I have a lot of thoughts on this book - it has clearly stuck with me while reading and since finishing!
It was beautifully done but I didn’t love the pace, or the way that it was written. Overall, it was really well-done, but some things felt very hurried while others dragged on. The entirety of her son's life was 2 pages, while the description of Suzanne and Ysabel in the beginning was longer. I felt that the scene with the bear was also only briefly described, when it could have been a powerful and incredibly captivating moment of her survival. I thought it needed more editing and fine-tweaking.

The concept was extremely interesting. I loved that it was based on a true story of something that I had never heard of before - not another story of something that has been overdone. It was fresh, exciting and moving. I found Marguerite's character to be resilient, admirable and heroic. She went through a lot at a very young age and would have loved even more description of her mental and emotional state, especially after the death of Damienne.

Overall, it was a beautifully-done story and I'm so glad I picked it up! I will be recommending it to friends and followers, but with the warning that it is often slow or unfortunately rushed. A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy and opportunity to review!

This book. I wish I loved it as much as everyone else. I very much enjoyed Sam, the last novel I read by Allegra Goodman. And it's not that I didn't *like* Isola. It's just that main even - being stranded on an island - happens after 30 or 40% of the book. It was a slog, and I'm not sure I enjoyed the journey.

"A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this breathtaking saga, an epic story 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."

Damn, having a guardian is seriously the worst.

4.5 A stunning tale based on a true historical figure. Marguerite is the ward of Roberval, who brings her along on his voyage to the New World. He has squandered her fortune and she is entirely dependent on him. She has no choice but to board the ship with her nurse. What follows is an interesting and emotional story of love, survival and inner strength.

This felt like 4 books in one - the time prior to boarding the ship, time at sea, time on the island, and then time back in France. I felt each part was fully rounded out aside from the last. I wish we got just a bit more there.

Be warned though that religion is heavily featured. This didn’t bother me as it felt accurate to the time and mindset of these figures.

Beautifully done, I felt very connected to these characters and was anxious about what would come of them.

A historical fiction based on the true life of Marguerite de la Rocque, this book was such a pleasant surprise! I was hooked from the beginning, following every stage of Marguerite's life, as hardship after hardship befell her entirely because of her greedy guardian/cousin Roberval.

As an orphaned woman of nobility, Marguerite must do as her guardian bids her, even as her home is taken from her, her fortune is squandered on Roberval's overseas travel, and she is inevitably left stranded with her maid and secret lover.

Historical fiction can be intimidating for me, some stories too slow, or dry, others with outdated language, but I could not put this one down. It was beautifully written and all together compelling. Never a dull moment!

I received an ebook from #NetGalley to give a review of Isola by Allegra Goodman. Marguerite is born in France at a chateau, but is orphaned. Her guardian is her cousin Roberval who only sees her occasionally. The book has several sections and a map. Marguerite moves in with Roberval along with her nurse/maid Damiene. Eventually the three of them along with Roberval's secretary, Auguste sail to New France in 1542. Eventually, Auguste, Damiene, and Marguerite are abandoned on an island in the St. Lawrence River. The book ends with Marguerite setting up a school in France. This is a a historical fiction with a short appendix as Marguerite is a real person. There are quotes at the beginning of each chapter

This gripping novel is based on the documented experiences of a French noblewoman in the 1500s who is marooned by her guardian on a remote polar island at the edge of New France. Goodman's deep research plunges her readers into the mind of Marguerite de la Roque, a woman who has been waited on by a coterie of unacknowledged servants and has never known deprivation. She is abruptly marooned by her guardian on an island so barren that the only fruit is a small bitter berry and the only flower is the size of a fingernail. In this barren land she lives for two years, extracting salt from seaweed, collecting puffin eggs, and surviving a polar bear attack. This is one darned fantastic read.

This was a sad story! I didn’t realized it was based off a real woman until after I read it and wow, I’m in shock! What she went through was a lot. I’m so glad I could read her story- even the fictionalized version. This is a definite must read for those that enjoy sad, strong-willed women, stories based on real life.

To know that this book was based on a true story makes it all the more interesting to me. It is a story of love, loss, resilience, and more in the 1500s. It was at times an intense story and I couldn’t put it down as I waited to see what happened next. It is a long book and not necessarily action packed the whole time. If you like historical fiction and beautiful writing this book may be for you.

