Song of Batoche

by Maia Caron

A people’s struggle for rights to their land and identity, a woman’s fight for ownership of her body and soul.

The year is 1884. Batoche, North-West Territories is plagued by drought and political unrest. When Louis Riel arrives, he discovers that the rebellious outsider Josette Lavoie is a granddaughter of the famous chief Big Bear, whom he needs as an ally. But Josette resists becoming his disciple when she learns that Riel is locked in a blood feud with J.A. Macdonald, the corrupt Dominion leader, who wants the Métis lands for European settlers. In this raw wilderness on the brink of change, the lives of seven unforgettable characters intersect, each one with secrets: Louis Riel and his tortured wife Marguerite; a duplicitous Catholic priest; Gabriel Dumont and his dying wife Madeleine; a Hudson’s Bay Company spy; and the enigmatic Josette Lavoie. As the Dominion Army marches on Batoche, Josette and Gabriel Dumont are forced to manage Riel’s escalating religious fanaticism and a growing attraction to each other. Song of Batoche is a timeless story that explores the mysteries of faith and reason, obsession and madness, betrayal and love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Indigenous, Canada, Historical, Novels, War

372 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2017

About the author

Born and raised in the mountains of British Columbia, Maia Caron is the Métis author of Song of Batoche, a historical novel that was #11 on CBC’s 95 must-read books of 2017, CBC’s Historical Novels to Read this Summer list, and was chosen by Raven Reads as their spring 2018 Read for Reconciliation. She has had short stories and essays in The Dalhousie Review, The Nashwaak Review, the Women Awakening series, and Skeptic Magazine.

Maia’s new dual timeline historical novel set in 1944 Ukraine and 1972 Salt Spring Island, will be published September 24, 2024 by Doubleday Canada.
THE LAST SECRET was inspired by two remarkable real life heroines—a Ukrainian resistance fighter and a famous landscape artist—haunted by buried secrets and linked by a KGB operative who hunts for a mysterious classified roster list to punish Ukrainian soldiers who fought against Russia in WWII.

Maia is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation and a citizen of the Métis Nation: She lives in the wild Pacific Northwest.

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW - What an AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT!!!!!! NO SPOILERS....best to 'experience'!!

I LEARNED about the Metis and Indians in Canada. I learned about Mistahimaskwa - Big Bear - a powerful Cree Chief and the powerful pivotal role he played in Canadian history.
I learned about Canadian geography and the culture in Saskatchewan, the Capital of Batoche. I learned about the Battle of Batoche...Louis Riel, ( his wife Margurite and their two children), Gabriel Dumont, John MacDonald, the Red River Rebellion, and the North-West rebellion.
I also learned about the devoted, self-sacrificing, gentle, loving, brave, and strong indigenous women who faced adversity and tragedy living among the male population.
Oh....there are some scenes you'll never forget in this book.

I loved the story and history --- none of which I was familiar with!!!

I took a journey with this book. I carved out a new Brain File.....adding history facts and details I knew almost nothing about.
Before - during - and after reading this novel ( JUICY DRAMATIC STORYTELLING WITH FASCINATING CHARACTERS), ... I took extra time to read about The First Nations - the predominant Aboriginal peoples of Canada south of Arctic..... studying more history from this time period BECAUSE--( forgive me) -- I wasn't very knowledgeable about ANYTHING CANADA!!!
Given my daughter is soon moving to Canada -- my interest in EVERYTHING CANADA is increasing.....

Author, Maia Caron, wrote this story with great balance of historical details and compelling narrative. I liked that she 'didn't get bogged down with boring back stories. I could do that on my own time.
Immediately I was engaged with the connections of the characters and their internal conflicts. I felt them and they were highly visualized.

Josette Lavoie is the standout female --we care deeply about her. Her emotional, physical, and spiritual plate is overflowing.....yet she is nothing but resilient.

Characters fly off the page...creating raw tension to the end.....
"Song of Batoche" is such a unique beautiful book --gorgeous language--literally from the first sentence to the last.

