Isola | Allegra Goodman

I haven't read Goodman in a long time, but I had enjoyed her last books. Isola, is, in my opinion, the best of the bunch. The writing is remarkable, and the story is actually documented in history so it has an authenticity that really comes through. It starts with one of the best opening lines I can remember: “I never knew my mother. She died the night I was born, and so we passed each other in the dark.”

Marguerite is a noblewoman orphaned in 16th century France and is now in the guardianship of a family member who, shall we say, doesn't put her interests first. Roberval is a cruel, ambitious man who burns through her fortune to fund his own work and preys on her naivete and youth in a most horrible way. Instead of marrying her off (like you would expect), he requires her to travel with him on a voyage to New France (now Canada) to claim and settle the land for the king. It's a harrowing voyage, and the only solace for Marguerite is a relationship with Roberval's secretary, Auguste. Upon discovering the connection, Roberval punishes them both, not by death but by marooning them, along with Marguerite's maid, on an uninhabited island in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. Rest assured that this is a feminist novel and Marguerite gets the last word--not just in story but in truth, according what we know from historical documents. Goodman is a masterful storyteller and the story is laid out in page-turner fashion. The writing is beautifully spare, and there's a tension and drama to the story that makes it hard to put down. I thought it was fantastic (as did Reese Witherspoon), and if you like historical fiction I'd give it a read. Marguerite transforms herself from an indulged young girl to a self-sufficient woman, even with all her loss, in a way that is amazingly modern and inspiring today. I loved it. If someone hasn't optioned this for PBS Masterpiece, they're missing out. It could be spectacular in the right hands.