Whitney, Mira, and Gary analyze another recently-published novel on the next episode of Writers Who Read. Next up: Isola by Allegra Goodman.
Based on a historical person, Allegra Goodman's Marguerite is as real a 16th century woman as we are ever likely to find within a novel. Orphaned as a child, her fate is in the hands of an unscrupulous guardian who takes her fortune and eventually maroons her on an island in Canada. How she reacts to her situation aligns perfectly with the options available to her within her time, place, and social status--it all reads true. Prepare to be transported by Goodman's masterful use of language.
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