Hard to believe this is a debut novel! Very talented author!!!
I received an early review copy - much thanks- in exchange for an honest review.
This book will be released at the end of Sept.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1869, the Canadian Government purchased northern and western territories from the Hudson's Bay Company. For generations, families of the Metis Nation had lived on river lots in Batoche, Saskatchewan near the South Saskatchewan River. The Anglo-Saxon government's intent was to survey, then colonize the North-West Territories held by the Metis, by common agreement, for generations. The elimination of the buffalo herds and confinement on reserves would strip the Metis of their land and identity. Gabriel Dumont, Metis chief and buffalo hunter traveled to Montana to recruit Louis Riel, a great Metis hero, to stand up to the seat of government in Ottawa and protect the Metis way of life.

Prophet-like Louis Riel needed disciples to spread the word. He no longer would allow the Metis to be deprived of their heritage. He chose Gabriel Dumont, a highly respected and trusted elder of the Batoche community. Dumont followed Riel in a deferential manner. Riel, additionally sought the assistance of Josette Lavoie, the granddaughter of Chief Big Bear. If a skirmish ensued, hopefully Big Bear would provide warriors . First, Riel needed to craft a petition to send to Ottawa requesting that the government uphold the rights the Metis were promised and to honor their land claims. Anything less might result in rebellion.

Many historical figures populate this tome. Lawrence Clark, chief factor for the Hudson's Bay Company was also a land speculator. Major-General Middleton led the Canadian government's four day attack on Batoche. (The North-West Resistance, May 9-12, 1885)

"Song of Batoche" by Maia Caron brings the plight of the Metis Nation to life through the rich development of her principal and secondary characters. Josette Lavoie was a strong, resilient woman who, by necessity, kept many secrets. Father Moulin, a Catholic priest in Batoche, conjured up false rumors and other deceptions. Author Maia Caron, a Red River Metis, has stated that her great-great grandparents were among the founding fathers of Batoche. Jean Caron, Sr. fought alongside Louis Riel when Batoche fell to Middleton's troops. In this historical fiction tome, Maia Caron has captured the essence of her ancestors and her heritage. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Maia Caron for a copy of "Song of Batoche" in exchange for my honest review.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old Joseph Ouellette – who had ridden with the legendary buffalo hunter Cuthbert Grant at the Battle of Seven Oaks – began a song about the hunts, acting out the parts with tossing horns and pawing hoofs. He finished the last verse with arms raised and the crowd clapping him on.

“Now old men and wives come out with the carts
There's meat against hunger and fur against cold
Gather full store for the pemmican bags
Garner the booty of warriors bold!”

As with the passage quoted above, author Maia Caron has preserved a slice of history in Song of Batoche – bringing to life legendary characters, adding the quotidian detail that breathes humanity into stodgy documentary – and not only has she fleshed out a significant event that most of us Canadians remember studying in school, but as per her stated purpose, Caron has imagined the women's stories to add to those of the men that history books tend to solely recount. I admire the intention and the effort that this book represents – I might even call it an essential addition to the canon of Canadian historical fiction – but purely as a reading experience, it's a mixed bag.

In my memory, I better recall Louis Riel as the young rebel hero of the Red River Uprising than the deluded Messiah who shows up in Batoche fifteen years later, at the request of the local Métis, to lead a second rebellion:

Riel was a conundrum. One moment she had dismissed him as a religious fanatic and in the next he had moved her with his compassion and demand for justice. She wanted her lands as much as anyone. And none other than Gabriel Dumont was on his side. But how could she follow a man who believed the Métis were the children of Israel? It was an impossible dream. Creating a sovereign nation ruled by Métis and Indians with his church at its head. Macdonald would no sooner agree to a separate state than the Métis would leave their beloved Catholic Church.

I don't know this Riel; had never heard that he spent two years in an asylum during his exile. When he arrives in Batoche (what he refers to as his “City of God”), he believes himself the new “David”, there to lead his “Israelites” in the “Promised Land”. Riel delivers on his promise to draft a compelling petition to the government of Canada – insisting that Parliament, led by John A. Macdonald, recognise and confirm treaty rights in (what was then known as) the Northwest Territories – and while Riel is able to assemble a large coalition of Native peoples to sign his petition, he never reveals to them his true plan: to create a sovereign nation on the Prairies, run by his own Métis people, and to establish a new church with himself as its leader. After proving himself to be an indecisive and double-dealing strategist – it is Riel's own decisions that draw an armed response from the government – when the Battle of Batoche brings war to the dooryards of his most devoted followers, Riel is seen swooning from fasting, hoisting the large crucifix (which he liberated from the local church) through the skirmishes, believing that his own prayers will break the cannons of his enemies and deliver victory to his side.

