Rate this book

The Bride Of New France (2000)

by Suzanne Desrochers(Favorite Author)

3.22 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (August 5, 2013)

review 1: 2.5 stars. Short, slow-burning novel about one of the filles du roi, the poor girls sent to New France as wives to build a colony from the motley rabble of fur-trappers who lived there. Doesn't romanticize the situation like 7th grade history class did--most of the women were sent from poorhouses to get them out of the way, and did not want to go to scary wild nowhere-land; many of the men they were sent to marry did not want to marry (which meant being tied down to the wild New World when many wanted to go back to France). Interesting tidbits of information here and there--I finally learned the difference between voyageurs (legal fur trappers mandated by the Crown) and coureurs des bois (illegal fur trappers messing around in the woods when they're supposed to be making s... moreettlements, dammit)--but I did not like the protagonist; though she was believable in many ways, her selfish streak was kind of horrifying. It was an interesting glimpse into the struggles of the filles do roi trying to survive in a new and alien place with people who often either didn't want them around or didn't realize they couldn't just take care of themselves right off the bat, but I felt a little something lacking--not quite enough story. It did make me want to find other fiction on the subject, though.
review 2: This was an interesting Canadian writing of a girl called Laure picked up from the streets of Paris as a young child and removed from her parents. Girls such as Laure were housed in an institution and if they survived the starvation and harsh work life they might have learned to do needlework and pray. Their needlework efforts were sold to the rich gentry.Laure was chosen to be a Fille de roi and sailed to Canada to become a wife and also to do her bit towards populating this new country.It was interesting and I can only imagine the author did a great deal of research.Good story! less

Download links for: The Bride of New France

Advertising