Description: New England 1760. He was an Iroquois war-chief, she was an indentured servant. A careless footprint brought them together, the birth of a child would change their lives forever.
Brief description: Barry Cole was born in Yorkshire but spent much of his life in Bedfordshire. He served as a regular soldier and after leaving the army he began contributing stories and articles to two Native American Charities monthly magazines. Since then he has written several feature length screenplays and a children's book. Shingas is his first novel. He now lives on a narrow boat on the Grand Union canal in Northamptonshire.
Review Quotes:
Shingas is a highly competently constructed novel of undoubted quality. It is written in a very sophisticated and polished way but in a way that is highly readable. There is a simplicity to the prose while the lack of any superfluous affections makes for a succinct and always enjoyable reading experience. The structure of the book is very good indeed with an intense narrative that can be both genuinely charming and full of personality, while also being hard-hitting when it needs to be. The foundation of the story is set down at the beginning of the novel and while the action-packed and entertaining plot is enough to keep the reader engaged, it's really the cast of intriguing characters like Esther that elevates Shingas to another level and makes it such a joy to read. Yanina Goldenberg Gold Wind Limited
This is a book I enjoyed reading very much which is quite interesting since this is not a book I would have automatically chosen to read, which speaks volumes for its quality in holding my attention literally from first chapter to last. For a book of this kind it is unusually multi-layered with deep themes which are very thought provoking. The setting and background are dealt with extremely competently creating an environment for the plot that is exceptionally realistic and authentic. A good book should also have a plot that progresses upwards with a series of twists, turns and setbacks. This is basically the case with this book with both Shingas and Esther faced with problems each has to overcome. It is also important to keep the reader guessing in terms of the ending, and I have to confess that I did not see the ending coming at all. Critical is convincing characterization, and while there is a tendency in this type of book for some of the peripheral characters to be given less attention, here they are realistic and appear as real people. But it is the characters of Shingas and Esther who create the powerful emphatic response from the reader. In summery, this is as good a book in the genre (and as good a book generally) as I have read for some time, it is exceptionally well written and constructed and very authentic.
Dai Williams Kindle Book Publishing Club