But while Riel is an important historical figure, he's not really the main character in Song of Batoche. The true story revolves around Gabriel Dumont – the “best man with a horse and with a gun”, legendary Métis captain of the long gone buffalo hunts, and Riel's war chief – and a character that Caron invented, Josette Lavoie: a young Métis wife and mother, a woman of “impossible” and “tragic” beauty, whom Riel christens his own Mary Magdelene, and whom Dumont (who lives on the neighbouring farm) doesn't really notice until the events of this book, at which time he finds her both intelligent and bewitching:

He could see that she was crying and he reached to her, his hand careful, detached, brushing the coarse wool of the shawl over her thin shoulder. He had not bargained for the feel of her, and his heart beat wildly in his chest. Lifting his hand, he let it drop, fingers hesitating at the fringes of her shawl. It was quiet among the trees, only the sound of digging out on the meadow, the men talking among themselves. He should have pulled his hand away, but let it slip beneath the fringe, a quiver at the tips of his fingers as they traced the line of her back, followed the curve of her waist. The top of her head was only inches away. She had become very still, almost not breathing, a slight resistance then turning into him, the smell of her, like woodsmoke and the river when the ice broke up in spring. She looked up at him, a strand of her black hair caught in a sudden lift of wind. The moon had come out and rained light through the bare branches, onto those eyes, dark and unfathomable. He touched her cheek, still wet with tears.

In her Acknowledgments, Caron cites the sources she found through the Gabriel Dumont Institute, so I am happy to accept that Dumont's story is represented more or less accurately; his is a remarkable tale that deserves to be more widely known. Also in the Acknowledgments, Caron states that Josette and her family are products of her imagination – included to give the women's perspective and to flesh out some of the writings from Riel's diaries – and while this is certainly a novelist's prerogative, it was the character of Josette that I found most frustrating. The “impossible beauty” – understandably sparking jealousy from both Riel's and Dumont's wives – who reads Spinoza and quotes the classics to confound the local priest (at a time when the Catholic Church controlled every aspect of the devout Métis peoples' lives and Riel's illiterate wife is forced to explain that “women don't read”); the granddaughter (but not by blood, for whatever reason) of the chief Big Bear and who is sent to him as Riel's emissary; a woman who guards the healing knowledge of her people as shown to her by her mother and grandmother, but who resents not being made a voting member of Riel's council and provisional government – everything from Josette's romantic urges to her domestic melodramas, her perfect beauty and intellect and clear thinking, make her not the “everywoman” whose story demands to be included in the historical narrative, but a “superwoman” that the reader doesn't quite believe in. And that's what I found frustrating and why this is a mixed bag: Caron does a wonderful job of reintroducing us to the Riel we might not know; she presents Gabriel Dumont as the true hero of Batoche (and the final battle is as well written as any such scene); but Josette's story really didn't work for me. And yet, I do appreciate what Song of Batoche adds to the story of the Métis people and think people ought to read it.

[Evelina | AvalinahsBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very well researched, historical account of a Metis uprising against whites in the 19th century Batoche. Despite being probably a very accurate depiction of those events and raising many important points, to me, unfortunately, The Song of Batoche felt like a textbook with fictional details.

When you receive books from the author, you really try with them - so I really did try my best to get through this one. However, it took me two tries and I finished through sheer willpower, because I just couldn't get into it at all. It's not that I don't enjoy First Nations / Native American stories - I have greatly enjoyed Heart Berries and even read Black Elk Speaks with pleasure. I adored a mythology collection of the Mesoamerican tribes. But this was a little bit too detached a story for me.

We follow multiple characters, we don't get attached to almost any of them, and everything is centered around mostly just events, planning, politics. So if you are looking for native fiction for the sake of emotion, humanism, cultural heritage and richness, you will not find it here. If you're looking for a documentary in book form? This is the book for you.

