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Three Hills Home
Eulalie's life seems laid out ahead of her, as does Corporal Cully Robin's, but an alternate plot is about to change their lives irrevocably. With the looming war between France and England, the Governor of Nova Scotia removes the Acadian people from the land they've lived on for generations and disperses them throughout the colonies to the south. Suddenly, even the simplest expectations are thrown into doubt as they struggle to survive, love and find their way home in the face of obstacles they could never have imagined.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 24, 2023
THREE HILLS HOME by Alfred Silver is a work of historical fiction. Told from the perspectives of three fictional characters, the novel brings home the profound personal impact of the Grand Dérangement on the Acadian population, perhaps more than would be possible in telling through the viewpoint of one of the leaders.
The novel opens in the peaceful days before the Acadian Expulsion, establishing the cultural and social context of the Acadian world. André is struggling to complete the wagon wheels that will prove he is ready to marry; Eulalie is busy with her family and farm, content in her life and looking forward to life with her future husband, who will undoubtedly be André.
The days pass in peace, but beneath the surface political tensions are brewing. Corporal Cully Robin, a lifetime soldier in the British army (for there was no retirement option for the press-ganged), is sent out to gather information on names and locations of the Acadian population. (Later, he learns this is not just a statistical survey.) When a broken leg brings him under the care of Eulalie’s family, we soon realize that the love plot will not be simple.
Raised in an Anglophone setting, I was taught in school that the Acadian Expulsion was a very bad thing, that the English uprooted the Acadians from their homes and shipped them to the Colonies. Yes, some families were separated and there was the sorrowful romantic poem of Evangeline searching for her beloved Gabriel all her life. But the Acadians shone through and the Cajuns were, after all, “very happy people.” This version trivialized the many years of suffering of Les Acadiens Errant.
In this novel, the starvation, the disease, the loss of life, the prejudice, the resistance, and the despair are gut-wrenching. We are led on many journeys, feel the deep abiding grief, the rejection and bitterness encountered as the sojourners seek a place in the world. There are years of despair interspersed by moments of celebration, little moments such as a chance reunion, a small victory. This is the Expulsion I heard in murmurs from my Acadian relatives, a story that was less about oaths of allegiance and more about coveting of land, a departure that was less a simple relocation, and more a rupture.
The love story is perhaps unlikely, but is it? The world is not such a vast place, and coincidences can bring the unlikeliest of consequences. At times, the love story is perhaps too intense, but it underscores the poignancy and the abiding tragedy of the Grand Dérangement. For this was the personal tragedy of a people, as political acts can be.
My only request would be maps – one to better visualize the routes and locations of the resistance, and one to trace the routes of our three protagonists as they journey through their new world.
I understand that this book is not easily found any more, so I shall treasure my copy – a tribute to the endurance of the Acadian spirit, a highly readable history, and a love story that might be a little unrealistic, but makes us care for the lovers anyway.
The novel opens in the peaceful days before the Acadian Expulsion, establishing the cultural and social context of the Acadian world. André is struggling to complete the wagon wheels that will prove he is ready to marry; Eulalie is busy with her family and farm, content in her life and looking forward to life with her future husband, who will undoubtedly be André.
The days pass in peace, but beneath the surface political tensions are brewing. Corporal Cully Robin, a lifetime soldier in the British army (for there was no retirement option for the press-ganged), is sent out to gather information on names and locations of the Acadian population. (Later, he learns this is not just a statistical survey.) When a broken leg brings him under the care of Eulalie’s family, we soon realize that the love plot will not be simple.
Raised in an Anglophone setting, I was taught in school that the Acadian Expulsion was a very bad thing, that the English uprooted the Acadians from their homes and shipped them to the Colonies. Yes, some families were separated and there was the sorrowful romantic poem of Evangeline searching for her beloved Gabriel all her life. But the Acadians shone through and the Cajuns were, after all, “very happy people.” This version trivialized the many years of suffering of Les Acadiens Errant.
In this novel, the starvation, the disease, the loss of life, the prejudice, the resistance, and the despair are gut-wrenching. We are led on many journeys, feel the deep abiding grief, the rejection and bitterness encountered as the sojourners seek a place in the world. There are years of despair interspersed by moments of celebration, little moments such as a chance reunion, a small victory. This is the Expulsion I heard in murmurs from my Acadian relatives, a story that was less about oaths of allegiance and more about coveting of land, a departure that was less a simple relocation, and more a rupture.
The love story is perhaps unlikely, but is it? The world is not such a vast place, and coincidences can bring the unlikeliest of consequences. At times, the love story is perhaps too intense, but it underscores the poignancy and the abiding tragedy of the Grand Dérangement. For this was the personal tragedy of a people, as political acts can be.
My only request would be maps – one to better visualize the routes and locations of the resistance, and one to trace the routes of our three protagonists as they journey through their new world.
I understand that this book is not easily found any more, so I shall treasure my copy – a tribute to the endurance of the Acadian spirit, a highly readable history, and a love story that might be a little unrealistic, but makes us care for the lovers anyway.
March 22, 2020
Nice piece of historical fiction...the story of the displaced Acadian settlers of Nova Scotia stuck between warring French and English empires in 1755. This could have been a much larger story if it had explored the fates of more of the families that were forcibly dispersed to far flung colonies, but the characters it focused on were well drawn and interesting and since my ancestors came from the region, the historical context was fascinating.
September 19, 2013
Wonderful Historic Fiction about Novia Scotia all long time ago. Well Done.
April 20, 2016
Very well-written historical fiction based on a sad event in our history: The expulsion of the Acadians.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews