February '25 Pick

Isola

Allegra Goodman

Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she...

Isola

Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. Isolated and afraid, Marguerite befriends her guardian’s servant and the two develop an intense attraction. But when their relationship is discovered, they are brutally punished and abandoned on a small island with no hope for rescue. Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed. Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.

From Our Book Lover-In-Chief

Our February Pick is here, and I can’t stop talking about it! Based on a true story, Isola by Allegra Goodman has it all: love, resilience, defiance... I mean, she even fights a bear! This is easily one of my favorite historical fiction reads yet.

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FROM THE AUTHOR

Allegra Goodman

Allegra Goodman is the author of six novels, including Isola, which is the Reese’s Book Club February pick and the national bestseller Sam, which was a Read with Jenna selection; two short story collections; and a novel for young readers. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker and elsewhere, and has been anthologized in The O. Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories. She lives with her family in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Book
Themes

Women in the Wild
Coming of Age
Slow Burn
Let's Escape


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