Isola * Allegra Goodman

A young, orphaned French noblewoman is stripped of her ancestral inheritance by an abusive, volatile guardian who forces her onto an perilous maritime voyage to the colonies of New France, only to maroon her on a desolate, frozen island after she falls in love with his secretary.

The Story: Written by prominent New York Times bestselling novelist and National Book Award finalist Allegra Goodman, this breathtaking 2025 masterpiece transforms early colonial exploration into an exceptionally raw, strategy-first psychological survival workspace. Inspired by the real-world 16th-century historical records of French aristocrat Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval, the narrative completely avoids the romanticized, low-friction formatting of traditional castaway tales. Instead, Goodman establishes an honest, emotionally dense ledger built around her protagonist's agonizing tracking lines, detailing what happens to a woman when every layer of wealth, privilege, and social status is systematically stripped away across strict seasonal timelines. Marguerite, an independent heiress whose comfortable monitoring parameters permanently fracture when her absent guardian, Jean-François de Roberval, returns to claim her assets to fund his ambitious crown expeditions. Compelled to sail aboard his flagship to North America, she navigates an isolated, high-friction environment by forming a passionate alliance with his secretary, Auguste. When their forbidden relationship hits a critical boundary and is exposed, Roberval enforces a terrifying administrative punishment: marooning Marguerite, her devoted nurse Damienne, and Auguste on a barren, granite island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.Goodman guides historical fiction and thriller enthusiasts step-by-step through a fast-paced, multi-layered puzzle of endurance as the harsh Canadian wilderness closes in. As disease, starvation, and a brutal winter timeline claim her companions one by one, Marguerite finds herself entirely alone, forced to hunt polar bears and build shelters from the frozen elements. A powerful testament to human resilience and emerging female autonomy. After executing a miraculous rescue tracking line back to the royal courts of France, Marguerite coordinates a determined counter-campaign to correct her guardian’s self-serving records and reclaim her life. Released as an instant national bestseller and selected as a highly celebrated Reese's Book Club pick. Absolute resilience and the enduring power of the human spirit. 

Perfect For: Devotees of traditional, slow-burn historical fiction and high-stakes survival stories featuring complex female protagonists, such as Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet, Lauren Groff's Matrix, or Ariel Lawhon's The Frozen River; readers fascinated by early North American colonial history and royal court intrigue; and book club; readers fascinated by early North American colonial history and royal court intrigue; and book club curators looking for a deeply emotional, thought-provoking showpiece to elevate their active reading discussion guides.

Kirkus Prize Nominee for Fiction (2025), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction (2025), She Reads Best of Award Nominee for Historical Fiction (2025), Libby Award for Best Historical Fiction (2026).

Published 2025 by Dial Press Trade Paperback Edition, 4th Printing