Promised to the Crown

Fascinating!

I was fortunate to be in Quebec City just after reading 'Promised to the Crown.' A look at the Ursuline museum and other places that depict the French arrival in this part of the world certainly added gravitas and depth to Runyan's fictional account of those early days of the colony.
The filles du roi, or “King’s Daughters”, were young women who in 1667 answered the King's call to leave France for the new world of the northern american continent in Quebec. They were to become brides of the colonists, helping to populate the land and turn an outpost into a thriving colony. The king provided a dowry for the brides. The brides were housed with the Ursuline order until their marriage. (I found the courting afternoon teas show more under the eyes of the nuns interesting. It is a picture of controlled getting to know you. And how were the young women able to verify the conditions they might be going into was a big question for me? If a settler was outside the city who knew the condition of his living quarters? This was a huge gamble for some of these women--although in the days of arranged marriages perhaps not as big as I think).
For some of the women it was a chance to escape their current situation, for others a chance to start afresh. For whatever the reason, it was not an easy task. Experiencing the bitter winters, the loneliness of a frontier place, the increased threat of illness; the brides were either brave or women with nothing to lose, or perhaps a bit of both.
This is the interwoven story of three such women, Elisabeth, Nicole and Rose. Three women from very different backgrounds who become fast friends. Their journeys reflect the aspirations and sometimes desperation of the young women who took up the challenge. And the challenges are many! The friendships forged by these women on the journey would come to stand them in good stead.
A fascinating look into the French past of Canada. The characters are believable and Runyan has woven a compelling story around each of these women's lives and their intersection.

A NetGalley ARC show less

I don’t have an overwhelming knowledge (or interest for that matter) in US history history and I have absolutely NO knowledge of Canada’s history. This is one of things I love most about reading – I learn the most interesting things by virtue of the novelization of a tidbit of history. My third 5 star book of the year takes the historical fact of young women being sent from France to help colonize what became Quebec.

The book takes place starting in 1667 when the French crown was concerned that the British were going to take over their holdings in what we know as Canada. There were a dearth of women to keep the men settled on the land so the idea was to send some over to marry the settlers to start families and create more loyal show more citizens for France.

The book focuses on three young women each with a reason for leaving her country behind. They survive the long journey to New France and are taken in by the nuns where they are kept until chaperoned meetings can be arranged. Each girl finds an answer but the future is not going to be easy for any of them. The only constant for all of them is their friendship.

I was completely fascinated by this book. In fact I had the world’s worst time putting it down. The story was very original for me – an area of history I hadn’t been before so the feeling of discovery was delightful. The stories were compelling and the characters were all well drawn. They grew with their experiences as opposed to remaining the same throughout the book. The plots lines were unique and well drawn weaving in and out of each other very smoothly. It is the first in the series and I will look forward to the next book with enthusiasm. show less

This historical novel started out with a great idea: telling the stories of three of Louis XIV's "Daughters of France," women who were sent to French Canadian settlements in the 1670s as potential brides for settlers. The concept was that if traders and trappers married and settled down, they might become more interested in farming and, as landholders, would be more apt to defend French interests in Canada against the encroaching British. The three women, Elizabeth, Nicole, and Rose, become friends aboard ship. Elizabeth has agreed to emigrate after her baker father's death to spare her family the burden of an unwed daughter. Nicole, a farmer's daughter, was jilted when a bad harvest cost her her dowry; having no other prospects without show more it and unable to bear the pain of seeing her former fiancé with his new wife, the educated Nicole signs on for the New World. Rose, an orphan, was sent to live with her uncle and his wife, but her uncle began abusing her at age twelve, and when his wife found out, she punished Rose by sending her to a strict convent. So all three made sacrifices and hoped for a better future in North America. Every Thursday, the nuns with whom the women temporarily lived opened their parlor to would-be suitors. Although marriage and motherhood was expected of them, none were forced to marry against their own choice. For the most part, this worked out, though not without difficulties and hardships along the way.

While Runyan provides a detailed picture of life in New France, the novel is a bit too much of a standard romance for my taste. The three women were a little too good to be true, the plot held few surprises, and the writing (especially the dialogue) seemed rather stilted and overly simplistic. Runyan's afterword effectively disputes the long-held theory that the women sent to Canada were prostitutes. The book also contains an excerpt from the sequel, which appear to focus on Manon, a Huron girl raised by Nicole who later returned to her people. This did not entice me to continue with the series. But all in all, not a bad quick read for idle times. show less

Being a Canadian, I had learned bits about this period in history, but this book brought it alive for me. I absolutely loved this story and am looking forward to the next one: [b:Duty to the Crown|28814283|Duty to the Crown (Daughters of New France #2)|Aimie K. Runyan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463148609s/28814283.jpg|49030222].

It is 1667 and France wants to secure it's colony in North America known as "New France". To do this, the King offered young women of various stations a dowry and passage to the colony in order to marry one of the settlers and raise families. The belief was that once entrenched in New France, the settlers would protect it, in the event of an attack by the British or the Indigenous People. These women show more were known as The Filles du Roi. They were orphans or from families down on their luck. They might have been women fleeing from a bad match their parent's made and they did not want to follow through on but they all had to have a letter of comportment from their priest.

The story is told from the point of view of three of these strong women, Rose, Nicole and Elisabeth. Each came from a different background, yet on the ship over, forged a friendship that enabled them to survive the harsh conditions and trying circumstances of the colony. The other characters in the story included the nuns who assisted them upon arrival, the future husbands, clergy, government officials and other settlers. They all added to the descriptions of the land, the struggles faced, the society that developed and the prejudices that followed them from France. Even though this was a new land, the expectations of women was still drawn from the French culture. They were helpmates, mothers, homemakers not equal partners in the marriage. The three brave, strong and independent women who tell this story were fortunate to meet and marry men that felt differently and in private at least, they had much more freedom than others.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were some humorous moments as well as tragic and sad ones. There is some romance and adventure as well. Watching the relationships develop between the women, the sisters (nuns), the spouses and the adopted children kept me reading long past my bedtime. This is one period of history that I had not really read about and the amount of information imparted in this fictional story was excellent. The excellent research was evident in the story and has peaked my interest in this period of my country's history. I invite all of you to read this story and learn about these women, the hardships of the ocean voyage and the life of an early settler. It will not disappoint. show less

Thanks to the publisher and Goodreads for a free copy of Promised to the Crown!

The filles du roi are some of my favourite people to read about -- some of the most memorable books from my childhood were about them. And I think it's so compelling (and terrifying) to think of what that must have been like, moving across the ocean as a young woman for the purpose of getting married and having kids as soon as possible.

Promised to the Crown captures that beautifully. Following a number of girls from France through their new lives in North America, it shows the hardship, tragedy, and hope of a new world. It captures what they're running from and running to. And it does so beautifully.

This is a wonderful piece of historical fiction about some show more amazingly brave, compelling ladies of Canadian history. show less

Promised to the Crown by Aimie K. Runyan is the first book in the Daughters of New France series. Louis XIV is looking for young women of good moral character to send to New France. The men there need brides and the King wanted to see this new area prosper and grow. Elisabeth Martin, Nicole Deschamps, and Rose Barre have decided to go to this new world (three of many). They are each looking for a new start. Elisabeth is the daughter of a baker father (who recently passed away) and a mother who quickly got over her husband. Her mother is looking to marry off Elisabeth (and she does not like the choice). Elisabeth is hoping to find a compatible husband in New France (who will appreciate her baking talent). Rose is an orphan who grew up in show more The Salpetriere Charity Hospital (and orphanage) after her aunt threw her out of their home (her uncle was abusing her and the aunt blamed Rose—a 12-year-old child). Rose is currently working at Salpetriere, but it is like living in a prison. Rose will take a chance and go to New France, but she is not sure she will be able to marry (hard to overcome what her uncle did to her). Nicole is a farm girl who is getting over a broken engagement. Her fiancé broke it off with her when Nicole no longer had a dowry (methinks it was not true love). Nicole believes her family will be better off with one less mouth to feed. Come join Nicole, Rose, and Elisabeth on their journey to a new life in New France (will become Quebec). Will they find husbands that are right for each of them? Can Rose overcome her past so she can have a happy future? You will have to read Promised to the Crown to find out!

Promised to the Crown was a good novel. It is a historical romance novel, but I enjoyed it. We get to see what happens to each woman and I liked the ending. Promised to the Crown is well-written, good pace, and characters that are interesting (and likeable which is important to enjoying a book). The story is told from the three young women’s point-of-view (in third person). We get to see their joys and sorrows and how they fared in this new country. These girls were leaving everything they knew and going forward into an unknown future. That was quite brave. The King (France) paid for their passage across the ocean and they were given lodging and food until they married. There are a couple of slow areas, but they are brief. I give Promised to the Crown 4 out of 5 stars. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of Promised to the Crown from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of the novel. show less

Between 1663 and 1673 approximately 800 women emigrated to Canada to marry and have children to protect the land for King Louis XIV from any country trying to steal the land from him. The 'New France' was mostly populated by men and natives. The women known as filles du roi, meaning that the women were recruited by the government and their passage was paid by the King, gave up what they knew or escaped to start a new life in an untamed land.

The women in Promised to the Crown were Nicole, who was set to marry but her betrothed married another and her father felt that this would be a good way for Nicole to marry well with no dowry. Rose, is an orphaned woman who must decide between becoming a Daughter of France or the stay at charity show more hospital she finds herself in, she decides to become a nun rather than marry and Elizabeth, is the daughter of a Parisian baker but after he dies, her mother sets up an arranged marriage and Elizabeth refuses.

These women are housed in a convent in Quebec when they arrive and men would come to pay court to the young women. These men would then decide on whom they wanted to marry, and have a family with. Almost like a mail order bride concept.

Elizabeth had worked with her father in the family bakery and she was skilled at baking. A baker asks for her hand and she agrees. Nicole marries a young man and they go to his cabin but she finds that it was not what she expected or what he promised her. He is killed accidently by the Huron and she is left a widow and pregnant forcing her to move back to the town and back in the marriage pool. Rose is scared to death of the prospect of intimacy that would be part of a marriage and wishes to become a nun. She has a year to see if she changes her mind.

Life in a new country begins for these three women and soon they are married and with children. Not everything is rosy, there are mean spirited people in the town but they persevere amongst heartbreak and loss.

I found this story to be quite interesting, I am sure I learned about the early history of Canada back in the day, but I don't remember this particular time. Definitely well researched and engaging characters will keep you interested until the end. I definitely look forward to the next in the trilogy, Duty to the Crown (Daughters of New France) which comes out in October of 2016. So if this is an era that you are interested in reading about, then this trilogy is one to read! show less