The Song of Batoche tackles many important, sensitive problems of the life of the Metis at the time - poverty, belonging with either the tribes or the white man, religion, their craving to have their own sort of freedom and be recognized. Or how much the white man wants to eradicate any other culture he doesn't understand, how he scorns it. The language matches the attitudes of the day - rough and crude, disrespectful - nothing like we'd use today, for example, like calling people half-breeds. That's why I say it's kind of like a documentary.

A lot of it is also about the woman's life back in the day. Which was actually pretty horrifying and triggering. Refusing the husband a mortal sin, even if it means certain death in childbirth. How a woman's life really means nothing in a society like that. As you read, a slow pain spreads in your chest. Women do not read. Women do not bear the sin of refusing the husband. Women bring as many children into the world as god bids them to. Women are always under the watchful eye of the community, other women - if need be. Women should not grieve the loss of a child, because it disrespects the fact that other women have lost many children. Women do not have an opinion. And women should not, on any occasion, care about the heathen ways of their grandmothers, of their heritage. Reading all of this is hard... it grips you and it pains you. But it's the way women have lived for many centuries. And it's appalling that now, only now do we finally get to have an opinion - and that it hasn't been that long that it's been a thing. The author claims that she wanted to give the Metis women a voice, because they are often muted in the narrative - and I would say she has succeeded.

I thank the author for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her powerful debut novel, Maia Caron brings Métis legends Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont to life in this fictional re-telling of the North-West Rebellion of 1885. Caron, with her memorable characters, both real and imagined, creates a tight-paced narrative that keeps her readers absorbed from start to finish, while staying true to the actual historical events. A must read for all Canadians.

[Lauren Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and beautifully written account of Louis Reil and the months preceding the Battle of Batoche, as seen through the eyes of the Metis woman of the community. This is a perspective we've not seen before, and Caron handles it with compassion and depth.

Apart from the terrific historical aspects of the story, which I suspect will come as a surprise to many, the novel is also well-paced and full of intriguing characters.

Here's a fine review from the Toronto Star: https://www.thestar.com/entertainment...

[Elinor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I grew up near Battleford, Saskatchewan, and I have indigenous forefathers from the Red River area, I wanted to learn more about the Northwest Rebellion. This novel portrays Louis Riel as a tragically flawed character, yet he was a passionate advocate for Metis rights and stepped into the role of leader when his people were being treated shamefully by the federal government. An armed rebellion followed, and Riel was hung.
The story is told through the eyes of a fictional Metis woman named Josette. I enjoyed this point of view, as women often have a different perspective on events. In the novel Riel is not a very sympathetic character, his behaviour bordering on religious madness, although his greatest friend and supporter Gabriel Dumont is portrayed as a more reasonable man.
I found the book to be muddled and confusing at times, which no doubt reflects the sequence of events as they occurred. Fictionalizing history is often difficult for that reason since there are always so many nuances and loose ends in real life. Nevertheless, this was an honest effort to portray the reality of Riel and I came away with a better understanding of our own history.

[Danielle Froh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work of historical fiction was a very special experience for me. 12 of the characters mentioned in the novel are in my family tree, including Maxime and Ambroise Lépine (4th great grand uncles), Donald Ross (3rd Great grand uncle) and so many more.
Have you ever looked back at your family tree and wondered- what was life like for them? Attempting to piece together Métis history and records- I have wondered this so much. Well, Maia brought so many beautiful Métis characters to life- real and imagined. The novel is very well researched. Fictional story lines woven through historical ones keep the story exciting! Our Métis ancestors would be so proud of the work you have done to keep their story alive. Thank you 💓♾

[Emmkay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good historical novel about the Northwest Rebellion, about which I knew really only the outlines. Caron’s characters include historical figures like Louis Riel (who doesn’t come off too well!) and Gabriel Dumont, as well as lesser known individuals and entirely fictional creations, like protagonist Josette Lavoie. I appreciated how Caron layered in the female experience, and how well researched it seemed to be. The last third was hard to put down, and as soon as I finished the book, my curiosity took me read more about the events depicted. The author is herself Red River Metis in origin, and her website has interesting family photos.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical fiction. Very well written with a wonderful heroine. I live near Batoche, Gabriel’s Crossing and Duck Lake so I find it very relevant and captivating. Gabriel Dumont is my new hero!

