ISOLA

This spellbinding novel capped off my Allegra Goodman back-to-back book binge, and it is a new historical fiction fave! I cannot stop thinking about Marguerite de la Roque, the young French noblewoman marooned on an island in Canada in the 1500s. Abandoned, fighting to survive starvation, blizzards, bears, and maybe most terrifying, loneliness, Marguerite is the heroine we need right now.

Isola is such a perfect read for Women’s History Month! Marguerite begins as the pampered-but-powerless ward of a mercurial guardian, and evolves into a wilderness survivor baddie. I held my breath reading this book, awestruck by her fortitude and resilience, waiting in suspense waiting to learn her fate. If you’re looking for some fascinating historical fiction this month, don’t miss this one.

I paired this book with a blackberry cobbler for the sour black berries on the island. The berries were a temptation, then a threat, and finally a necessity, showing us the full cycle of Marguerite’s state of mind. I’m also in a major blackberry era right now, especially baked into a jammy, crumbly cobbler. Springy perfection!