EVANGELINE'S JOURNEY

In the mid-1700s, after British soldiers forcibly remove French settlers from their homes in eastern Canada, a young Acadian woman must overcome deportation, illness, and thousands of miles as she struggles to reunite with her true love.

Seventeen-year-old Evangeline Bellefontaine, daughter of Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia’s wealthiest farmer, is engaged to the love of her life, blacksmith’s son Gabriel Lajeunesse. But trouble is brewing: British ships have dropped anchor in the Gaspereau River, threatening the village with their cannons. Before the two can marry, British soldiers force the community members from their homes and onto ships bound for the Thirteen Colonies, and Gabriel and Evangeline are separated. Years pass, but even through smallpox, indentured servitude, marriage proposals, and missed connections, Evangeline remains loyal and determined to reunite with Gabriel. This adaptation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic 1847 poem, “Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie,” offers readers a happier resolution than the original narrative, which sees the lovers reuniting just as Gabriel’s life slips away. Although Pelletier presents a somewhat idealized depiction of the Acadian diaspora, she nonetheless offers well-researched historical insights. Despite the many years and many miles Evangeline travels, the story avoids getting bogged down by excessive details (or Longfellow’s melodrama). Smiley’s sepia-toned spot art and occasional full-page color illustrations help readers visualize the setting and reinforce the love story.

An earnest reimagining of an epic poem with a rich sense of history and place, framed in light romance.