[Jalilah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the reviews in Goodreads are giving this book 5 stars. While I enjoyed the characters and the depiction of life in the Praries of Saskatchewan in the 19 hundreds, I have ambivalent feelings. I had always thought of Louis Riel as a folk hero, someone who brought attention to and fought for the rights of the Métis in Canada. In this book he is depicted as a religious fanatic and honestly, kind of a jerk. I don't know how the reaction was to this book by other Métis people. The author herself is Métis.
At the same time she did create interesting characters who captivated my attention, in particular the lead female protagonist. The last third of the book describes the actual North-West Rebellion of 1885.
Be it with books or movies, detailed battle scenes bore me. I tend not pay attention and as a result end up missing information and getting lost. This happened here.
3 1/2 Stars

[MasterSal]

Don’t know much of the history around this period of history in Canada so thought it was time to correct that. This was recommended as a good historical fiction take...

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

After about 80 pages, I had to stop and look up information about Louis Riel and the 1884 Metis rebellion in Saskatchewan. It did not seem possible that this fictional account was true. But, apparently it does accurately give at least one version of Riel and the failed rebellion. The author Maia Caron is Metis and related to several of the people in the book. She notes that most events and people are “true to history,” and that all the characters in the book are historic except for the main characters Josette, Norbert and their children who are fictional.
Although I appreciate the account, the book was long and drawn out and seemed very repetitious.- especially the war scenes and the scenes of Riel in his religious ecstasies. I also am not sure why she needed to add the story of Josette and Norbert – it took up a lot of the book and did not really accomplish much
Still, I am glad to have persevered and finished the book. My family is from Canada and I only ever knew about Riel in his role in establishing Metis rights in Manitoba. I tend to over-idealize Canadian history and this made me realized that colonialism is everywhere.

[Gail Amendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written historical fiction is a great way to learn about historical events, as it allows you to relate to the people involved and understand how the events affected them. This book is a fascinating look at the 1885 North-West Rebellion, a historical event that was not taught in much detail when I was in school. The story is told primarily from the point of view of fictional Metis woman Josette Lavoie, whose life intersects with those of real life figures Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont during that tumultuous time, but we also also hear from Riel and Dumont themselves, their wives, a corrupt priest and a conniving Hudson's Bay Company representative. They are all wonderfully complex and well developed characters. I did read the book with some trepidation, as I knew how the rebellion would end, and that these great characters were not all going to be ok. There is a lot of detail and complexity in this book. I did have trouble following the story sometimes, but in spite of this was able to gain a good understanding of the politics of the rebellion. The descriptions of the battles were sometimes difficult to follow, and I think we would benefit from the inclusion of maps. I found myself searching the internet for information that I feel could have been provided. This is a story of the author's ancestors, and you can tell it is a labor of love.

[Wayne Inkster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great fictional point of view of the Battle of Batoche. Josette is a character you can't help but love. Based on factual accounts, the writer gives a unique female perspective, which wasn't given very often in those days.

[Shannon Babbage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads giveway , thank you .
Well written historical novel .
Would highly recommend this novel!

[Jock · Rating 3 out of 5]

It concerns me to think that someone who read "Song of Batoche" might take it for a true account of the life of Louis Riel. As with many of the books I have read as part of the Book Club for Inmates program, this one encourages me to read more books on the same topic. A wider view is required.

As far as this book on its own, it certainly had its positive side. I came to connect with several of the characters, I enjoyed the action, the story line moves along at a good pace. At times, it was confusing in that the author would use a pronoun (he or she) and then seem to switch characters. I wasn't sure which 'he' or 'she' was being discussed. On other occasions, the action would shift suddenly and leave me hanging.

Overall, worth reading as I didn't know much about this important part of our country's history.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely riveting! A tragic story, masterfully told.