Powerful, emotional historical fiction that focuses on the powerlessness of French noblewoman in the 1500’s: subservient to their husbands or guardians and unable to own property of their own.

Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval, a real woman, grew up the orphaned ward of her debt-laden, seafaring, adventuring, neglectful and cruel cousin, Jean-Francois. Her cousin rents out her ancestral home and lands to a wealthy merchant and displaces Marguerite along with her devoted nurse Damienne to a cold, barely furnished tower on the property. Their only company is with a devout teacher and her charming daughter who’s the same age as Marguerite. The girls become fast friends, as well as tutor to the wealthy merchant’s young daughters until Marguerite and her nurse get summons to her cousin’s impoverished seaside house as he has outright sold the family estate to the merchant.

The most striking part of the story centers around Jean-Luque dragging Marguerite along with an expedition to explore the St. Lawrence waterway in now Canada. On the voyage, she falls in love with his young, educated, kind secretary, Auguste. The cousin discovers their affair and casts them off the ship onto a deserted island along with the nurse and abandons them to their own survival or demise. Trying to survival during the bleak, bitter cold winters proves grippingly touch and go.

Marguerite remains resourceful and resolute amidst desperation, whether facing down polar bears or hunting geese for meat to stave off starvation. Her strength of character and resilience rises above her cousin’s cruel abandonment in an emotional portrait of a woman achieving her own stalwart standing, finally in charge of her own life.

Goodman’s exquisite prose lifts the story into the realm of a classic.

The tale of Marguerite de la Roche starts with her birth and her mother's death. A sixteenth-century French heiress, she is given over to the care of her guardian, a cousin. With this guardianship, her estate and lands are entrusted to this cousin. For many years Marguerite lives in her chateau with her nurse/companion until her guardian sends a mother and daughter to instruct Marguerite. Marguerite is reluctant to be tamed at first but soon grows to love and admire Claire and Madam de Artois.

Marguerite's guardian reveals his plans for exploring the New World and mortgage's Marguerite's inheritance. Through twists of fate Marguerite ends up sailing with her guardian, falling in love with his secretary, and gets marooned on an island in Canada. Her tale is extraordinary and it is awe inspiring to think of her surviving for two years on a remote northern island.

Goodman does an amazing job making Marguerite's story come to life and certainly does it justice.

Marguerite started life as privileged. She was strong minded and wanted to help others, her guardian wouldn't allow it. He eventually strands her on an island in the hopes to teach her a lesson. She comes out stronger than she went in. I loved Marguerite. I wanted to stand by her and help her get what she needed in life. My heart broke along with hers as the most important things in life slipped through her fingers. This book had me hooked from the very beginning. I enjoyed Sam by Allegra Goodman but I absolutely loved Isola. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I might bump up my rating to a 5-star... for now, I am still digesting this hard-hitting and emotional read.

This historical fiction tale is based on a true story of Jean-François de la Rocque de Roberval's ward, Marguerite de la Rocque, who was marooned on a deserted island during their voyage from La Rochelle to New France (Cap-Rouge, present day Quebec City) in 1542. Very little is known of the actual circumstances surrounding this event, and Allegra Goodman weaves a mesmerizing tale of individual growth and resilience around it.

The story is devastating in many ways, but one constant throughout the narrative, from Marguerite's childhood to her return to France after her ordeal, is how much women's fates depended on the whims of the men in their lives at that time.

I really appreciated how Goodman's writing of Marguerite's inner life grows with her character as she gets older, matures, and faces adversity. The style is deceptively simple at the beginning of the novel, and becomes gradually more and more complex. The result is a vivid, tragic and lyrical picture of life in the 16th century and of the harshness of the conditions for the colonists arriving in North America.

On a personal note, I was deeply urious to read this novel as I've spent the last four and a half years coordinating research and heritage enhancement projects at the archaeological site of the colony founded at Cap-Rouge in 1541 and 1542 by Jacques Cartier and Jean-François de la Rocque de Roberval. Needless to say, I was not disappointed! I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the arc.

A tale of nobility lost, a woman’s fate at the mercy of men, love, female friendship, the spirit of resilience and stubborn survival.

Based on a true story—Marguerite de Rocque was a gentlewoman in the sixteenth century who when orphaned and heir to a fortune she falls at the mercy of her guardian and cousin, a tempestuous and violent man.

As he voyages to the new world he demands she accompany him… while aboard the ship she falls into an affair he does not approve of and in bitter punishment maroons them on an island with few supplies or hope of survival.

