Suzanne Desrochers
Author of Bride of New France
Works by Suzanne Desrochers
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Desrochers, Suzanne
- Birthdate
- 1976
- Gender
- female
- Education
- York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (MA|Creative Writing and History)
King's College, London - Occupations
- author
- Short biography
- SUZANNE DESROCHERS grew up in the French-Canadian village of Lafontaine on the shores of Georgian Bay, Ontario. Now based in Toronto, she is currently writing a Ph.D. thesis at King's College, London, comparing the migration of French and British women to North America in the early modern period. She has lived in Paris and Tokyo and travelled extensively throughout Asia. Her travel writing has appeared in Toronto's Now Magazine, and she has presented her history papers at academic conferences and seminars. Bride of New France is her first novel.
- Nationality
- Canada
- Birthplace
- Lafontaine, Ontario, Canada
- Places of residence
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Associated Place (for map)
- Ontario, Canada
Members
Reviews
I am extremely conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I loved the premise and found the book difficult to put down. I’ve always been intrigued by the Filles du Roi, girls send over to Canada by the French king to provide husbands for the fur-traders and soldiers there, in an attempt to develop permanent settlements rather than just trading outposts.
On the other hand, the protagonist is pretty unlikeable and hard to relate to. I had expected initially that there would be more show more character development, that she would eventually take to her new life and be happy in Canada, that she would work to build a better life for herself. None of that really happens. Laure seems determined to be miserable. She can’t imagine a good future for herself, so she just sort of limps through life passively. The author says in a note that this is deliberate: “How there could have been any excitement or hope in such a dangerous and terrible venture is really beyond my imagining…. I wanted to create a counterpoint to this grand narrative of the filles du roi as founding mothers.”
I can appreciate what she was trying to do, and in many ways it succeeded. But I also seem to believe more than she does in the human capacity to hope. I can easily imagine that someone previously confined to a poorhouse in France would be optimistic about the freedom of building her own life in a new country, even if that new life might involve hard work and lack of comfort and a husband who wasn’t her intellectual equal.
More importantly, though, reading about someone who’s consistently unhappy and hopeless just wasn’t particularly enjoyable or satisfying for me. I wanted to cheer with Laure as she embraced and succeeded in a new life. I *wanted* the grand narrative of heroism with its happy ending. Desrocher is a historian, and I appreciate her efforts to craft an informative, historically-accurate novel that makes the reader question prior assumptions about a traditional narrative. As a story read for enjoyment, though, I found that something was lacking here. show less
On the other hand, the protagonist is pretty unlikeable and hard to relate to. I had expected initially that there would be more show more character development, that she would eventually take to her new life and be happy in Canada, that she would work to build a better life for herself. None of that really happens. Laure seems determined to be miserable. She can’t imagine a good future for herself, so she just sort of limps through life passively. The author says in a note that this is deliberate: “How there could have been any excitement or hope in such a dangerous and terrible venture is really beyond my imagining…. I wanted to create a counterpoint to this grand narrative of the filles du roi as founding mothers.”
I can appreciate what she was trying to do, and in many ways it succeeded. But I also seem to believe more than she does in the human capacity to hope. I can easily imagine that someone previously confined to a poorhouse in France would be optimistic about the freedom of building her own life in a new country, even if that new life might involve hard work and lack of comfort and a husband who wasn’t her intellectual equal.
More importantly, though, reading about someone who’s consistently unhappy and hopeless just wasn’t particularly enjoyable or satisfying for me. I wanted to cheer with Laure as she embraced and succeeded in a new life. I *wanted* the grand narrative of heroism with its happy ending. Desrocher is a historian, and I appreciate her efforts to craft an informative, historically-accurate novel that makes the reader question prior assumptions about a traditional narrative. As a story read for enjoyment, though, I found that something was lacking here. show less
I cannot comment on the historical content, as I know little of Les filles de roi (in fact, I read this book hoping to learn a little more). What I can say is that I enjoyed being transported to a different land and time, and surprisingly following this selfish but dreamer girl as she tried to grab something for herself out of life. While so many times in the beginning I wanted to tell her to simply accept the realities of her life, by the end I was routing for her to defy convention and go show more for what - and who - she really wanted. It takes a fair amount of writing skill to take a once unsympathetic character and make her sympathetic, to make her truly real, and Desrocher has done this. Well worth a read. show less
I cannot comment on the historical content, as I know little of Les filles de roi (in fact, I read this book hoping to learn a little more). What I can say is that I enjoyed being transported to a different land and time, and surprisingly following this selfish but dreamer girl as she tried to grab something for herself out of life. While so many times in the beginning I wanted to tell her to simply accept the realities of her life, by the end I was routing for her to defy convention and go show more for what - and who - she really wanted. It takes a fair amount of writing skill to take a once unsympathetic character and make her sympathetic, to make her truly real, and Desrocher has done this. Well worth a read. show less
Bride of New France is a debut novel by Canadian Suzanne Desrochers. It arrived with a 'must read' recommendation that it definitely lived up to.
