Paradise

by Joan Elizabeth Goodman

We were so far away from any life we’d known. I wondered if we’d gone beyond God’s reach. Perhaps He couldn’t hear us from this wild land.

Next to the immense forest of eastern Canada lies the tiny wild Isle of Demons. In 1542 the young Marguerite, her maid, and her love are marooned on this island. At first, summer provides berries, greens, mushrooms, and rabbits and squirrels caught by snares. The exiles become increasingly resourceful, scavenging for food in the woods and on the shore, using every part of a slain deer—its blood for pudding, its bladder for a water bag, and its hide for clothing. They even build a home of sorts out of saplings and mud. But though it is little spoken of, Marguerite dreads the harsh northern winter to come. How will they ever survive it?
Based on the true-life heroine Marguerite de La Rocque, Paradise is a gripping novel of adventure, courage, hardship, love, and survival.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Young Adult, Teen, Survival, Adventure, Canada

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 26, 2002

About the author

Joan Elizabeth Goodman is an American writer and illustrator.
She was born in Connecticut in 1950 and was raised in an artistic household. Goodman attended L' Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome, from 1969-70, as well as the Pratt Institute, B.F.A., 1973.
She has written several novels of highly acclaimed historical fiction. She lives with her husband and their two children in New York City.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sixteen-year-old Marguerite de La Rocque lives in a strict Huguenot household in France in 1542. She is in love with a young man named Pierre, but they can never marry because he is catholic. When Marguerite's father tells her that she will be part of her uncle's colony in the desolate new world of Canada, she at least feels hope, because in the wilderness, she and Pierre might find a way to be together. Pierre has found a way to join the expedition, and Marguerite is accompanied by her maid, Damienne, who is more friend than servant. So though she fears the wild new land their ship is sailing for, she knows she won't be alone. All goes well until after they arrive in Canada, when Marguerite's uncle discovers she and Pierre have become lovers. Furious, he has Marguerite and Damienne abandoned on a desolate island known as the Isle of Demons. Pierre manages to join them, but will friendship, faith, love, and determination to survive be enough to keep the three alive in this desolate wilderness? I highly recommend this book to young adults who enjoy historical fiction. It's a wonderful story of friendship, love, and courage with a unique historical setting and a determined and likable heroine.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based upon a true story this is an eye opening read and one that many of our 'modern day' Americans could not begin to equal, given the same age and life experiences. It would do all of us good to measure our faith to see if it would hold up under the same situation.

[Kat Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written book based on true events. You could really feel the struggles and trials the people went through. A great read of you are from the east coast of Canada!

[Derissajohnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently just finished the book called paradise by Joan Elizabeth Goodman. The book is
about six people on an island they are trying to get off without any trouble. My favorite character is
Marguerite because she has wild spirit and she don't care what people think. My favorite part of the book was when Marguerite tolled everybody to calm down when they first got on the island. Well the book didn't make me laugh or cry, but it was sad because someone died. What I didn't like about the book was when one of the characters wouldn't eat or drink and she died.
What I liked about the book was it teaches you survival and how you could survive in the woods or an island. So you could survive and not die. What I also liked about the book is when everybody was glad that Marguerite was there because she knew how to survive without the things she needed. I liked the book it was really good and I think they should make a second one to go with it. I would rate the book a four star because it was good just not perfect.

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was once on the Barnes and Noble site at: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/parad.... Though I am the original author.

Marguerite De La Rocque gets to go on a trip of a lifetime, and for a young woman in 1536, this is huge. One of the first women to colonize the Canadian Wilderness, she is chosen by her uncle, Jean-Francois de La Rocque, the Sieur de Roberval, whom the French King appointed as lieutenant general of the expedition. She persuades her love, Pierre, to join the crew of the ship, hoping for a chance they could run away together. A relationship between these two is taboo, since she is a Protestant and he a Catholic. Her uncle finds out about this relationship because the minister of the ship sees the two making love once they come into the New World. Marguerite and her female servant are kicked off the ship and left on an island, with only some provisions. The crew throws Pierre into the ocean and shoots at him, but miraculously, he survives and swims to the island to be with his love. They try living on the island, but the only survivors are Marguerite and the daughter whom Pierre has fathered. This novel of creative nonfiction is based on the true story of Frenchwoman Marguerite De La Rocque. This interesting story may prompt more curiosity in the colonizing of the Americas—especially because the story is told from the French perspective of the New World, and not the English one with which most U.S. students are most familiar. Goodman's writing is understandable although she uses some French words; she also includes an intriguing afterword that details what historians know about the true story of Marguerite.

[Viviam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 1542, Marguerite is the eldest female of her home. When her uncle gives her an opportunity to leave she only has two stipulations: that her best friend Damienne and her forbidden lover Pierre come also. When they can, Marguerite leaves for the new world. When they get there Pierre and Marguerite are found embracing and they and Damienne are banished to the Isle of Demons. They soon learn that this is not the paradise they had imagined; instead they have to fight to fight for every day they survive.
I thought this was a wonderful story of love and one woman’s fight to live. This is a story I plan on reading many more times in the future

[Kaarin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed review: I loved the premise of the story--in 1542 a young woman, her maid/chaperone and her lover are marooned on a small island off the coast of New Foundland. The true story behind this novel is a very interesting part of early Canadian history that I hadn't known about before. But I wish Goodman had done a bit more with it--giving more depth to the characters and their relationships. Worth reading.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marguerite is excited at the chance ot escape her father's stern house, even if her uncle is just as strict. He is leading an expedition in 1542 to Canada, and Marguerite is going with him. The crossing is terrible, but once in the New World, Marguerite is caught with her Catholic lover Pierre. She, Pierre, and her maid are abandoned on an island where the three struggle against the untamed wilderness to survive.

[Alison Worrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1542, Marguerite is marooned on the Isle of Demons (in Eastern Canada) along with maid and love interest. They face having to survive winter. Based on a true story.

The imagery was great and I felt like I was there. I found some of the dialogue a little irritating, if not unnecessary. This was informative in the historical aspect.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might have cried a little inside toward the end. Met the author, which made the book more intense after hearing how attached she was to the characters. Realistic/historical fiction.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A French woman who is marooned on an island off the coast of Canada in 1524 must survive until she is rescued. Based on a true event.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting story; a piece of history made into an exciting story.

[Marinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

EVERYBODY DIES!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

uh...she has a baby without being married. but this is no romance novel.