Isola by Allegra Goodman

 

My thoughts

This is the second book I have read by this author. Sam being the first and I enjoyed it so much. 

Quote: I never knew my mother. She died the night that I was born, and so we passed each other in the dark...

This one is breathtaking. It's prose is beautiful and enchanting in ways. Sad and abusive in other ways. The love story is one that will sweep you away. The struggles will captivate you. Hold you hostage. Make you cringe. And in so many ways give you hope.

This story is based on an actual female. Set in the 16th century when things were not good at all for females. Men dominated them completely. This is Marguerite's story. And what a story it is...

Marguerite was born into a privileged life. She had riches. But both of her parents had passed away and she was left with a guardian. Roberval was not a nice man. He was at least gone much of the time. But he was spending Marguerite's inheritance and eventually left her broke. She had to leave her childhood home. Travel with him on a ship. 

Marguerite met and feel in love with Auguste. Auguste was Roberval's secretary. They were not suppose to fall in love. It angered Roberval. During the voyage to the new world he banished them to an island. They did what they could to survive. Ultimately Marguerite was alone after the loss of Auguste and Marguerite's maid Damienne died. Marguerite had to fend for herself. She learned how to hunt, fish and kill predators. She became a very resilient and much strong woman. But she was still fearful of much.

You get to know Marguerite as she grows. As she is saved and faces some demons from her past. As she is reunited with her community. How she is welcomed back. What all she endured comes out in this story. And she has an audience with the queen. 

This is a story that enthralled me. Kept me reading until the very last word. It's like no other I have read and I enjoyed it so much. Most of the characters were so likable. The graphics were written in a way that made you feel the cold. I felt I was on that island with Marguerite. The fear she felt and the total sadness she went through. She lost everyone. I shed a lot of tears in parts of this book. Both the sad parts and the happy. Marguerite didn't deserve what she went through but she sure came out so much stronger.

Be sure and read until the very last page. The Author's Note is filled with things you will want to know. I'm so glad this author bought her sons the books she got this idea from. It's such a good story. A must read...

Thank you #NetGalley, #RandomHouse, for this ARC.   

About

A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this epic saga of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam.

Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. Isolated and afraid, Marguerite befriends her guardian’s servant and the two develop an intense attraction. But when their relationship is discovered, they are brutally punished and abandoned on a small island with no hope for rescue.

Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.

Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.