Circle of Stars - Hardcover

Waldo, Anna Lee

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312203802 ISBN 13: 9780312203801

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2001

Synopsis

1151 A.D. In the aftermath of a terrible storm, an old Calusa woman hears the pitiful cries of a wild animal. Searching for the beast, she finds a child instead-a baby girl hidden beneath the rubble. It is clear to the woman that this child is a gift from the Spirits, so she names the baby Cougar and accepts her as her own.

Across the sea on an island called Eire, far away from the Calusa village of Sandpoint, another child is found abandoned in the mossy banks of a stream. Though dearly loved by the family that discovers him, the boy is sent away in his seventh year to live with the Taliesin druids. Upon his arrival, it is revealed to the young boy that he is Madoc, the prophesied savior of the druids, and the son of Owain, Prince of Gwynedd, and Brenda, his favored mistress. For fear of persecution, Madoc must protect his true identity while learning the ways of the ancient druids.

As the new Christians battle the ancient druids for control of Wales, Madoc must fulfill his destiny, and embark on a dangerous voyage to the land that will later be known as America. In this new world he meets his match in the beautiful, gifted young woman called Cougar.

Mixing storytelling and history with consummate skill, Anna Lee Waldo links the legends of a blue-eyed, fair-haired Native American tribe to the heroic twelfth-century Welshman, Madoc.

Circle of Stars led Jean Auel to say "Anna Lee Waldo's exciting story of persecuted Druids sailing west and establishing a colony among the native people of early Florida is a fascinating and dramatic portrayal of an intriguing concept that has tantalized researchers for years--the early contacts between Europe and the Americas. With impressive research and well-drawn, believable characters, the distinct nature of the two cultures is clearly portrayed and gives a little realized global view to the mysterious Druids and the prehistoric Americans. The story is enthralling and the suspense is delicious, one can hardly wait for Madoc and Cougar to meet."

About this title

About the Author

Anna Lee Waldo is the author of three previous novels, Circle of Stones, Prairie, and Sacajawea, which was on the New York Times bestseller list for eight months and has sold 1.5 million copies. In addition to writing, Ms. Waldo has also taught chemistry at the California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo, where she currently lives with her husband.

Reviews

As Oscar Wilde once observed, "America had been discovered before, but it has always been hushed up." This intriguing premise is one that Waldo explores in depth. While she was researching her bestselling novel Sacajawea, she came across information concerning a tribe of fair-haired, Welsh-speaking people in the Dakotas who were encountered by Lewis and Clark. From here, she was led to the legend of a Welshman named Madoc who sailed to America three centuries before Columbus; this prompted her to write Circle of Stones. Now she continues the story of Madoc's early days among the Druids during the 12th century, as well as of the extraordinary seafaring exploits that made him legendary. His story here is intertwined with that of Cougar, a Native American girl of the Calusa tribe (in the area now known as Florida). Both Madoc and Cougar are raised by people other than their birth parents, making this a tale of two foundlings. Madoc's people believe him to have been destined by the gods to lead the Druids, while some in Cougar's tribe fear she might be a shape-shifter. The novel charts their individual trials and adventures as life sets them on a course that will ultimately lead to their meeting. Despite being set in a different time period, at times Waldo's epic of discovery impresses as being part Jean Auel and part Homer. Scrupulously researched, with enlightening epigraphs opening each of the 24 chapters, Waldo's latest will satisfy fans of her previous work and prove that she has not lost her historical touch. Agent, Jean Naggar.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Waldo, best-selling author of Circle of Stones (1999), continues the engrossing saga of the intrepid band of Welshmen bound for the New World centuries before Columbus ever set sail. In the second volume of the Druid Circle, Madoc, the illegitimate son of a Welsh prince, embarks on a dangerous voyage into the unknown. Leading a cluster of Druids across the ocean, Madoc is determined to save his people from certain persecution and probable extinction. Landing on a distant shore, Madoc and his men encounter the Calusas, an exotic tribe of Native Americans. When Madoc becomes involved with a spirited young woman named Cougar, two ancient cultures are inextricably entwined. Based on fact and on legend, this engrossing epic will continue to enthrall fans of sweeping historical fiction. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Waldo had a best seller with her epic Circle of Stones; now she's reaching for the stars. As the Christians chase the Druids out of Wales, young Madoc heads west for a romantic encounter with a Native American woman.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0312203802
• ISBN 13: 9780312203801
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 448