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“A new generation of survival story . . . an extraordinary book that reads like a thriller, written with the care of the most delicate psychological and historical fiction.”—Vogue (Best of 2025 Preview)
A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this “lushly painted” (People) historical epic 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. That journey takes a unexpected turn when Marguerite, accused of betrayal, is brutally punished and abandoned on a small island.
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.
*This audiobook contains a PDF with a map and recommendations for further reading from the book.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 4, 2025 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593946497
- File size: 371726 KB
- Duration: 12:54:25
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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December 2, 2024
Goodman (Sam) delivers an engrossing if overlong account of French noblewoman Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval (1515–1542), who lived to tell the tale of her solitary exile on an island off the coast of New France. Orphaned by age three, Marguerite and her nurse, Damienne, are placed in the care of Marguerite’s duplicitous cousin, Jean-François. As Marguerite grows up, Jean-François treats her cruelly, cramming her into a corner of the Roberval’s ancestral home to make way for new tenants. He also squanders Marguerite’s inheritance to pay his debts and fund his naval expeditions, and takes Marguerite and Damienne with him on a ship bound for New France. Marguerite, now a young woman, is resourceful but impetuous, and she falls in love with Jean-François’s secretary, Auguste Dupré, during the voyage. After a furious Jean-François catches on to Marguerite and Auguste’s affair, he maroons them on an uninhabited island. Though the story drags in places and the ending is a bit too pat, Goodman brilliantly depicts Marguerite’s courage as she fights to survive the bitter Canadian winter. It’s a rousing portrait of an undaunted woman. Agent: Julie Barer, Book Group. -
Fiona Hardingham narrates this fictional memoir of orphaned noblewoman Marguerite de la Roque, ward of her cousin, the adventurer and speculator Jean Franois de la Roque de Roberval. Hardingham's unemotional tone varies subtly to capture Marguerite's and Roberval's aristocratic status. Telling her story as a flashback, Marguerite painstakingly recounts her life of loss, emotional abuse, and unimaginable hardship. After reducing Marguerite to poverty, Roberval goes on a mission to map New France, dragging her along. In a fit of rage, Roberval maroons Marguerite; her maid, Damienne; and his secretary, Auguste, on a rocky island in Labrador in 1542, where they languish until they're rescued in 1544. Just as Marguerite is challenged in this audiobook, Hardingham's lackluster pacing challenges the listener's patience. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
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