A review by bibliophileiz
Isola by Allegra Goodman

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

While I agree with some reviewers that this book could drag in places, I really felt like Goodman captured the time period expertly, through everything from her dialogue to her descriptions to the religious fervor of all the characters. I remember thinking during a scene when Marguerite is listening to Cartier and Roberval discuss their planned venture to the New World and thinking they were like the Silicon Valley tech bros of their day, from their attitudes to their eye toward fame and economic gain to their increasing hold on political leaders of the day. The dialogue also has an old-timey feeling. Marguerite keeps saying "alas" and generally it all feels like dialogue from Lord of the Rings. But like Lord of the Rings, the rhythm of so much of it was iambic and trochaic meters (i.e. every other syllable is stressed). Maybe I noticed that because I was listening to the audiobook, but to me that strengthened the dialogue and helped it flow, so that it sounded resonant rather than outdated.
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