Isola

Isola by Allegra Goodman (2025), 346 pages

Isola is loosely based on the life of Marguerite de La Rocque de Roberval who was stranded on an island off of New France (Canada) in the 1500s. Fascinatingly, her story is known because the regaled her saga to the Queen of Navarre who was a known writer and included it in her book Heptameron. 

We follow Marguerite from her life as a wealthy young woman to one that (as a woman) has no livelihood due to the death of her father. She is put under guardianship and is forced to join her Guardian, an explorer for the King, on an expedition to New World. During this time, she falls in love with her Guardian's assistant. The Guardian becomes enraged about this and strands Marguerite, his assistant, and Marguerite's maid on an island. 

The book has a heavy, almost gothic feel to it. While this is definitely a fictionalized version of the real events, I am honestly amazed she survived. The 1500s were no joke on the life-expectancy front. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but would have loved a little more detail on how she actually survived it all. I would have also enjoyed a little more background on her Guardian and the Assistant. The book covers a lot so tends to stay a bit surface level and I wanted the nitty-gritty.