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Isola: A Novel Audiobook
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Publisher Description
A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this breathtaking saga, an epic story of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam
“A shocking story, made all the more stunning by the fact that it has its roots in true history.”—Jodi Picoult, author of By Any Other Name
“What a gift this novel is: vast, lush, feminist, and brilliantly crafted. Allegra Goodman is one of our finest writers.”—Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful
Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. Isolated and afraid, Marguerite befriends her guardian’s servant and the two develop an intense attraction. But when their relationship is discovered, they are brutally punished and abandoned on a small island with no hope for rescue.
Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.
Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival
*This audiobook contains a PDF with a map and recommendations for further reading from the book.
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"Isola is a finely drawn and gripping novel of survival and faith that never once strays from the world Goodman has skillfully recreated. Her protagonist, Marguerite, is absolutely a woman of the Middle Ages, in her beliefs and in her limitations, and so Goodman’s novel feels like a book born from the era it describes, rather than one written by a contemporary author. It succeeds in making the past strange and real and maddening—and is all the more memorable for that."
— Joanna Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Whalebone Theatre
Quotes
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A shocking story, made all the more stunning by the fact that it has its roots in true history, Isola is an immersive journey through the eyes of Marguerite de la Rocque, who redefines what makes one a woman of worth and what the difference is between having a life and truly living.
— #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult -
What a gift this novel is: vast, lush, feminist, and brilliantly crafted. Allegra Goodman is one of our finest writers, and I’m grateful to have read the exhilarating story of Marguerite de la Rocque—a French noblewoman who is stripped of everything, and in the process reveals and discovers her own immense strength.
— Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful -
“Isola is a finely-drawn and gripping novel of survival and faith that never once strays from the world Goodman has skillfully recreated. Her protagonist Marguerite is absolutely a woman of the Middle Ages, in her beliefs and in her limitations, and so Goodman’s novel feels like a book born from the era it describes, rather than one written by a contemporary author. It succeeds in making the past strange and real and maddening—and is all the more memorable for that.
— Joanna Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Whalebone Theater -
This book made me cry on an airplane but it was worth it! I am grateful to Allegra Goodman for writing such a luscious, rich and moving novel. As someone who liked The Martian, The Terror, and Endurance Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, I loved Isola. . . . A beautiful, careful and profound book about survival and hope.
— Alice Winn, author of In Memoriam -
What a gift this novel is: vast, lush, feminist, and brilliantly crafted. Allegra Goodman is one of our finest writers, and I’m grateful to have read the exhilarating story of Marguerite de la Rocque—a French noblewoman who is stripped of everything, and in the process reveals and discovers her own immense strength.
— Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful -
This book made me cry on an airplane but it was worth it! I am grateful to Allegra Goodman for writing such a luscious, rich and moving novel. As someone who liked The Martian, The Terror, and Endurance Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, I loved Isola. . . . A beautiful, careful and profound book about survival and hope.
— Alice Winn, author of In Memoriam -
Goodman writes with fluid beauty, deep empathy, and an emotional undertow that pulls you in and holds you from the first page to the last. [This] sweeping page turner is at once historical and modern, intimate and epic, personal and powerful.
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review -
A shocking story, made all the more stunning by the fact that it has its roots in true history, Isola is an immersive journey through the eyes of Marguerite de la Rocque, who redefines what makes one a woman of worth and what the difference is between having a life and truly living.
— Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
What a gift this novel is: vast, lush, feminist, and brilliantly crafted. Allegra Goodman is one of our finest writers.
— Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful -
Isola is a finely drawn and gripping novel of survival and faith. It succeeds in making the past strange and real and maddening—and is all the more memorable for that.
— Joanna Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Whalebone Theatre -
This book made me cry but it was worth it! I am grateful to Allegra Goodman for writing such a luscious, rich, and moving novel. . . . A beautiful, careful, and profound book about survival and hope.
— Alice Winn, author of In Memoriam -
Goodman writes with fluid beauty, deep empathy, and an emotional undertow that pulls you in and holds you from the first page to the last. [This] sweeping page turner is at once historical and modern, intimate and epic, personal and powerful.
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review -
Engrossing . . . Goodman brilliantly depicts Marguerite’s courage as she fights to survive the bitter Canadian winter. It’s a rousing portrait of an undaunted woman.
— Publishers Weekly -
A bravura departure . . . Goodman’s lush and enthralling castaway tale of betrayal and love, suffering and strength is magnificent in its beauty, mystery, fury, and redemption.
— Booklist, starred review
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About Allegra Goodman
Allegra Goodman’s novels include Intuition and Kaaterskill Falls. Her fiction has appeared in the New Yorker and Best American Short Stories. She is a winner of the Whiting Writer’s Award and a fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She lives with her family in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
About Fiona Hardingham
Fiona Hardingham is a British-born actress, singer, voice-over artist, and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. On stage, she appeared at the Edinburgh Festival in her comedic one-woman show The Dark Show. She has also starred in the dark-comedy short film The Ballerino. She earned a BA honors degree in performing arts from Middlesex University, London, and also studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.