Isola: Reese's Book Club: A Novel
4.3 | 14,320 ratings
Price: 12.99
Last update: 01-06-2026
Product details
- ASIN : B0D3C1P3FS
- Publisher : The Dial Press
- Accessibility :
- Publication date : February 4, 2025
- Language : English
- File size : 7.2 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 356 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-0593730096
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank:#30 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Women's Historical Fiction
- Historical Literary Fiction
- Women's Literary Fiction
- Customer Reviews:4.34.3 out of 5 stars(14,298)
Top reviews from the United States
- Mary LinsCouldn't Put it Down!“Isola” by Allegra Goodman, is based on a true story, which makes it even more compelling! I couldn’t put it down!
Marguerite was a sixteenth century French noble woman whose parents died when she was a child leaving her to the mercy of a guardian. Women at this time had no rights and so Marguerite was basically “owned” by her guardian.
When she dares to defy him, he casts her away on an island near New France (today Canada).
Beautifully written and researched, Goodman captured my heart with this thrilling and fascinating tale of survival.
(Let’s don’t forget that in parts of the world even today women have no rights and are “owned” by the men in their life.) - MacInterestingFrom a true account. This novelist threshes out the details of the protagonist's amazing journey, abandonment on a deserted Canadian island and eventual return to France. It will hold your interest.
- Nate's MateThis Is One Terrific Book.I recently finished reading ISOLA and found it to be an extraordinary novel. It is historical fiction with some factual history. I fell completely in love with this book from page one and Marguerite fascinated me. She had the ability to withstand great loss, great love, good connections.
Allegra Goodman’s works are not new to me as I read and really liked ‘Kaaterskill Falls.’ I tried to read ‘Intuition.’ When I failed to connect with ‘Intuition,’ I gave it to my spouse who loved it. He told me that he found Ms. Goodman to be an unusually intelligent writer.
Ms. Goodman writes with uncanny lyricism and I found myself going back to passages that were really very poignant.
This book speaks to many issues. Women were badly treated and often were at the mercy of their guardians. They had to behave in a prescribed manner.
Religion played a big part in Marguerite and her nurse’s life.
Survival is key here. Nature in all of its beauty and harshness are here. The need for emotional connections are here.
This is a rare book of beauty and I highly recommend it. My husband hit the nail of its head. Ms. Goodman is, indeed, an intelligent writer. She is a magnificent novelist and I was sorry to lose ISOLA. She stole my heart and was great company.
I recommend that people read Bonnie Brody's review. - amyinterestingThis story is true in its essence and for that reason was compelling. The terms of banishment on the island were cruel. In the end it’s a tale of triumph and that is remarkable considering that Marguerite was a high born woman who never had to cope with the realities of a life of deprivation.
- Tracey SmithA tale of strength and resilienceThis was a wonderful story of strength and resilience. I have to be honest and say when Marguerite was first brought to new France with her guardian, I never thought she would survive but time and time again she Rose to the challenge.
The author did a wonderful job of weaving the actual historical accounts of this noble woman with fiction and not making it too far-fetched. It did take me a bit to get used to the writing style and speaking style of the time. This is a great book for any lovers of historical fiction. - Gary BaysingerA wild story based on real life.A wild story based on real life. The author digs into the 16th century to give us an amazing story of a young woman’s survival in the wilderness. Marguerite is a young noblewoman whose parents have died, and she is placed under the guardianship of a distant relation. This distant relation is another nobleman who is both pious and deceitful. He does not have her best interests at heart. Through a strange series of events, Marguerite finds herself dragged along on an expedition to the new world (present-day Canada). Things don’t go as planned, and Marguerite is abandoned by her guardian on a small island off the coast of Quebec. Wholly unprepared for such a situation, Marguerite must learn to adapt to an unforgiving climate. The heart of the story is her struggle for survival in a hostile environment. Fascinating story.
- Terrie D. RobinsonFrightening. Treacherous. Brutal. Inescapable..."Isola" is the Historical Fiction novel that reimagines the life of 16th-century French noblewoman, Marguerite de la Rocque.
Orphaned by age three, Marguerite's inheritance was squandered by her guardian and cousin, Roberval. When she came of age, he sold her estate to pay his debts and forced her to live and sail with him on his expedition to New France (Canada).
During the voyage, Roberval discovered a relationship between Marguerite and Auguste, his secretary. Enraged by their attraction, he banished the lovers and Marguerite's nurse, Damienne, to a small island in the Gulf of Saint Laurence. Abandoned, without hope of rescue...
Author Allegra Goodman's lovely writing is transporting, and her storytelling fills in the unknowns about this harrowing story—Marguerite's innermost thoughts, her relationships with Roberval, Auguste, and Damienne, vivid scenes of life on the island, and her eventual transformation from entitlement to commitment.
Isolation. Introspection. Resolution. Transformation...
An immersive experience, the audiobook is expertly narrated by Fiona Hardingham. Her recounting of this Historical Fiction novel is mesmerizing, and one of the many reasons I adore this book!
"Isola" is a shockingly realistic depiction of 16th-century patriarchal society. Marguerite never experienced protection with her guardian. Her safety was precarious, on and off the island.
5⭐ - K. Eatona great readI needed something easy and interesting- and this was it. I read it over the course of two days, and while some people found it slow, I actually thought it moved quite nicely and so well written- I was able to get a bit lost in it, which I have struggled with recently.