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The Moor's Account

Laila Lalami

Start date: February 15, 2016

Finish date: March 15, 2016

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Mar 12, 2014 Beverly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, beverly-where-in-the-world, where-in-the-world, united-states, slavery, library-book, morocco

I was looking forward to reading this book when I first heard that Laila Lalami would write a fictionalized account of Estebanico as I knew she would provide the necessary insight on Morocco and a Moroccan point-of-view of the 1500s. This book exceeded my expectations. There are many accounts of the Narvaez expedition and what happened in the years 1527 – 1536, when the four survivors (out of 600) were reunited with other Spaniards. Among the survivors was a Moroccan slave known in the accounts ...more

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Jan 12, 2022 Tony rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, novels, travelogues, setting-europe, setting-mexico, setting-us-south, setting-middle-east

I had never heard of the Narvaez Expedition before stumbling across Andres Resendez's book "A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca" a few years ago. That book recounts the history of the ill-fated 1527 Spanish attempt to establish a colonial presence in Florida. Of the six-hundred or so who made the journey, only four survived, emerging in Spanish-held Mexico after eight years of traveling along the Gulf Coast and across Mexico to the Gulf of California. The four included three Ca I had never heard of the Narvaez Expedition before stumbling across Andres Resendez's book "A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca" a few years ago. That book recounts the history of the ill-fated 1527 Spanish attempt to establish a colonial presence in Florida. Of the six-hundred or so who made the journey, only four survived, emerging in Spanish-held Mexico after eight years of traveling along the Gulf Coast and across Mexico to the Gulf of California. The four included three Castilian nobles and a Moroccan slave known as Estebanico -- considered the first African to have set foot on the continental "New World." Cabeza de Vaca's lengthy account to King Charles V has been the standard for several hundred years, but here Lalami provides the slave's fictional perspective, drawing upon recent scholarly research.

The first half of the book alternates chapters between the entirely fictional backstory of Estebanico and the early part of the expedition. Other than his original in the Moroccan coastal town of Azemmour, little is known of him, and Lalami creates the rich backstory of a child who becomes a prosperous merchant in the Portuguese-controlled city only to fall upon hard times and sell himself into slavery. From there, he is subject to fate, while his ability to read, write, and speak several languages make him more valuable than most slaves, and he ends up on a ship bound for the New World.

The story of the disintegrating expedition is an engrossing one, as it succumbs to poor leadership, bad weather, and tough geography. A certain type of reader will get a grim satisfaction from watching the colonizers fumble and flounder their way to disaster. Similarly, Estebanico's efforts to survive are the stuff of classic adventure survival stories -- fate throws many new twists and turns upon him, and to say more would be to spoil the story. It's not exactly a page-turner, but the suspense of wanting to see how everything turns out is gripping in its own way. Readers who enjoy historical fiction should definitely check this out, the writing is understated but superb, brimming with details about landscapes, clothes, tools, and culture. Excellent stuff. ...more

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Nov 30, 2017 Katie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, female-author, book-club

This story is about a Moroccan slave who accompanies his Spanish conquistador owner on a mission to Florida in the 1500s. It is based on historical accounts of this mission, but reimagined from the point of view of the slave, rather than the Spaniards who provided the actual historical account. The story had a lot of potential, but I found the narrative style to be off-putting and detached and it kept me from feeling invested in the characters or the story.

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