Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Milton has followed up Nathaniel's Nutmeg with another tale of English exploration with all its hardships and heroics, vanity and violence, successes and stupidity. Big Chief Elizabeth charts England's efforts to plant a colony. It starts with the poorly planned ventures of English gentlemen (who on one voyage waited until they were several days out to sea before deciding that they might want to plan their course), but the bulk of the book is devoted to Sir Walter Ralegh's numerous expeditions. Despite it's title, the book really isn't about Elizabeth, who shows up to graciously lend her name to things or to bestow Ralegh with a new title and money to finance his adventures.
Strange deatails abound, such as the fact that tobacco was recommended as a cure for numerous diseases--especially for pregnant women and children!
Milton describes numerous colorful characters, such as Ralegh, who spent a small fortune on his clothes, James Harriot, who deciphered the Indians' language by creating an entirely new alphabet, and Ralph Lane, a colonial governor who loved nothing more than harsh conditions and privation.
A fine read.
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