Crown of Columbus, The - Softcover

"The rare novel that is both literature and good fun."-- Barbara Kingsolver"A thriller and love story...A mediation on power and betrayal...An exhilarating novel of risk, redemption and discovery."-- "Los Angeles Times""Highly entertaining, full of intrigue, wit, search for self and a buried treasure. Suspenseful and clever."-- "Miami Herald""Compelling entertainment...Fast-paced, fluently written...Combines the archaeological suspense of "Raiders of the Ark" with the scholarly thrills of A. S. Byatt's "Possession.""-- "New York Times""Splendid...A novel to cherish and reread...An original genre, using the frame of an adventure yarn to house a love story and a novel of ideas."-- "New Woman"

In their only fully collaborative literary work, Michael Dorris and Louise Erdrich have written a gripping novel of history, suspense, recovery, and new beginnings. The Crown of Columbus chronicles the adventures of a pair of mismatched lovers--Vivian Twostar, a divorced, pregnant anthropologist, and Roger Williams, a consummate academic, epic poet, and bewildered father of Vivian's baby--on their quest for the truth about Christopher Columbus and themselves. When Vivian uncovers what is presumed to be the most diary of Christopher Columbus, she and Roger are drawn into a journey from icy New Hampshire to the idyllic Caribbean in search of "the greatest treasure of Europe." Lured by the wild promise of redeeming the past, they are plunged into a harrowing race against time and death that threatens--and finally changes--their lives. A rollicking tale of adventure, The Crown of Columbus is also contemporary love story and a tender examination of parenthood and passion.