Bride of New France tells the story of the filles du roi - the King's Daughters. In 1659 France is acting on the King's decree to "clean the streets". Clean the streets of the poor, the destitute, the beggars - "...troublesome sights for the young King and his regents". Seven year old Laure Beausejour is taken from her family and placed in the show more Salpêtriére Hospital - a building that housed prostitutes, criminals, the insane and the poor. It is here that Laure works in a dimly lit sewing room producing lace. She dreams of one day leaving, opening her own business and getting married.
She does get to leave, but not in the manner she had planned. The King is eager to populate New France - the French colony in Canada. In 1669 Laure and her friend Madeleine are chosen to be sent to Canada as brides for the male colonists and to produce children. Rumours of life in New France tell of a terrible climate and danger from all sides. They turn out to not be rumours.
I enjoy reading historical fiction, but this was even more of a treat as it was Canadian. Names and events brought to mind history lessons learned long ago. But Desrochers does more than bring it to mind - she brings it to life. The settings are full of fact based details that paint a vivid picture of both France and Canada. Desrochers' academic background in history serves her well. But it is the character of Laure I became so engrossed in. Her life in Salpêtriére is harsh, yet she dreams of something better and a future. When confronted with the brutal life that is New France, she still does not give in, despite being driven to the edge.
The first half of the book, in France, involves more detail and serves almost as set up for the Canadian part of the novel. Desrochers surprised me here - Laure's character does not follow the path I expected. Her choices lead to some interesting plot lines and an ending I didn't expect. My only criticism - I wanted more of the Canadian life. The focus is on Laure, but I was interested in some of the secondary characters as well. Madame Rouillard, the bar owner/midwife has stories of her own to tell. And I'm curious as to what was in store for Laure after the book ended.
A fascinating historical read about a period and place not as well documented as the English settlements. I look forward to more fiction from Suzanne Desrochers. show less
Bride of New France tells the story of the filles du roi - the King's Daughters. In 1659 France is acting on the King's decree to "clean the streets". Clean the streets of the poor, the destitute, the beggars - "...troublesome sights for the young King and his regents". Seven year old Laure Beausejour is taken from her family and placed in the show more Salpêtriére Hospital - a building that housed prostitutes, criminals, the insane and the poor. It is here that Laure works in a dimly lit sewing room producing lace. She dreams of one day leaving, opening her own business and getting married.
She does get to leave, but not in the manner she had planned. The King is eager to populate New France - the French colony in Canada. In 1669 Laure and her friend Madeleine are chosen to be sent to Canada as brides for the male colonists and to produce children. Rumours of life in New France tell of a terrible climate and danger from all sides. They turn out to not be rumours.
I enjoy reading historical fiction, but this was even more of a treat as it was Canadian. Names and events brought to mind history lessons learned long ago. But Desrochers does more than bring it to mind - she brings it to life. The settings are full of fact based details that paint a vivid picture of both France and Canada. Desrochers' academic background in history serves her well. But it is the character of Laure I became so engrossed in. Her life in Salpêtriére is harsh, yet she dreams of something better and a future. When confronted with the brutal life that is New France, she still does not give in, despite being driven to the edge.
The first half of the book, in France, involves more detail and serves almost as set up for the Canadian part of the novel. Desrochers surprised me here - Laure's character does not follow the path I expected. Her choices lead to some interesting plot lines and an ending I didn't expect. My only criticism - I wanted more of the Canadian life. The focus is on Laure, but I was interested in some of the secondary characters as well. Madame Rouillard, the bar owner/midwife has stories of her own to tell. And I'm curious as to what was in store for Laure after the book ended.
A fascinating historical read about a period and place not as well documented as the English settlements. I look forward to more fiction from Suzanne Desrochers. show less
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- Members
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- Rating
- 3.4
- Reviews
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- ISBNs
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