by Allegra Goodman, 2025, The Dial Press, New York

The book is about a young orphaned noble lady in France who has all of her possessions taken away by her guardian and then is forced to travel to New France with him. While on the voyage she falls in love with the guardian’s secretary. Once the guardian discovers the relationship, he abandons them both on an island and sails away.

The story focuses on her struggle to survive and eventually make her way back to France. The book is supposedly based on a real life individual. It is well written and depicts in detail the psychological aspects of her situation and how she manages to survive.