[Jenine Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meticulously researched and beautifully written in a prose style that demands slow and careful reading in order to fully savour the emotional nuance of the relationships between the characters and the stark imagery of the time and place. Though it is historical fiction, it has the ring of truth to it. Highly recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brutal, original journey with a complex, charming protagonist surrounded by complex characters.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical read

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fictional account of the second so-called Métis Rebellion which occurred in present-day Saskatchewan in 1885 (the "North-west Rebellion") after a similar revolt occurred some 15 years earlier in present-day Manitoba (the "Red River Rebellion"). Two of the principals involved in both conflicts are featured here: Louis Riel, the mercurial and charismatic sometime leader of the Métis who fled to the United States after the first revolt and returned and was hanged by the Canadian government for treason after the collapse of the second; and Gabriel Dumont, Riel's most capable military tactician who also fled south after the second revolt, worked in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show as a marksman, campaigned politically for a number of years, and eventually returned to live out his days in Saskatchewan, dying at the age of 69 in 1906. This novel details the injustices suffered by the Métis at the hands of white settlers and Canadian officials, the desperate attempts of Dumont to mount an effective military resistance despite the distraction of Riel's religious imaginings, and the physical hardships of warfare and prairie life in 19th century Canada.

Like many people outside Canada, I had at least a passing familiarity with Louis Riel and his fate from previous reading and visits to the country, but I confess to my shame that I knew nothing about Gabriel Dumont prior to reading this book, and now I am anxious to learn more about this remarkable Métis patriot and leader. Despite being illiterate, he spoke seven languages and earned the respect and (sometimes grudging) admiration of those with whom he came in contact, friend and foe alike, and an institute in his honor was established in 1980 and continues to this day. I am grateful to the author for filling in this lamentable gap in my education about a great people and culture.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voici une belle découverte et une entrée en littérature remarquable pour cette nouvelle romancière, Maia Caron. Arrière petite fille de la nation métissse, elle replonge dans la psyché et la dramatique politique et guerrière de ses ancêtres de la Rivière rouge. Caron recompose le récit des derniers jours de Batoche libre, la saga de la résistance des Riel, Dumont et consorts, dans la perspective des femmes de cette nation dont le destin est resté dans l'ombre. À lire pour le plaisir, pour le style haletant et pour le récit historique.

[Patsey]

A book I needed to read for a bit more understanding of my Canada. I knew little about the Métis, Louis Riel or the Manitoba vs John A’s federal govt. However I thought the book got bogged down in the details of the war. The planning, the men on both sides, the strategy & execution. I wanted more of the human story, of Josette, Gabriel. I learned that MB may have annexed with USA & John A gave them (among other things) official bilingual status (which has since been challenged, changed & hybridized).

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully woven narrative set against the valiant and tragic North-West Resistance of 1885. Caron brings history to life with vivid, accurate detail. Readers gain a more human sense of the Metis struggle for sovereignty and recognition. A must read on the path to reconciliation in Canada. I place this story among the ranks of Maria Campbell’s “Halfbreed.” It is truly a remarkable story- the first of its kind.

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most excellent research and storytelling of this most important Canadian rebellion when Métis and Indigenous fought for their lands against an intransigent colonialist government headed by John A. Macdonald and the conquering Brits. Riel's religious fanaticism escalates and Gabriel Dumont keeps his promise to support his revered leader. Maia captured my heart with her strong women characters, especially Josette Lavoie who reads Spinoza and challenges the Catholic Church and its clumsy beliefs.

[Ck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This depiction of the northwest rebellion was gives the reader insight into lesser known parts of Canadian history. That this historical fiction was written from the female perspective made me like it even more. There is a great effort to include historically accurate details, and I appreciated this.

[Jen Blue-Pants · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a tough read. There are many characters, and without brushing up on your Red River Rebellion history beforehand, you might not be able to follow the intrigues going on in this NorthWest Rebellion as well.

Still a good read, and told from the perspective of a Metis woman gives it a fascinating spin.

[HelenJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking forward to this book, but I guess battle details aren't my favourite read. I wasn't prepared for the portrayal of Riel as a religious fanatic believing he was the chosen one!
Something just grated!
The writing style was beautiful, and I did care greatly for the strong female character, Josette and the real life character, Gabriel Dumont.

[Joanna Lilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. As an immigrant who doesn't know as much about Canadian history as I should, I loved learning about Louis Riel from the perspective of the women who encountered him in their lives, particularly the wonderful Josette who became as real to me as anyone walking around in three dimensions in this world. I can't wait for Maia Caron's next novel.