A stirring and illuminating tale about an ambitious orphan in New France.
The sad story of a Canadian legend lies at the heart of this historical novel.
The book’s subtitle succinctly explains Russell’s concept. Initially, there is nothing special about Étienne Brûlé. After his Huguenot parents are killed in religious infighting, Étienne runs away to live on the streets of Paris. Life changes for Étienne in March 1608. That is when he saves Hélène Boullé from drowning in the Seine. Her father, Nicolas, is an important man, a secretary in King Henry IV’s court, and he takes Étienne into his home. Both Nicolas and Étienne are enamored by maps of the New World. The orphan tells Nicolas that he’d like to go to sea. Nicolas makes that happen, and Étienne is soon sailing on an expedition to the New World headed by Samuel Champlain, the king’s navigator and mapmaker, who becomes the orphan’s mentor. It is there, in what is now Quebec, that Étienne meets two people who will become his longtime allies: the Native Sabiton, his eventual “brother,” and the shaman Ostemoy. Étienne, Champlain’s translator, begins living with the Wendat tribe. Étienne has a child with Ostemoy while Champlain returns to France and marries the much younger Hélène. As Étienne becomes entrenched with the Natives, Champlain’s fortunes wax and wane, with the fallout battering the protagonist and his companions. Russell has done an admirable job fleshing out this diverse cast of historical characters. His prodigious research is apparent in his characterization. This is especially the case with his interpretation of the shadowy Étienne, an outsider in his native country who makes a home for himself in New France. Ostemoy, the author’s own creation, provides the Indigenous perspective to the narrative, as she follows her visions, frequently to her people’s detriment. Russell’s retelling of France’s foray into the New World allows readers to understand the mistakes made by both the invaders and the Natives. He also highlights the mistrust among all the groups involved, which made cooperation impossible. His detailed descriptions of the difficulties faced lend a sense of immediacy to the story. Étienne’s life in New France is shown to be a grueling slog in this comprehensive and informative work.
A stirring and illuminating tale about an ambitious orphan in New France.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-5255-9614-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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