counting down to book 2!
June 22, 2020
Not bad but the way it ended was so abrupt with no closure or mention of what happened to many of main characters. Obviously the author wanted to hook you for the remaining books of this trilogy.
June 29, 2020
The ending killed it for me sadly
August 15, 2020
Loved it! Looking forward to the next book!
December 12, 2020
Fantastic. Looking very much forward to the sequel.
June 25, 2021
An enjoyable book that really makes you picture life in the 1600s. Shame the final chapter took such a turn to set up a sequel that isn’t available yet.
December 30, 2022
Good read about the early settlement of Newfoundland. Easy to read, entertaining and informative.
September 14, 2024
Wonderful series.
Great characters.
Loved this series.
Highly recommend.
Great characters.
Loved this series.
Highly recommend.
February 6, 2021
Spunky teenager moves to the new world
November 19, 2021
4.5 stars. Loved this book. Can’t wait for the next one in this trilogy.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews