Karen
Sometimes you're in the mood for a book about a woman marooned on an island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, battling bears, starvation, and her own demons. If that's you right now, this is your book. Best of all, this novel is based on a true story.
In the novel, Marguerite de la Rocque's parents die when she is a young girl, and her care is left to her unscrupulous kinsman Roberval. Roberval speculates with her inheritance and loses it, so Marguerite's house and lands are rented out and she and her small household are packed off to live in an outbuilding. Roberval's moods are unpredictable and he seems to take pleasure in keeping Marguerite off balance, so we quickly understand that he isn't just unscrupulous with money, he's an all around bad guy. There's no recourse for Marguerite. She's at his mercy and no one is going to hold him accountable for taking her money.
When Marguerite comes of age, Roberval brings her and her nurse Damienne to his house in La Rochelle, and from there on board his ship sailing to New France, where he has been declared viceroy. On the voyage, Marguerite falls in love with his secretary, August, and when Roberval discovers this, he maroons the pair of them (and Damienne) on an island there, with their belongings and some supplies. The story moves from maddening injustice to Robinson Crusoe, as the castaways figure out how to take care of themselves alone on the island, and then to heartbreak as hardships set in.
The theme of religious faith and questioning in this book is handled so well. Marguerite compares her faith to that of her companions and finds herself lacking because she doesn't passively accept her lot, but chafes against her restrictions and tries to make things better for herself. She feels unhappy, complains, and asks for what she wants, while her closest female companions pray much more, and don't complain. Marguerite does experience a dark night of the soul in this book, and while she doesn't come out of it behaving more like those companions, she has more maturity and steadiness than she did before.
A really worthwhile read!
Sometimes you're in the mood for a book about a woman marooned on an island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, battling bears, starvation, and her own demons. If that's you right now, this is your book. Best of all, this novel is based on a true story.
In the novel, Marguerite de la Rocque's parents die when she is a young girl, and her care is left to her unscrupulous kinsman Roberval. Roberval speculates with her inheritance and loses it, so Marguerite's house and lands are rented out and she and her small household are packed off to live in an outbuilding. Roberval's moods are unpredictable and he seems to take pleasure in keeping Marguerite off balance, so we quickly understand that he isn't just unscrupulous with money, he's an all around bad guy. There's no recourse for Marguerite. She's at his mercy and no one is going to hold him accountable for taking her money.
When Marguerite comes of age, Roberval brings her and her nurse Damienne to his house in La Rochelle, and from there on board his ship sailing to New France, where he has been declared viceroy. On the voyage, Marguerite falls in love with his secretary, August, and when Roberval discovers this, he maroons the pair of them (and Damienne) on an island there, with their belongings and some supplies. The story moves from maddening injustice to Robinson Crusoe, as the castaways figure out how to take care of themselves alone on the island, and then to heartbreak as hardships set in.
The theme of religious faith and questioning in this book is handled so well. Marguerite compares her faith to that of her companions and finds herself lacking because she doesn't passively accept her lot, but chafes against her restrictions and tries to make things better for herself. She feels unhappy, complains, and asks for what she wants, while her closest female companions pray much more, and don't complain. Marguerite does experience a dark night of the soul in this book, and while she doesn't come out of it behaving more like those companions, she has more maturity and steadiness than she did before.
A really worthwhile read!