What follows is one of the most fascinating and immersive tales of wilderness survival I’ve read. I loved these characters and every moment felt so vivid and emotional. I wholeheartedly believed the story unfolding and wanted so badly to see Marguerite make it through… even knowing what the story would be, I was on tenterhooks the entire time!

I truly can’t believe this is based on a true story! What a life! And her guardian can go F himself 😤

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 rounded up

A beautiful and engrossing portrait of an historical figure, based on the true story of Marguerite de La Rocque. This reminded me a bit of The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O'Farrell (which I also loved), another story of a noblewoman in the 1500s who is mistreated by a man in her life. I really loved getting to know Marguerite and her journey. If you are a fan of slow-paced character studies, you'll like this one.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Publishing Feb 4, 2025.

Isola tells the story of Marguerite de la Rocque, a French noblewoman, who falls in love with the wrong man and ends up in a fight for her life against nature.

Like all women in the 16th century, Marguerite has no control over her own life. Orphaned at a young age, her older male cousin Jean Francois de la Roque de Roberval, takes charge of her estate and her future. Unfortunately for Marguerite, the volatile seafarer, gambles away all her funds. Marguerite is forced to leave her home and travel to New France (modern day Canada) with her cousin where she is marooned on a deserted island with little provisions and only her forbidden love and nursemaid for company.

What follows is a harrowing tale of three people’s fight to survive in on an unforgiving island. The noblewoman finds herself in situations she never dreamed of and doing things no woman of her caste would even consider.

The premise of this tale is in intriguing, but execution was lacking for me. The background and build up drags as the author stresses how powerless women’s lives were in the 1500s. It takes quite some time before Marguerite gets to the island, and even longer for her to evolve as a character. Isola reads like literary fiction and is more pragmatic than empowering.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and of course the author Allegra Goodman for the advanced copy of the book. Isola is out on February 4th. All opinions are my own.

Isola by Allegra Goodman is a captivating historical fiction saga inspired by the life of 16th-century noblewoman Marguerite de la Roque. Orphaned at nine, Marguerite's life takes a dramatic turn when her guardian exploits her wealth and forces her to join an expedition to New France. After a forbidden romance on board, Marguerite is exiled to a desolate island, where she survives two harsh years.

Goodman’s evocative prose brings Marguerite’s resilience and connection to nature to life, weaving a powerful tale of survival, faith, and self-discovery. Highly recommended for fans of atmospheric and character-driven historical fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing - The Dial Press, and Allegra Goodman for the advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

A French noblewoman, Marguerite, does not have an easy start in life. Her mother dies as she is born and her father, who is off fighting in a war is killed a few years later.

And so Marguerite's life begins at her estate with her beloved nanny. And so she grows, a teacher and her daughter move in to "smooth" Marguerite's rough edges. And she grows more refined... but there is this undercurrent to Marguerite that is simmering beneath the surface.

Her guardian is rarely there until he is always there. Her home is sold and she begins a somewhat unbelievable journey to New France (although, Marguerite's life - though basically undocumented - is true.) Her guardian's anger with her grows as she fosters a relationship with his secretary. His anger culminates with Marguerite, the secretary, her nanny are left behind on a deserted island. The remainder of the story imagines what that must have been like. It is certainly no place for a refined woman... but Marguerite's grit and determination serve her well in the two winters she survives on this island.

Goodman did a fantastic job of imagining Marguerite's life. If you like obscure history, you will enjoy this book!

I would like to thank Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, and The Dial Press for the digital copy of this book. It will be published on February 4, 2025.

I loved this story of suffering, perseverance, and faith. The details of the story were richly written. I could feel the pain of the main character, and I longed for her to see God’s goodness in the midst of her trials. Utterly compelling, would highly recommend.

Thank you Random House and The Dial Press for this advance copy. I was beyond thrilled to see this new release from Allegra Goodman, as her novel Sam was one of my year end favorites in 2023. I think it speaks to her immense talent as a writer that Isola could be so completely different in comparison. I still loved Goodman’s prose in this one, but I could not connect with the main character like I did in Sam, and that’s really what made me not love it. For historical fiction, I wanted it to move more and create a deeper connection with the characters. Incredibly written and exhaustively researched, I appreciate Goodman sharing this fictional account of a real life story. I also absolutely love the cover - stunning!