A review by abookishtype
Isola by Allegra Goodman

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

In the afterword to Isola, Allegra Goodman’s new book, she writes that she found inspiration in a story written by the French queen, Marguerite of Navarre, in an incomplete story collection called the Heptaméron (1558 CE). To flesh out the scant facts in the queen’s story, Goodman adds what she gleaned from research about the colonization of New France (later Canada) and the conditions faced by French colonists who showed up there with no clue how to survive in the Canadian wilderness. The result is an impossible story of hardship, love, sorrow, and truth...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.